Meal Delivery Has Gone The Way Of The Cell Phone

Nevin Barich

Nevin Barich

LOS ANGELES , April 24, 2018 () – I remember the first time I got a cell phone. It was the fall of 1996. I got the phone because I was covering high school football games for the Los Angeles Daily News and I wanted a phone so that I could call in after games and dictate my stories (as opposed to having to find a pay phone). I can’t recall how much the phone cost, but I vividly remember the cost of the monthly plan: $49.99 for 200 minutes.

For you younger readers, that might seem like an obscene cost for a cell phone, and by today’s standards it certainly is. But bear in mind: Back in 1996, It wasn’t like everyone had a cell phone. There weren’t hundreds of companies offering tons of phone options and plans. There simply wasn’t much competition out there, so companies could get away with charging customers higher fees.

Meal delivery options have followed a similar path. When the first such services arrived on the scene and offered to deliver food to your home from places that normally wouldn’t be available for delivery, these companies were able to charge fairly exorbitant fees for the novelty of having something like McDonald’s or a T-bone steak from your favorite fancy restaurant delivered right to your door.

But over the past couple of years, particularly over the last year, I’ve seen more meal delivery options emerge and some of the more-established companies expand. And as competition increases, so do the deals. Fifty dollars in credit for new users. Promo codes for free delivery on your next five orders. A small monthly fee in order to obtain free delivery on all of your orders. It’s made using meal delivery options less of a novelty and more of a regular occurrence. That’s certainly been the case in my household as more competition has led to lower prices.

I’m happy to see meal delivery services go the way of the cell phone and offer cheaper fees to keep my service. It may not always be the best thing for my waistline, but it’s certainly a good thing for my wallet.

Nevin Barich is the Food and Beverage Analyst for Industry Intelligence, which can help YOU better address your own industry challenges. We invite you to come take a look at our service. Call us today at 310-553-0008 and we’ll schedule you for a 15-minute demo.

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