With a midterm, paper and lab looming every other day, it’s sometimes impossible to have a proper sit-down dinner. Sometimes, grabbing food is overshadowed by the need to continue the seven-hour chemistry marathon or finish the fifteen-page English essay. Try one of these apps the next time you need the food to come to you.
1. Postmates
Photo Courtesy of Postmates
“If it’s an item in a store or restaurant in your city, we can deliver it,” promises Postmates.
Postmates is a San Francisco-based start-up that delivers whatever you need, anywhere you need, within one hour. Delivery fees start at $5 and are determined by the distance from pick-up to drop-off. A 9% service fee is also applied to the purchase price. Deliveries are all made by Postmates’ own drivers and cost a little more during peak times. You can even track your driver through GPS.
The only downside? Not all restaurants have menus. If you want to order from a non-featured restaurant, you have to write out a custom order. This only works if you know exactly what dish you want, and you won’t know the final bill until it’s delivered.
Read Spoon UPenn‘s review of the app here.
2. SpoonRocket
Photo by Samantha Cheng
SpoonRocket offers four meal, drink and dessert options that vary by the day. Each item is prepared by the app’s chefs; a meal costs between $8 and $10 including delivery, tax and tip. The service promises to deliver in 10 minutes or less. SpoonRocket is open from 10am to midnight on weekdays and 11:30am to midnight on weekends.
Fun fact: SpoonRocket is a Berkeley-based startup founded by in 2013 Steven Hsiao and Anson Tsui, both Cal alumni from the Class of 2009.
3. Munchery
Photo Courtesy of Munchery
Like SpoonRocket, Munchery offers dishes prepared by the app’s own chefs, made with fresh, locally-sourced ingredients.
However, there are a few important differences. Munchery only offers dinner and
On the other hand, it offers many more options than SpoonRocket. Munchery also includes sides, salads, desserts, drinks and even a kid’s menu.
4. GrubHub
Photo by Samantha Cheng
Grubhub is an app that connects users to restaurants with pre-existing delivery services. Each nearby, open restaurant that delivers food is listed, along with detailed menus and delivery fee, tip and tax breakdowns. Select an order, pay through the app and meet the driver at the curb.
Seamless is another app owned by the same company as Grubhub, and offers basically the same service. Seamless also provides an estimated order arrival time.