I grew up in a tiny town in eastern Pennslyvania called Whitehall. There was a Buffalo Wild Wings for when you needed to propose/watch reruns of After Mash, a Fuddruckers Jr. for when you needed a festive place to sign your alimony papers, and a Kohl’s for when the agreement was just beyond your means. When I first moved to New York, more than the theatres, or parks, or talented homeless people, I was overwhelmed by all the food options. I used Uber Eats exclusively for the first year and a half; I went almost two years without eating a single vegetable.

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By and by, after the charms of accessibility wear off, the kinks become more and more apparent. Even then, according to a survey conducted by US Foods, you might want to do a headcount on your next order of fries.

Piece a’ Hut

According to the survey of 2,015 Americans, some of which identified as having worked as a deliverer for at least one food delivery app, 20% of consumers suspect that their driver has eaten some of their food, which is charitable considering 28% of delivery drivers confessed to nibbling on an order here and there. Fifty-four percent of these said they simply couldn’t resist the smell. The paranoia has become so pervasive, 85% of consumers are pulling for restaurants to employ tamper-evident labels to effectively address the issue.

In a relatively short period of time, digital delivery has become the predominant mode of service. The average person oscillates between two food delivery apps, Grubhub and Uber Eats reigning chief amongst these, with a median usage reported at roughly three times per month.

Popularity and competition inquire consistency on behalf of suppliers. The average respondent is willing to wait 40 minutes tops, then it’s on to the next dealer. Before you appraise consumer demands too harshly, it should be noted that more than half of those surveyed (54%) agreed that delivery drivers are more deserving of tips than restaurant workers; hopefully, the 60% of delivery drivers queried that said the worst part of their job is the awful tips can take solace in good intentions.

Food fight

On balance, both drivers and customers agree that $4 is a sufficient tip for the average order. Even though 95% of customers agree that tipping is an integral part of the food delivery system, there are a few consistently occasioned grievances urging this same demographic remain parsimonious, even if the same is true in reverse.

Seventeen percent of consumers say that their food is cold, not fresh, or underheated with some regularity, 16% said that their food is frequently late, and 12% said that their order is completely wrong more often then it should be. It’s hard to parse censure fairly in instances of insufficient heat. The dish might have been undercooked, but 17% of drivers admitted to leaving an order on a customer’s doorstep Igor style before taking off.

Just below lackluster tips, restaurants not having an order prepared in time and unclear customer instructions on apps were the complaints cited the most from drives, with 52% and 39% respectively.