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.
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
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
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
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
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
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
