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Doordash, Postmates, Caviar: NBC4 I-Team Tries Food Delivery Apps to Find Best Price

The NBC4 I-Team recently tried out three of the most popular services Doordash, Postmates and Caviar

You know the feeling. There's nothing in the fridge. The pantry is empty. And you're starving.

There's an app for that. Actually, there are a lot of them. But which one will get you what you want for the best price?

The NBC4 I-Team recently tried out three of the most popular services; Doordash, Postmates and Caviar.

Our reporter ordered the same burrito meal, from the same restaurant, at the exact same time from each app. It took 27 minutes for the first order to arrive from Postmates, followed one minute later by Doordash. But it took another 14 minutes for the Caviar order to arrive.

Doordash charged $9.45 for our carnitas burrito, before tax. They added a delivery fee of $3.99 and then an extra service fee of 95 cents. Still, the Doordash total was the lowest at $15.29. Postmates charged less for the burrito itself, but the taxes were higher and so was the delivery fee. They also added a small cart fee, an extra $1.99. That brought the Postmates total to $20.27.

But the highest price was Caviar. Even though they charged the least amount of delivery fees, Caviar has a $20 minimum. So our burrito lunch from was $24.59. For the one-time order, Caviar was not only the most expensive, its delivery also took the longest.

Caviar declined to comment. Doordash didn't respond to a request for comment.

Postmates told NBC4, "merchants [they] are partnered with have lower fees..."

Here are some takeaways:

  • Do the legwork before you get hungry. You can put together your order on various apps and you can see the total before you actually have to hit "submit." That way you can compare prices side by side and see which app is the best one for you;
  • One last thing, the delivery fees do not include a tip for the driver. That will cost you extra, which you can do right through the apps.
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