A convenience that seemed to be reserved for exceptionally large cities just a few years ago, at least six food delivery services have entered the Central Ohio market to feed hungry Columbusites.
Dinner to your doorstep is now just a few clicks away, delivering everything from fast food eats to a four course meal. It’s generally a win-win situation: convenience on the customer end and a boost in sales for the eatery, especially for local restaurants that wouldn’t be able to otherwise offer to-your-door service.
So now you are craving pizza…or tacos…or sushi. Good news! The Metropreneur has rounded up the options and broken them down for your dining pleasure.
DoorDash
Launched in Columbus: April 2016
Service area: Downtown, Dublin, Gahanna, Hilliard, Lewis Center, New Albany, Powell, Upper Arlington and Westerville
Restaurant partner structure: DoorDash primarily works with restaurants with whom they have a formal relationship, though they also offer delivery from other area favorites
Major restaurant partners: Dirty Frank’s Hot Dog Palace, Bareburger, The Happy Greek, The Thurman Cafe, City Barbeque
Average delivery time: 45 minutes
Delivery hours: 11:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m., 7 days a week
Delivery fees: $3.99 – $5.99
Available platforms: Android, iOS, web app
Website: doordash.com
OrderUp
Launched in Columbus: June 2015
Service area: Clintonville, Downtown, German Village, Grandvidew, Short North, University District and Upper Arlington
Restaurant partner structure: The majority of the 70+ restaurants OrderUp delivers are partners
Major restaurant partners: Chipotle, FUSIAN, Hai Poke, Zest Juice Co., Melt Bar & Grilled, McDonald’s, Subway, Qdoba, Buca di Beppo and Sbarro
Average delivery time: 20-45 minutes, depending on the restaurant and cuisine; average pick-up to delivery times of 10 minutes or less to ensure superior food quality
Delivery hours: 11:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m., 7 days a week
Delivery fees: $3.99-$5.99
Available platforms: Android, iOS, web app
Website: orderup.com
SkipTheDishes
Launched in Columbus: June 2015
Service area: Bexley, Downtown, Dublin, Gahanna, German Village, Grandview, Northwest Columbus, Upper Arlington, Westerville, Whitehall and Worthington
Restaurant partner structure: All restaurants listed are partnered with SkipTheDishes with no menu markups or service fees
Major restaurant partners: Thurman Café, Basil Thai, Average Joe’s, California Pizza Kitchen, Subway, Old Mohawk, Menchies, and 140 more
Average delivery time: 45 minutes
Delivery hours:
10:30 a.m. – 10:00 p.m., Weekdays
10:30 a.m. – 10:30 p.m., Weekends
Delivery fees: Free to $5.99
Available platforms: Android, iOS, web app
Website: skipthedishes.com
Grubhub
Launched in Columbus: May 2016 for delivery, 2011 as online aggregator of restaurants that offer delivery themselves
Service area: GrubHub delivers to 24 zip codes within the Central Ohio area
Restaurant partner structure: No fee for restaurants to be listed on the Grubhub site; Grubhub takes a small fee on orders placed through platform
Major Restaurant Partners: Approximately 150 restaurant partners in the Columbus market, nationally Grubhub has an extensive network of large restaurant partners
Average delivery time: Determined by the restaurant, varies from restaurant to restaurant
Delivery hours: Determined by the restaurant, varies from restaurant to restaurant
Delivery fees: Determined by the restaurant, varies from restaurant to restaurant
Available platforms: Android, iOS, web app
Website: grubhub.com
Postmates
Launched in Columbus: September 2015
Service area: Clintonville, Downtown, German Village, Grandview Heights, Short North, University District and Upper Arlington
Restaurant partner structure: Postmates Plus Partnerships allow restaurants to control their presence on the app; for other restaurants Postmates order and deliver on a customer’s behalf
Major restaurant partners: Superchef’s, Jeni’s, Yats, Daredevil Dogs, Mazah
Average delivery time: 60 minutes or less
Delivery hours: 24/7 available as Postmates delivers more than food; food service delivery depends on restaurant hours
Delivery fees: $2.99 or $3.99 for Postmates Plus Partners, all others based on distance between the pickup location and drop-off location; 9 percent service fee on all orders
Available platforms: Android, iOS, web app
Website: postmates.com
uberEATS
Launched in Columbus: August 2016
Service area: Bexley, Clintonville, Downtown, Dublin, Franklinton, Gahanna, German Village, Grandview, Italian Village, Merion Village, Northeast Columbus, Northwest Columbus, Olde Towne East, Powell, Short North, Upper Arlington, Victorian Village, Whitehall and Worthington
Restaurant partner structure: Partners with restaurants to be listed on the service
Major restaurant partners: Primarily local restaurants – The Walrus, Little Donut Shop, 6-1-Pho, Hofbräuhaus, Salt & Pine, SambaFRESH; approximately 90 total
Average delivery time: 35 minutes
Delivery hours: Available 24/7 but dependent upon restaurant hours
Delivery fees: Flat $4.99 fee; food prices may differ from prices available at a restaurant
Available platforms: Android, iOS, web app
Website: ubereats.com/columbus