Let’s face it. Sometimes you just want that one dish you love from one of your favorite restaurants. But you don’t want to go out. It’s too hot. It’s too cold. You’re watching the game. Or maybe it’s just too much of a pain to corral the kids into the car and go out to eat.
But you still crave that one thing — from that one place that doesn’t deliver. Maybe it’s the chicken tortilla ramen from East Side King or the kimchi fries from Chilantro or a favorite burger from a fast food joint.
If you live in the Austin area, chances are you can go online or make a phone call to a delivery service that will take your order, pick up your food and deliver it to your front door.
Reviews on Yelp.com indicate most of the services are sometimes a little late (same goes for pizza delivery), but the companies say they strive to arrive within 45 minutes.
Here’s a look at top delivery services:
Favor — Favor operates in Austin and Boston. It’s a cashless system — all major cards are accepted. For orders under $50, the delivery fee is $5. Orders of $50 to $100 dollars carry a $7.50 delivery fee. For orders over $100, the delivery fee is $10.
Eatoutin.com — This service serves Austin and San Antonio. Just enter your address, select one of the restaurants they work with and place an order. Most restaurants require a $10 minimum. The company charges 15 percent of the total for a service fee. Fuel surcharge in some cases. They serve Austin, Cedar Park, Round Rock, Pflugerville and West Lake Hills.
Mr. Delivery — Mr. Delivery operates in 18 cities across the country. Head to their website, enter your address and look for some of your favorite local restaurants available for delivery. Pay with cash or credit, then kick back and relax. Standard delivery fee is between $3.99 and $7.99 with a nominal processing fee.
GrubHub — GrubHub operates in 700 cities. It is free to use GrubHub’s service to place phone and online orders. They don’t add any fees to the prices charged by our restaurants and delivery services. GrubHub charges the restaurant a small fee for each order GrubHub generates. Minimum order amounts and delivery charges vary from restaurant to restaurant.