Ordering food online vs pickup: A Chipotle rant

CHICAGO, IL - OCTOBER 25: A sign marks the location of a Chipotle restaurant on October 25, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. Chipotle stock fell more than 14 percent today after a weak 3Q earnings . (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL - OCTOBER 25: A sign marks the location of a Chipotle restaurant on October 25, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. Chipotle stock fell more than 14 percent today after a weak 3Q earnings . (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

When it comes to ordering food online, why does it seem there’s always an error?

I believe I speak for many foodies when I say that there always seems to be an error when I order food online. I have particularly had bad experiences with Chipotle. Is ordering food online a complete fail?

Have you ever craved your favorite meal, but are either too busy or lazy to pick it up yourself? I’ve been there, we all have! At that moment, ordering online through a service such as Uber Eats or Postmates (or straight from the fast food chain’s site) sounds like a good idea.

On the back of our mind, we fear our order will be wrong, but we  are willing to risk it. This results in two things — our order is correct or we end up regretting it! Unfortunately, for me, it’s usually the latter at Chipotle.

Ordering food online vs pickup

Why does it seem like online orders are always delivered incomplete or with some sort of error? When I’ve ordered from Chipotle, I’ve seen all sorts of mistakes. From getting the worst, inedible meat, to not including utensils or forgetting a drink.

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I figured this happens for several reasons. For one, we aren’t personally there to supervise our order. Online orders are usually always rushed in between in-person orders, so it’s easy to forget something or put in the wrong ingredient.

And when our delivery driver arrives, they don’t always (if ever) double-check the order. This isn’t always their fault, as perhaps the bag is sealed upon arrival. They also want to be quick as they may have other orders so they grab it and go.

Do you pick up your online orders or wait to have them delivered?

What’s a foodie to do? Sometimes, we have no option but to order online! What we can do is try out different delivery services to see which one is best. Let’s also try to take advantage of discounts and special offers when we spot them, too!

Other than that, your best bet to get your order done right is to do go pick it up yourself and double-check everything.

What’s your favorite online ordering service? Is there a fast food chain or restaurant you always seem to have bad luck ordering from? Mine, as you can already tell, is Chipotle.