Today: Mar 29, 2024

Convenience of Delivery apps make life easier for students

J’Mari HughesReporter

Pizza and Chinese food are no longer the only restaurants delivering to people’s doorsteps, as Uber began its own food delivery service in 2014 known as Uber Eats.

Mobile apps such as Grubhub and Door Dash have also been delivering to homes, jobs, and college dorms on campuses like Southern’s.

“I get hungry at night sometimes and we don’t feel like cooking,” said Sarah Joseph, a senior, an exercise science major, SCSU resident. “I think it’s convenient especially if you’re working, you don’t have time to cook or you just don’t have the patience for it.”

Joseph said she uses Uber Eats because of its wide amount of options in comparison to other apps. She said she orders food from McDonald’s, Garden Catering and York Street, where she loves to get basil fried rice.

Paula Alarcon, a senior, a biochemistry major said she has ordered pancakes from Three Brothers Diner using Uber Eats.

“I think it’s lack of time,” she said, “at work sometimes you can’t go on break so you don’t have time to go get food. It can be beneficial but it could also be because of laziness.”

Madison Mesite, a freshman, a nursing major also said not being able to leave work is what causes her to use delivery apps, which according to her are perfect for people who work, cannot drive, or have social anxiety. She said she prefers Uber Eats and is impartial to whether ordering food makes people lazy.

“One time I ordered from Grubhub and the guy wouldn’t even get out of the car,” Mesite said. “I do feel lazy like I could go out and drive to get food but I’m like, ‘Let’s just call Uber Eats, it’s easier.’”

According to Digital Trends, the cheapest food service is Seamless, which does not charge users a delivery fee. Grubhub and DoorDash’s prices depend on the restaurant and minimum fees, while Uber Eats charges an additional five dollars plus to a customers’ meal.

“I think delivery fees are where they should be,” said Keith Moya, a senior, a business management major. “(Drivers) have to go get the food and bring it to (customers).”

Alarcon also said due to the work delivery drivers put in, the prices are justified.

“It’s a bit pricier than it should be,” Alarcon said, “but the people who drive spend money on gas, so if you actually look at the whole picture, it’s balanced.”

Redbox, Netflix and other online streaming services have replaced video stores, but despite the increasing number of mobile deliver apps, Southern students doubted they would ever replace going out to eat. To Moya going out to eat is to going to the cinema, as ordering food is to watching a movie on Netflix: staying in does not have that same affect.

“Going to order food is a way of convenience but going out of your way to go to a restaurant is like a service,” he said. “You’re satisfying your need of hunger with the app and you’re satisfying your need of entertainment by going out.”

Nashalay Crespo, a junior said she cannot imagine a world where people do not go out to eat and does not think there will ever be a decline in restaurant-goers because regardless of deliver apps, people still enjoy the cozy environment of being in a restaurant.

“Even if everything advances forward technologically and there’s not many restaurants,” she said, “people will still look at them like, ‘Woah we have to go there!’”

Joseph said going out to restaurants is the best way to hang out with friends and have social contact.

“You’d be kinda lonely,” Joseph said, “eating by yourself in your house all the time.”

Photo Illustration: August Pelliccio

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