Catered For Convenience

It was one of those cozy Sunday mornings when I felt too lazy to move out of my warm, fleece sheets and do anything but curl up in bed. At the same time, a part of me desperately wanted a big, fluffy First Watch chocolate chip pancake. Because I didn’t want to deal with hauling myself out of bed, changing out of pajamas, or even waiting in a long line, I opened up to my new best friend: the app “Postmates.”  

Postmates is an app that allows you to order food from any restaurant, and a Postmate worker will pick up your food and deliver it directly to your door. However, Postmates is not just for restaurants and food. The Apple store, Trader Joe’s, Walgreens, Walmart, Dick’s Sporting Goods and more are also available through Postmates.  

To my surprise, Postmates was free in the app store. The first thing that popped up was my address at the top. It was nice that the settings are programmed to automatically pull up your current location, so you don’t have to hassle with it. But if you would like your food delivered elsewhere, you can type in another address.

At the search bar menu, a list of different restaurant suggestions pulled up with approximate wait times. Although a crêpe from Chez Elle sounded tempting, I still went with my chocolate chip pancake and a side of bacon from First Watch.  

Once I typed in my order, I just naturally assumed that I would have to undergo a lengthy “checking out” process. Surprisingly, this wasn’t the case.

I punched in my mom’s credit card number and clicked “Check Out.” Within 30 seconds after pressing the button, a page popped up that read “Rachel F. has accepted your request,” and gave me the exact time until my order would be delivered. By accepting my request, this meant Rachel F. would be the person delivering my food to me. The app also had a feature that allowed me to track her, and I could call or text her if I needed anything.

It was 10:24 a.m. and my stomach growled at the thought of devouring a fresh chocolate chip pancake. As much as I hoped the time estimate–10:54 a.m.– would be accurate, I kept no hopes up.  

For the next 30 minutes, I decided to hunker back down in my bed, until I heard the buzz of my doorbell–right at 10:54.

Since I was home alone, there had been a bit of nervousness lingering in the back of my mind about what the person delivering my food was going to be like. But all of that nervousness was washed away as soon as I saw a young woman with a turquoise pea coat and a big smile standing outside my door, handing me a card-board brown bag.  

Once I opened the brown bag, a wave of warm maple syrup with a hint of grease hit me. It was 17 degrees out, but my pancake was still warm.  

After I opened the box, I found two strips of bacon and two packages of syrup sitting on top of a giant pancake. Although the presentation of my food could have been better, my pancake and bacon didn’t disappoint. The pancake was still warm enough that the chocolate chips were able to melt perfectly in my mouth, and the bacon was still nice and crisp. And I was able to eat in my bed while watching “Friends.” That’s much better than sitting at a restaurant.  

My house is 0.6 miles from First Watch, and the delivery fee was $5. Although this may seem pricey, it was definitely worth it.

There is no set delivery fee for Postmates. The prices fluctuate based on how many people are working and how far away your house is from the restaurant, similar to the “Uber” app. The more workers out delivering food, the lower the delivery fee.

Throughout the next couple of days, I had been having a huge craving for t.Loft. Tuesday after school, my craving had hit its peak. Having just finished a Chemistry quiz and writing an English essay, I came home, flopped on my bed, and was exhausted.

I wanted something from t.Loft, but didn’t have the time or energy to drive there. Immediately, I went to Postmates.

As soon as I searched t.Loft, their menu popped right up with all of the fancy names of their juices and teas. At first, I thought I was going to have to google t.Loft’s menu to find out what exactly was in all of the different juices, but once I tapped the name of a juice, a list of the ingredients pulled up.  

I finally settled on the “Mean and Clean” juice and a peanut butter protein ball. Since I already had a credit card number inserted from my last order, it was even easier to order than before.  

Exactly 20 minutes later, a blueish-gray Ford Focus pulled up in front of my house and a man with a tan, puffy coat rang my doorbell. My house is two miles away from t.Loft, so the delivery fee ended up being $7.50. Although this delivery fee was a bit higher than I was anticipating, I still feel like I got my money’s worth.    

My juice remained nice and cold, and my peanut butter ball was placed nicely inside a white, little ruffled cup. Again, Postmates proved to be worth it.

Also, for anyone who gets the “late night munchies,” Postmates runs 24 hours. So when it’s 1 a.m, and you want that McDonald’s Oreo Mcflurry, you now have a way of getting it without leaving your house.    

Every time I’ve ordered food through Postmates, the workers have been punctual and friendly, and my food has remained the perfect temperature. Overall, Postmates is well worth your money, and it’s a great tool to have for when you are in a time crunch or are just feeling lazy.