Who doesn’t love pizza? Tomatoes, cheese, chicken, pepperoni, spicy peppers, pineapple — you name it, we love it. The only thing that could improve on the perfect formula that is pizza is if you could get it delivered directly to your front door.

Of course, you can do this. If you’re already cozy at home with your sweatpants and Netflix, nobody wants to change, get in the car and drive to their favorite pizza place to pick up the pizza. It doesn’t matter how delicious the pizza is — picking it up still feels like a chore.

Instead, you decide to order the pizza and have it delivered straight to you. But wait. You’re on your favorite pizzeria’s website, but something looks confusing. What’s this DoorDash option you’re seeing? Is that just like regular delivery, or is it different? Does it cost more or less? And is it better or worse than regular delivery? How are you supposed to know?

We get it. It can be hard to know what’s what. That’s why we want to walk you through DoorDash. We’ll talk about what it is, how to use it and how exactly it compares to ordering a pizza directly from a restaurant through a delivery system like the one we’re proud to offer here at Giordano’s.

By the time you’re finished reading this, you’ll be an expert in all things related to pizza delivery, and you just might be hungry to order a pizza, as well.

What Is DoorDash?

DoorDash is an independent food delivery company that works with multiple restaurants to deliver people’s food orders. DoorDash partners with restaurants to act as a delivery service instead of or in addition to their regular in-house delivery operation. To do this, DoorDash targets the most popular restaurants in a city with takeout or delivery service. They then work to link customers with one of their workers, known as a Dasher, who will pick up the customer’s order and deliver it to their door.

In this way, DoorDash operates as a logistics company. They work to match supply and demand between restaurants and their customers. They act as a go-between party that provides the service that connects these two parties.

When some restaurants want more involved services to achieve more operational efficiency, DoorDash also offers a closer partnership. They’ll enter into a more formal relationship with these restaurants, who will then receive things like data analytics and increased speed and efficiency in delivery. DoorDash is currently in this kind of partnership with many chain restaurants across the country, such as Dunkin’ Donuts and Taco Bell, as well as smaller and more local restaurants.

The three-way relationship of DoorDash, the restaurant and the customer is beneficial for all three parties involved. Many restaurants have reported increases in sales, new customer acquisition and operations productivity since partnering with DoorDash. In this way, the restaurant benefits. DoorDash also benefits by expanding their business and gaining a positive reputation. And of course, the customer benefits, too, when their food arrives promptly at their door.

How Does DoorDash Work?

It’s easy to get started with DoorDash. Just type in your address and browse through the resulting list of available restaurants that pop up.

When you order through DoorDash, you’ll be paying for several separate things:

• The initial cost of your food
• Any local taxes that might apply
• A delivery fee
• A service fee
• An optional tip for the Dasher

If you’ve used DoorDash in the past, you may notice this is a slight change from the way payments used to work. Recently, DoorDash incorporated a few changes with the way they display their prices on the menu pages of different restaurants. These changes work to more accurately reflect the price customers will actually pay. The service fee may look new, but it’s merely a different way of breaking down costs that were built into the menu items previously.

Although it may seem like DoorDash costs more than it did previously, the official estimation is that it will cost less now than it used to. Plus, when you order from restaurants that have a formal partnership with DoorDash, this extra service fee will be removed, making the price of your delivery a bit more affordable.

Are There Any Competitors to DoorDash?

While DoorDash might seem like a unique concept, it’s far from the only service of its kind. This is a growing market, and more and more companies are popping up to fill delivery demands in cities across the country. DoorDash is one of many available options if you decide you want to enlist the services of a company like this.

By way of comparison, let’s take a quick look at three of DoorDash’s competitors.

1. Grubhub

Grubhub works like DoorDash in that it seeks to connect you with restaurants that offer takeout services. You order from those restaurants, and Grubhub makes sure the food shows up at your door promptly.

To get started with Grubhub, visit their website and type in your address to receive a list of all restaurants in the area that will deliver to that address. Place your order and let Grubhub do the rest. Of course, if you’re looking for something specific, you can also narrow down your resulting list of restaurants by the type of cuisines you’re interested in, a particular menu item or even a specific restaurant.

Grubhub also boasts coupons and special deals, as well as a 24/7 customer care team that is available to track every single order and take care of any mistakes or missteps that might happen along the way.

2. Carryout Courier

Some companies that perform similar services to DoorDash are less of a nationwide service and instead focus on providing delivery to specific geographic areas. Carryout Courier, for example, is a delivery service that serves the York, Harrisburg and Lancaster areas in Pennsylvania.

The order process with Carryout Courier is very similar to the other services we’ve looked at. Just input your home, business or hotel address, select from the list of available restaurants, choose from the menu just like you would at any restaurant and wait for your Carryout Courier to arrive with your delicious meal.

3. Slice

While some delivery companies such as Carryout Courier focus on one specific geographic area, others are choosing to zero in on one particular type of restaurant and cuisine. Slice is one such delivery service that focuses on delivering pizza, from pizzerias near you right to your door.

In particular, Slice is interested in helping smaller local pizzerias compete with larger chains that are ordinarily able to achieve much faster and more efficient delivery. By partnering with Slice, smaller pizza shops have a much better chance of finding success against bigger chains.

To order from Slice, just punch in your address and the pizzeria you’re interested in, and they’ll take it from there.

The Pros of Using an Intermediary Delivery Service

Now that we’ve looked extensively at DoorDash and a few similar services, we have a relatively good picture of what this type of business looks like and what it can offer not only to you as the customer, but also to restaurants. Let’s look now at the positives that come with choosing to order delivery through a service such as DoorDash.

1. You Get Your Order Faster

Many restaurants have an excellent delivery service and pride themselves on it. There are some restaurants, however, that are just starting to expand their takeout and delivery operations and may not have years of experience in this area. As such, delivery times might run long, or other similar problems might arise.

If you choose to go with an intermediary delivery service, however, you may receive your order faster. While extenuating circumstances are beyond anyone’s control, your odds of getting a timely delivery are high when you use a delivery service.

2. You Can Easily Discover New Restaurants

With DoorDash, as with almost every other delivery service, you can choose to order on the website of the specific restaurant, or you can order through the delivery company’s website. This means that if you know you want pizza, for example, you don’t have to waste time searching the lists of pizzerias near you. You don’t have to worry about which ones deliver, and how much their delivery prices are.

Instead, just pop open your DoorDash website and search for pizza. This is a great way to discover new restaurants that might have escaped your notice entirely otherwise. Who knows? You might even find your new favorite restaurant this way.

3. It’s Extremely Convenient

Using a delivery service is simple — you visit just one site every time. You don’t have to worry about dealing with unfamiliar restaurants, unfamiliar delivery services or confusing websites. While you’ll still be paying the restaurant and eating their food, you’ll primarily be dealing with DoorDash. This makes for a streamlined experience.

The Cons of Using an Intermediary Delivery System

As great as any service is, there are bound to be a few drawbacks to it. Here are a few of the cons you might encounter when using a delivery service like DoorDash.

1. You End Up Paying More

This isn’t a universal guarantee, since every service, restaurant and pricing system is slightly different. However, think of it this way. If you order directly from a restaurant, you only have to pay the restaurant. If you order through DoorDash, you’ll have to pay both DoorDash and the restaurant. You’re essentially paying an extra premium to use the delivery service.

If you’re interested in keeping your costs lower, skip the delivery service and order delivery straight from the restaurant.

2. You’re Supporting the Delivery Service, Not the Restaurant

For many restaurants, their delivery service is an integral part of their business. They’re proud of their prompt, efficient service and they draw a large part of their identity and branding from the fact that they deliver. It gives them the right to say in their advertisements that they proudly offer delivery. Some restaurants even offer free delivery as an extra way of expressing their gratitude their customers.

However, with the growth of delivery services, this can tend to squash out in-house delivery operations. As more and more customers turn to these third-party solutions, more and more restaurants will likely soon have to do the same to compete. While this isn’t inherently a bad thing, it’s a shame for the restaurants that run quality delivery programs of their own.

3. It Complicates Things for Restaurants

This one is tricky since it doesn’t necessarily have a direct negative impact on the customer. Indirectly, however, you may feel the effects of this point. While delivery services and online ordering apps do increase orders for restaurants, they also make things much more chaotic and complicated for the restaurant. Suddenly, they have to run their operations with a third-party they aren’t used to working with.

Suddenly, there is a much larger window for mistakes and room for your order to get confused or put through incorrectly. It’s a bit like the telephone game that everyone plays as children — the more people a message (or food order) must travel through, the more garbled and confused it becomes. While delivery services have their perks, the simple fact of adding another party into the process complicates matters and invites more room for your order to get messed up somewhere along the line.

Giordano’s Pizza Delivery

Ordering through a delivery service or app is one option available to you, and it’s certainly becoming a popular one. It isn’t the only option available, however. Many restaurants still offer in-house delivery services. Here at Giordano’s, we’re proud to be one of those restaurants.

Giordano’s is a Chicago-based pizza restaurant chain, but we also have locations in Arizona, Florida, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada and Ohio. Not every one of our sites has delivery capabilities, but most do. If you live in or around one of the areas with a Giordano’s location, we’d be delighted to deliver one of our delicious pizzas right to your doorstep.

Our delivery process is simple, easy and efficient. Just navigate to the ‘Order’ tab on our website and input the address you’d like your pizza delivered to. From there, select the menu items that you want, check out and wait for your pizza or other food items to arrive.

The Pros of Ordering Straight From a Restaurant Like Giordano’s

Since we examined the positives that come with using a third-party delivery service, let’s take a minute to look at the pros of ordering straight from a restaurant itself. In this case, what are the advantages of ordering your pizza delivery from Giordano’s? Here are three of them.

1. You Pay Less

This is just simple math — dealing with a middle-man means paying extra money. Not only do you have to pay the restaurant, but you also have to pay the delivery service. Yes, some services do their best to charge affordable prices, but you still have to pay that added premium for the intermediary delivery service to bring the pizza to you.

You’ll pay less if you cut out the middle-man every time. Order your pizza or other food straight from the restaurant and watch as your expenses go down.

2. You’ll Support the Restaurant

As consumers in today’s world, many of us are aware that the places we spend our money are essential. They tell the world who we are, what we value and what kind of businesses we want to support. And while all of us have the right to support whatever companies we choose, it’s hard to deny there’s a great feeling that comes from supporting a business that provides a quality service you enjoy every time — like your favorite restaurant.

When you order directly through a restaurant like Giordano’s, you’re paying to support the restaurant, so they can continue serving you and your neighbors delicious pizza for years to come.

3. You’re Dealing With the Restaurant Itself

No matter how delicious the food from your favorite restaurant is, they have no control over it once it leaves their hands and passes into the care of the delivery service. It’s possible that anything might happen to it en route, and the restaurant you know and trust can’t be responsible for it. If, on the other hand, you order through the restaurant, you’re dealing directly with them all the way through the process. This also makes communication much more straightforward, as you don’t have to wonder whether to call the restaurant or the delivery service if you need to change something about your order.

The Cons of Ordering Straight From a Restaurant Like Giordano’s

While we certainly think ordering directly from a restaurant is an excellent choice, nothing is without a few cons. Although you’ll save money and give back to the restaurant that never fails to serve you delicious pizza, there are two notable cons to ordering delivery straight from a restaurant.

1. It Can Be More Difficult If You Don’t Know a Specific Restaurant

The benefit of a delivery service is that you can often just input your address and the type of cuisine you’re looking for, then decide where to order food from based on the results. All you have to do is click a few buttons and wait for your food to arrive. This makes it incredibly convenient if you know you’re in the mood for Chinese food, but you don’t know any restaurants near you.

However, you can achieve a similar result by simply doing a Google search for Chinese restaurants near you and looking for one that offers delivery. While this process is not quite as streamlined, it will still provide the same results. Plus, you’ll also reap the benefits of ordering straight from the source.

2. You May Have to Wait Longer for Your Food

Restaurants will take on another order no matter how long the wait time is. They’ll inform you of the wait, at which point you have the option to back out, but they’ll almost always accept your order. At DoorDash, if your order is projected to take longer than they deem acceptable under their fast delivery policy, they will not accept the order.

This means that by ordering through a delivery service, you may slightly improve your chances for speedy delivery. However, if it’s a hectic night, you may not be getting your pizza at all if you rely on a third-party service.

Order Your Pizza Directly From Giordano’s Today

When you want to order a fresh, hot pizza or any other food, it’s no secret that ordering directly from the restaurant is the way to go. If you’ve been craving one of our delicious, deep-dish stuffed pizzas, then we have an invitation for you. If you live near one of our locations, we’d love to deliver your pizza right to you, without all those added fees for third-party delivery services. Get started with your order now.