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Food delivery services are a convenient option if you want to browse a variety of restaurants and find exactly what you’re craving without leaving your house. Whether your go-to order comes from a national restaurant chain or a hole-in-the-wall spot down the street, the best food delivery services can bring your favorite foods to your front door quickly and with little added cost.
There are some important factors to keep in mind when selecting the right company to trust with your meal. You’ll want to consider the variety of restaurants each service works with, any delivery fees or added costs, and whether there's an option to order other items like groceries, convenience items, and more. Keep reading to learn about our recommendations for the best food delivery services.
Best Food Delivery Services of 2023
- Best Overall: Grubhub
- Best for Variety: Postmates
- Best for Free Delivery: Delivery.com
- Best for Giving Back: DoorDash
- Most Iconic: Goldbelly
Best Overall : Grubhub
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Grubhub
Grubhub’s wide array of filters allow you to pick exactly what food you’re interested in, and its extensive network of restaurants with modest fees makes this food delivery service the best overall choice.
Large selection of restaurants
Fees are shown upfront
Grubhub+ Reward program for frequent users
Some restaurants charge delivery fees
There is a small order fee
Not many fine dining/high-end restaurant options
Founded in 2004, Grubhub has become the leading online and mobile food ordering platform in terms of having the largest network of restaurant partners. A part of Just Eat Takeaway, the Grubhub portfolio of brands also includes LevelUp, AllMenus, and MenuPages and features over 320,000 restaurants across 4,000 U.S. cities.
With over 50 different options for sorting restaurant menus, Grubhub also includes filters for narrowing down choices in your area, including Gluten-Free, Vegetarian, and Halal. Customers can order through the website or through the Grubhub app via mobile devices. You can get immediate delivery or pickup or schedule it for a future date and time.
Delivery minimums may apply for some restaurants but this, along with any additional fees, will be indicated on the restaurant’s page before completing your order. Fees are generally very modest compared to other services.
Grubhub also includes helpful customer ratings for each restaurant indicating customers’ opinions on the quality of the food, whether or not delivery was on time, and order accuracy. Customer service is available 24/7 to track each order and assist with any issues.
An added bonus to ordering from Grubhub is that you have the option to donate your change to the Grubhub Community Relief Fund at checkout, which goes to charitable organizations supporting local restaurants and drivers.
For frequent customers, there is the Grubhub+ (GH+) Rewards program for about $10 per month that offers unlimited free delivery on participating restaurants, rewards on every order, and a donation match to No Kid Hungry.
Best for Variety : Postmates
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Postmates
Postmates delivers food from restaurants as well as other various items from local retail stores, including groceries, flowers, coffee, alcohol, and more.
Vast array of delivery items based on geography
24/7 deliveries
Offers daily deals
Surge pricing during high-demand hours
More expensive delivery fees
Small order fee
Unlike other similar services, Postmates is a delivery platform that does not just partner with restaurants, but delivers a variety of items based on geographic location.
Headquartered in San Francisco and founded in 2011, Postmates is currently available in 4,200 cities throughout all 50 states, delivering food from over 600,000 merchants. Postmates offers 24/7 delivery of nearly everything in your area that can be purchased: coffee, a variety of restaurant foods, baked goods and desserts from local bakeries and confectioners, juices from a local juice bar, and even snack items from a local pharmacy like Walgreens or CVS.
Postmates also features daily deals that include discounts from specific restaurants, helping to offset additional delivery and service fees. Sign up for Postmates Unlimited membership for about $10 per month, and receive free delivery on every order over $15.
Otherwise, variable service and delivery fees will be added to the subtotal and shown at checkout before completing your order. Blitz pricing can also occur during high-demand, peak-delivery times.
Best for Free Delivery : Delivery.com
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Delivery.com
With delivery services for groceries, laundry, alcohol, and food, Delivery.com has a specific easy-to-find filter for free delivery and special offers.
Orders can be scheduled up to a week in advance
Delivers food, groceries, laundry, and alcohol
Group ordering lets you split orders with others
Minimum order can be high for some restaurants
Smaller selection of places
Available in fewer cities
Delivery.com is an online platform that lets people order from a variety of their favorite local businesses, including restaurants and grocery stores.
Available in over 2,400 cities across the country, delivery.com is a platform that allows merchants to set their own delivery fees, some of which can be as low as $2 to $3, while free delivery is also available on certain orders. Other filters include Customer Rating, Price, Distance, Delivery Time, Cuisine Type, Good for Groups, and Special Offers.
Orders can be made for immediate delivery or scheduled for a future time up to one week in advance. Each time you place an order, you will earn points that can eventually be redeemed for delivery credit or can be donated to the company's charity partners. There is also the option of setting up office delivery accounts to create orders for both groups and individuals based on preset credits.
In addition to a variety of restaurants and catering services, delivery.com partners with select, local grocery stores or markets in over 15 cities to offer home delivery as well. Note: These may come with more substantial delivery fees.
Best for Giving Back : DoorDash
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DoorDash
In addition to quick food delivery, DoorDash has also been fighting hunger and food insecurity since 2018 through its expanded Project DASH program.
Wide range of restaurants and food selections
Easy-to-navigate website and app
DashPass members get free deliveries and more
Some delivery fees are expensive
Service fees tend to be high
Founded by four Stanford students in 2013, DoorDash is a technology company that offers food delivery and pickup from restaurants to your home or office on-demand for individual or group orders. Nearly 400,000 restaurants are registered with DoorDash across the U.S., Australia, and Canada.
Choices can be narrowed down by price, category, rating, restaurant type, menu items, and cuisine type. Delivery fees range from about $2 to more than $6, along with a service charge added to each order; delivery is free for first-time orders over $10.
DoorDash has a reputation for being very consistent with deliveries within the expected window of time, making it a highly dependable service. DoorDash offers a program called DashPass for around $10 per month (a free one-month trial is available) that offers zero delivery fees and reduced service fees on orders over $12 for participating restaurants.
The company has also founded Project DASH (DoorDash Acts for Sustainability and Hunger), which partners with food recovery organizations to help with the logistics of delivering surplus food from restaurants to hunger relief organizations.
Most Iconic : Goldbelly
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Goldbelly
SPRUCE15 for $15 off of minimum $50 spend, first time customers only, excludes shipping, standard T&C applies.
Goldbelly gives anyone the chance to taste and eat iconic foods from the best local food vendors around the country regardless of where they live with its national shipping service.
Offers nationwide delivery
Offers meal kits as well as ready-to-eat food
Has wide selection of top-tier restaurant food
Shipping time means delayed gratification
Items are often expensive
Shipping often limited to certain days
Craving a Philly Cheesesteak but don’t live near Philadelphia? A New York cheesecake but you live in California? Or, how about a Maine lobster roll and you are in the Midwest? From hot dogs to caviar, Goldbelly delivers a lineup of America’s iconic foods.
You can search by food category, region, dietary restriction (vegan or kosher), delivery date, or filter by price. There is also a category of restaurants offering free shipping and flash sales.
Additionally, meal kits are available, which are ideal for hosting groups of people. It's important to keep in mind that some need to be heated and assembled; while pastrami sandwiches with coleslaw and french fries will come ready-to-eat, the Make Your Own Pizza Kit from Imo's Pizza is designed to be DIY.
Each food business that partners with Goldbelly is responsible for packing and shipping its food; details on the specific packaging and any preparation or storage instructions are available when you click on each item.
You can expect your order to generally arrive within two to three days. But keep in mind the next delivery date is dependent on which days the food business ships its product (some only ship on specific days each week).
Final Verdict
There’s an increasingly large number of food delivery services available to folks who want the convenience of food brought to their front door with the click of a button. Some delivery services offer more than just food, with items like laundry, alcohol, or flowers as an option, while others focus on higher-end food, a wider selection of foods, or popular and iconic foods from across the country. A few delivery services also offer a monthly subscription fee, which gives users free delivery and other perks.
We picked Grubhub as our best overall choice because of its extensive selection of restaurants and food types, as well as its convenient filters that allow you to sort and find the food that fits your cravings. Grubhub’s service fees are lower than other food delivery services, and we like that they are clearly stated upfront when you order, so there are no surprises when you check out.
FAQs
What Is a Food Delivery Service?
A food delivery service is a service that partners with local restaurants to deliver meals to the home.
How Long Does It Take for Delivery?
Delivery time will depend on how busy the restaurant is, road conditions, or other mitigating factors, but an average time for delivery is around 35 to 45 minutes.
Should I Tip a Food Delivery Service Driver?
Yes. Also, note that the delivery fee is not a tip for the driver. Most people tip on average 15%.
How Much Is the Service Charge for a Food Delivery Service?
Companies charge various service charges. DoorDash, for example, charges delivery fees that range from $2 to more than $6, plus a service charge. Check each company's policy for their service charges.
Methodology
The companies we chose were based on their geographical service area, the variety of menu items and cuisines offered, their total number of restaurant partners, delivery and service fees, customer reviews, and customer service. Rewards programs and memberships that offer unlimited free delivery were also considered.
Delivery.com was highlighted for its free delivery options and offerings from grocery stores, in addition to restaurants. Grubhub was featured for its large network of restaurant partners, lower fees, and user-friendly ordering features. Goldbelly was selected for delivering your favorite iconic foods from all over the country.
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Oscar Wong / Getty Images