DoorDash races to victory in restaurant meal delivery review

We’ve all had one of those nights where we’re too tired, too busy, or having too much fun to bother cooking or even going out to a restaurant to get some food. It used to be the case that you’d have a choice of going out to pick up takeaway food, or having pizza delivered, as only a few restaurants had the resources to offer home delivery. However, online restaurant meal delivery services have changed everything.

In a short time, food delivery services have sprung up across urban areas, offering not only the delivery service itself, but smart platforms (via websites/apps) for consumers to easily look through their options and place orders. No more digging through the stash of local takeaway menus to find what you want and order it – just scroll through a smartphone app. It’s made it so much easier to get your favourite restaurant food without going out.

But which of these food delivery services offers the best range of restaurants and meals to choose from, the easiest website to navigate, the most reliable deliveries and leaves us feeling nicely satisfied with our ordering experiences? To find out, we’ve surveyed more than 2,000 Australian adults across the country who have recently used these services, asking them to rate the platform they used across a number of important areas. Four brands featured in this year’s results, but only one got five stars for overall customer satisfaction – DoorDash.

Despite only starting to cater to the cravings of Aussie households in 2019, DoorDash has well and truly taken the driver’s seat in the food delivery market, with five-star ratings across all categories.

Best Restaurant Meal Delivery Services

The four brands in our 2020 restaurant meal delivery services review were rated in the following order for overall satisfaction:

1. DoorDash
2. Deliveroo
3. UberEATS
4. Menulog

DoorDash cruised through this year’s ratings, achieving five stars in all categories, and taking over from the previous winner Menulog, which dropped down to fourth, despite a four-star rating. Deliveroo and UberEATS also scored four stars for overall satisfaction. Deliveroo and UberEATS joined DoorDash at the top for their variety of meals, although these were the only other five-star results.

To help you decide which might be the best service to satisfy your late-night cravings, or help you relax on your evening off, read on to find out what each service has on offer.

Restaurant Meal Delivery

DoorDash

DoorDash is feeding hungry customers around the globe, connecting people with local eligible restaurants for either door-to-door food delivery or pick-up. Through the DoorDash app or website, you can place an order for immediate delivery or schedule it in advance. The company states the average wait time is typically 40 minutes, but can be less or more depending on things like traffic and how far the restaurant is. In Australia, DoorDash is currently only available in a number of areas in Victoria and NSW, although may be knocking on a door near you in the near future.

• Customers are clearly happy opening their doors for DoorDash, with the brand earning five stars across all categories, including value for money, customer service and overall satisfaction.

Deliveroo

This (surprisingly) London-born service is targeted towards foodies who don’t want to leave their home or workplace to get a nice meal. Deliveroo covers a wide range of restaurants from high-end to national burger chains. Notably, Deliveroo does not offer “low-quality takeaway”. Deliveroo provides its own food packaging and staff – who usually deliver food by bicycle – covering a fairly modest area in major cities. Just like any other delivery service, you can enter your address into the website or app to find out what’s available in your delivery zone. Deliveries are available daily between midday and 11pm. You can schedule your order up to a day in advance, meaning you can schedule your cheat day ahead of time.

• Deliveroo earned four stars in most categories, including overall satisfaction and value for money. It received three stars for delivery reliability & timing, plus website/app navigation.

UberEATS

The ride sharing app that swept the globe went on to expand into transporting food as well as people. Browse by region, type of food, or search for a specific restaurant to find all kinds of local restaurants, ready to send their specialties your way. Just as with Uber, UberEATS allows you to track your order and estimated delivery time as the restaurant accepts it, begins preparing your food, and then sends it off for delivery. You’ll see the name and photo of the Uber partner bringing you your food by car, bike or scooter. You can also schedule an order in advance and customise your drop-off point with a choice of curbside collection, door-to-door service, or meeting in the lobby if you’re keen to get your hands on your meal quickly.

• UberEATS received four stars in most categories, except for variety of meals for which it rated five stars, and value for money where it received three stars.

Menulog

You may have seen Menulog’s advertising campaign starring Jeff Goldblum and its recent rebrand to a bright green colour. The Australian company was started in 2006 and merged with Eat Now as part of international company Just Eat in 2015. One of the biggest players in the food orders market, Menulog provides a platform to find and order from local restaurants, for either pick-up or delivery. You can use the Menulog website or app to browse by location, food category, or particular meals, as well as leave reviews of your experiences. Menulog guarantees to offer the best price – if you place an order with Menulog, but then find the same item from the same restaurant for a better price within 24 hours, you can be credited the difference plus $10 credit for that order, which can help avoid you being left with a sour taste in your mouth.

• Menulog achieved four-star ratings in most categories, including value for money, customer service and overall satisfaction. It received three stars for delivery reliability & timing.

Ready to order?

It’s well worth your time to explore the different service providers to see what they can offer you, as each can have different restaurant partnerships and prices. Shopping around is generally a good idea, and 44% of survey respondents have done just that, trying more than one meal delivery service to get a taste for various options, although that is down from 62% in our previous survey, suggesting many of us have now settled on our favourite.

About a quarter of respondents (26%) said they get a meal delivered at least once a week, indicating we’re always hungry for more. However, considering the average meal delivery spend is $40, looking out for deals and specials (both on the app and via the takeaway shop itself) can ensure that both you and your wallet are left feeling satisfied.

Online Grocery Shopping Review

Picture credits: igor moskalenko / Shutterstock.com