Key Takeaways
- Grubhub offers instant delivery, with typical wait times between 30 minutes to an hour.
- Delivers all day, matching restaurant hours, with late-night service until midnight or later.
- Allows scheduling orders up to 4 days in advance, catering to peak and off-peak hours.
- Provides 24/7 customer service to address delays or issues, ensuring reliable and convenient service.
Is Grubhub Instant Delivery?
Grubhub is not an instant delivery service in the sense of delivering food within minutes. It usually takes between 30 minutes to an hour for food to be delivered after an order is placed, depending on restaurant preparation time, the restaurant’s delivery radius, and traffic conditions.
Grubhub offers flexible delivery hours, operating all day and accommodating late-night orders until the early hours of the morning, contingent on restaurant hours.
Technically, Grubhub can deliver 24/7 if the partnered restaurants are open around the clock.
Delivery times and availability also vary by city and are busiest on Fridays and Saturdays. Grubhub does not deliver when the restaurants are closed or no longer accepting orders.
Troubleshooting: Grubhub Not Delivering
Grubhub itself does not close, but you may encounter situations where it seems like Grubhub is not delivering due to issues at the restaurant level or with the availability of drivers.
If a restaurant appears as “temporarily closed” on the Grubhub app, it might be because there are no available drivers to pick up orders from that location, or the restaurant has altered its hours or decided not to accept delivery and takeout orders temporarily.
The appearance of Grubhub being closed is typically related to the operational status of the restaurants or the availability of drivers rather than Grubhub ceasing its service.
Understanding Late Grubhub Orders
Late Grubhub orders can happen for various reasons, often beyond the delivery driver’s control.
High demand at the restaurant during peak hours (11 am to 2 pm and 6 pm to 9 pm), large order sizes, bad weather, and heavy traffic are common factors that can delay deliveries.
Grubhub provides a tracking feature in its app, allowing customers to monitor their order’s progress in real-time. If an order is late, Grubhub’s Guarantee offers a $5 coupon for the next order as compensation.
To claim this coupon, customers should contact Grubhub’s support within 24 hours of the delayed order, detailing the issue. A response from Grubhub should be expected within 24 hours.
Suggested: How to get a refund from Grubhub
How to Avoid Late Deliveries as a Customer
To minimize the chances of experiencing late deliveries, customers can take proactive steps such as scheduling deliveries in advance or utilizing Grubhub’s premium service, Grubhub+.
1. Schedule a Delivery
Grubhub allows for orders to be placed up to four days in advance, catering to various needs such as office lunches or meals upon returning home.
This can be done through their website or mobile app by selecting your desired food or restaurant, adding items to your cart, and setting the delivery day and time.
2. Avoid Peak Hours
Ordering outside of peak times (lunch and dinner hours) can also help avoid delays. Peak hours often see increased demand for both restaurants and Grubhub drivers, leading to potential delays.
Personally, I only try to use food delivery services outside of these high-demand hours. If I’m ordering food, I’m typically not in the mood to wait.
3. Grubhub+ Membership
For a monthly fee of $9.99, Grubhub+ offers unlimited free delivery on orders over $12 and other benefits such as exclusive coupons and promotions, including a free meal worth $10 every month.
This service can be canceled at any time, so my suggestion is to try this out, especially if you’re a frequent user of Grubhub.
I have an Uber One subscription because I use Uber Eats quite often. The subscription more than pays for itself in the savings on delivery fees alone – not to mention the discounts I get on food.
Wrapping Up
Grubhub is an incredibly convenient mobile ordering delivery service. For more than a decade, the company and its drivers have been delivering food quickly.
Whether you opt-in for the company’s monthly premium service or not, be rest assured that whatever time of day you crave your favorite restaurant meal, Gubhub will deliver your order fast and reliable.
