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Comment by sureglymop | Hacker News Reader

Disclaimer: European position incoming.

Food delivery is something I truly have never understood. I have very rarely been in a situation where I was thinking about food and couldn't think of any nearby restaurants within walking distance (~30 minutes on foot). Why would I order if I could just walk, which is also more healthy anyway? Even if I was extremely busy, if I have time to eat I also have the time to get the food.

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> Food delivery is something I truly have never understood

Cool? I’ve never quite gotten bumblebees.

Meanwhile, they continue to fly and apparently burrow. And Europeans buy tens of billions of dollars of food delivery services [1].

[1] https://finance.yahoo.com/news/europe-online-food-delivery-m...

Ok? So you've never lived anywhere that isn't relatively central and walkable. Many people do (even in Europe!). I am one of them. And on a night when I am working late being able to order a hot pizza to my front door is a godsend.

Every single person (including me) who sees no value in DoorUberDashing food around agrees that Domino's Pizza has it's place in society.

Prior to DoorDash I had zero obstacles to getting a fresh pizza delivered.

So you do understand food delivery. Is it a stretch then to imagine why a service that expands the delivery market from a handful of pizza and chinese restaurants to ~every restaurant in the city (that wants to opt in without hiring its own fleet of drivers) is successful?

Yes. The quality of a delivered pizza is higher than the quality of other delivered foods relative to the quality of getting them for dine in at the restaurant.

Do /you/ understand food delivery?

I live in NYC and 9 out of 10 meals I have delivered are hot, fresh and show up on a bicycle in about 25 minutes. I know that not the norm, but a good 20-30 million Americans live in areas with an astounding number of fast and diverse delivery options and it should confuse no one as to why people take great advantage of it.

And those same urban-dwellers are far less likely to own a car, and far more likely to have a tiny kitchen.

> if I have time to eat I also have the time to get the food.

Absolutely untrue.

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