We live in an era of unprecedented convenience.
Almost anything imaginable is available for delivery at the press of a couple buttons on a computer that fits into the palm of your hand.
Nowhere is this newfound convenience more evident than in the area of food delivery.
From ice cream to fried chicken to lobster rolls, there’s a service that will deliver it.
In the past, we’ve looked at food delivery services such as DoorDash, Postmates, Grubhub, Uber Eats, and Amazon Restaurants.
Now, we want to cover another entrant into the food delivery market: Caviar.
We’ll examine what the service is, how it works, and what sets it apart from other food delivery apps.
We’ll also give you some info on how you can sign up to work as a courier for the service, and a discount code for your first order.
What Is Caviar?
Caviar is a food delivery service founded in 2012 by Jason Wang, Shawn Tsao, Vince Cao, and John Keh.
The service launched in San Francisco, but has since expanded to over a dozen metropolitan cities across the United States.
In 2014, payment processing company Square acquired Caviar, though it continues to operate in much the same way as before.
How Does Caviar Work?
Much like other food or alcohol delivery apps, you use Caviar to place orders from restaurants of your choice.
Open the app, and you’ll see a list of restaurants available in your area.
You can browse a full list of restaurants, or sort them using a variety of filters.
For example, you can sort using cuisines such as Chinese, Indian, Greek, Japanese, American, Korean, and Mexican.
Or sort with filters such as “Healthyish” (diet-friendly food delivery options).
Once you’ve found a restaurant you like, you can view its menu from within the app.
Note that the full menu may not be available.
One thing that sets Caviar apart from competitors is the photos — the company photographs each menu item, making sure you know what you’re getting before you place your order.
After finding the items you want, you select them and then complete your order.
You can pay using your debit or credit card, with all payment occurring within the app — no need to exchange any cash with the courier.
Your courier will then go to the restaurant to pick up your food and deliver it to your door.
Why Use Caviar?
With so many other food delivery services out there, what sets Caviar apart? The main draw for the service as we see it is the quality and exclusivity of the restaurants on offer.
As the company’s name implies, Caviar is a premium delivery service.
You won’t find McDonald’s or Chipotle available (though don’t worry, there are plenty of other food delivery apps that can meet those cravings).
Instead, you’ll find some of the finest restaurants in your city, all curated by the Caviar team.
Compared to other food delivery apps, the choices are less overwhelming, generally sticking to one restaurant per cuisine.
Furthermore, Caviar offers exclusive delivery from certain restaurants.
You can find these using the filter “Only Available on Caviar.”
This alone could make the service worth it for certain customers, and it’s a selling point the company continues to use in their marketing.
Besides these two differentiating factors, Caviar is much the same as any other food delivery app out there.
The best way to see how it compares is to try it yourself.
How Much Does Caviar Cost?
For the convenience of Caviar delivery, you’ll pay a delivery fee.
The company won’t give exact numbers for this fee on their website, only noting that the delivery fee “varies across restaurants based on travel time from the restaurant and other costs associated with each restaurant partner.”
In general, however, the fee ranges from $1.99 to $8.99, according to users.
In addition to the delivery fee, Caviar also includes a service fee of 18 percent on all orders.
You also have the option to add a tip before your order arrives.
The maximum amount is $5 ($3 on Android).
Also note that the price of the item can be higher than what you’d pay in the restaurant itself.
While these costs can seem steep, keep in mind you’re paying for convenience.
You’ll pay similar delivery fees on DoorDash.
There are ways to offset this fee, including claiming a Caviar promo code for new users, or being smart about what you order.
Where Is Caviar Available?
Some of the Manhattan restaurants available for delivery with Caviar.
Caviar is currently available in the following markets:
- Boston, MA
- Brooklyn & Queens, NY
- Chicago, IL
- Dallas, TX
- Fort Worth, TX
- Greater Philadelphia, PA
- Knoxville, TN
- Los Angeles, CA
- Manhattan, NY
- Marin County, CA
- Northern Virginia, VA
- Orange County, CA
- Peninsula, CA
- Philadelphia, PA
- Portland, OR
- Richmond, VA
- Rockville, MD
- SF: East Bay, CA
- Sacramento, CA
- San Diego, CA
- San Francisco, CA
- Seattle, WA
- Seattle Eastside, WA
- Walnut Creek, CA
- Washington, D.C. Metro
- Woodbridge, VA
The company continues to expand its operations; to see if it will be coming to your city soon, our suggestion is to download the app and check for yourself.
We’ll also update the above list as Caviar adds new locations.
Can I Deliver for Caviar?
The company notes that “delivery drivers, Uber drivers, Postmates, bike couriers, Lyft drivers, or store associates” all make good candidates, though a customer service mentality is the most important characteristic of successful applicants.
Once you’ve sent in your application, you’ll need to complete an in-person interview and most likely undergo a background check (if required by local laws).
From there, you’ll be on your way to making your first delivery.
Get Caviar Delivery Today
We hope this post has given you an overview of what the Caviar delivery service is, how it works, and why you’d want to use it.
Whether you want food delivered for your next date night, party, or Netflix binge session, you can use Caviar to make it happen.
Try Caviar today and use the code PICNIC for $10 off your first order of $50 or more.
Interesting in delivering orders? Become a Caviar Courier today!
