Which Meal Delivery Service is Right For You?

Modern food delivery services connect customers to prepared meals from a variety of restaurants. They often offer customizable semi-prepared and fully prepared meals.

Most meal delivery services operate on a subscription model, which allows customers to choose dishes from a weekly menu. These meals are delivered to the customer’s home, with most offering customization options based on dietary preferences and allergies.

Cost

Meal delivery services provide fully prepared meals or kits delivered to your doorstep on a weekly basis. You can choose from a wide variety of menus, including vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options. Some meal delivery services offer add-ons such as drinks and snacks. You can also select the number of meals you want to receive per week and adjust your order as needed.

Meals delivered by a meal service are often less expensive than eating out at restaurants and are usually healthier than ordering takeout. In addition, meal kits can help reduce food waste by ensuring that you don’t have any leftovers. However, a meal delivery service may not be cost-effective for everyone.

To save money, consider choosing a meal kit delivery service that offers a la carte menu options and can be customized to your dietary preferences. Additionally, some meal delivery services have a focus on sustainability and use recyclable packaging to reduce their planetary impact. This can be especially beneficial if you’re worried about the environment or if your budget is tight.

Variety

In addition to reducing cooking time, meal delivery services can also introduce you to new foods and ingredients. This makes them a convenient and healthy alternative to fast food or restaurant takeout. The Good Housekeeping Institute analyzed more than 40 meal delivery services and found that some offer a wide variety of recipes.

A few of these services specialize in specific diets, such as vegan, low carb, or keto, and work with dietitians to create meals. Other companies, such as Blue Apron and Factor, offer traditional dishes. Others, such as Fresh N’ Lean and SunBasket, focus on organic ingredients.

Some meal delivery services allow you to select a certain number of meals per week, which may lower your per-meal cost. You can also choose from a list of add-on items, such as snacks and desserts. Many of these services offer discounts when you order large quantities of meals, which can bring your costs down even further. You can find out more about these options by visiting the company’s website or contacting customer service. You can also sign up for a trial to test the service before purchasing a subscription.

Preparation time

Meal delivery services are a weeknight dinner game changer that save time shopping, cooking and cleaning up. These services range from meal kits to fully prepared heat-and-eat meals, and offer a variety of options for every budget and lifestyle. These services are also a great way to introduce new recipes and ingredients to your diet.

Using data from the General Social Survey, this paper explores direct relationships between time spent on meal prep and self-rated health using an innovative approach to analyzing activity sequences. Using an R script, respondents’ evening (3:00 pm-9:00 pm) meal preparation activities were identified. Each activity in the meal preparation super-activity was then paired with its preceding and succeeding activities. This information was then analyzed in an attempt to understand how these activities were related and the impact of context on them.

Specifically, the regression models reveal that those who spend more time on meal preparation tend to report better overall health than those who do not. Similarly, those who are less stressed tend to spend more time on meal preparation.

Flexibility

Whether you’re looking to cut back on grocery trips or improve your cooking skills, meal delivery services offer a convenient alternative to traditional shopping and recipe-seeking. They can also be a great way to introduce you to new flavors and ingredients. But which service is best for you? The right one will depend on your dietary preferences and family size. Some meal delivery services, such as Purple Carrot, focus exclusively on plant-based diets, while others — like Factor and Sunbasket — provide a variety of menu options.

SELF’s experts evaluated meal delivery services based on myriad factors, including cost, cooking times, sustainability initiatives, shipping fees and timelines, delivery areas and customer service. They also analyzed how easy it was to cancel, change or skip meals.

Some of the top rated meal delivery services offer flexible subscriptions that allow you to customize your order according to your schedule and dietary preferences. You can choose from a number of meals per week, and you can even skip a delivery if you are on vacation or want to take a break. Some services are also eco-friendly, offering recyclable packaging and a zero-waste sourcing strategy.

Customer service

Customer service is an important aspect of any meal delivery service. Many companies make it easy for consumers to cancel, change or skip orders by logging into their online profile or app. Others require that customers contact a customer service agent to cancel a subscription.

Meal delivery services are a convenient way to save time, but they can be expensive. Some of the best meal delivery services offer a discount for large orders and provide nutrition facts for each dish. Some companies even allow you to filter or tag meals by food allergies and dietary restrictions.

Meal and restaurant delivery companies rely on technology for their core business but consumer loyalty and revenue depend on a strong end-to-end experience that includes a robust platform, solid relationships with restaurants and eateries and a fair fee structure for drivers. Providing consumers with the variety, value and speedy delivery they expect requires a delicate balance between three stakeholders: the consumer, the restaurant and the driver. Getting it right can be challenging, but it’s essential to success. If not, your customers may quickly switch to a competitor with more promotions and deals, better prices or more variety.