MANILA — Even before we all had to live in lockdown, we’ve been heavy users of food delivery.  We had accounts with almost all food places that offered delivery, and collected coupons and vouchers for next orders.

Then one day we found ourselves using mostly one app to deliver not just our meals, but even our breads, cakes to celebrate special occasions or just to enjoy a sweet treat plus groceries. 

Until this app started giving us trouble.  One too many times we placed orders, waited for an hour or so, only to have the deliveries canceled.  Or receive an incomplete delivery, and the most they would do is refund the missing item.  But how can you enjoy a meal without rice? Or chicken without the gravy?  Or the gravy without the chicken?

There have also been cases where the food spilled and it’s no longer good to eat.  Who wants their pasta swimming in soda? When we filed a complaint, we were told we would be reimbursed only if we showed a photo of the food items being disposed of.  So the next time this happened, I was ready with the photos but was only given a P50 appeasement.  

Clearly, it’s time for a change.

So we started looking around for better options and oh wow, we were surprised at just how much it was costing us by being loyal to one app.  If you also use food delivery, and use it more often than you should (just like us), here are some tips that can help you save some cash while enjoying the same meal.

#1 Get it from the “source” when you can

Before food delivery apps became a thing, many food places had their own delivery service.  And now that we are going back and checking them all out again, we realized that food prices from the app can be higher.  It’s not the case all the time, but in our experience, this is the case most of the time.  When we look at our total bill, it’s smarter to order online from the websites of Jollibee or Kenny Rogers.

#2 Restaurants offer in-app promotions too

One of the things that got us hooked on that food delivery app was they were always running some promotion.  But turns out the restaurants do the same thing.  When we downloaded the Shakey’s app, we were happy to discover that they had the same promotions they offer when you dine in, plus exclusive promotions only available from the app.  

#3 Check for vouchers before check out

Make it a habit to always see if there are discounts or vouchers that you can redeem before checking out.  With Shakey’s, we can even choose what offer we wanted – a free meal, or rebate to use for next order.  The bigger our order, the more options too. With McDonald’s, if you meet a minimum order, you can choose from free delivery or free fries – clearly a win-win.

#4 Why pay when you can get free delivery

We also noticed that the app we were trying to wean ourselves from has been increasing delivery fees.  During holidays, the price hike was a bit much which we tolerated but still the order would be canceled after a long wait.  We signed up for their delivery plan to take advantage of a promotional rate or waived delivery fees, but the surcharge meant we still had to top up.  For most restaurants, you can get free delivery if you meet a minimum order, which is not so bad.  Some will waive the delivery fee for as little as P300 total food order.

#5 Make sure to check out the competition

Years ago, we tried this other food delivery app and became so frustrated with their service that they got canceled.  But desperate times call for forgiveness, so after hearing mostly positive reviews from current users, we gave them a second chance and we’re so glad we did.  The food comes faster, and they have promotions too.  Best of all, they have Food Order for 1, so if you are dining solo, you can choose from a limited number of options but pay only P15 for delivery.  That’s a welcome option that we can go and hug a Panda now.