Munching your way through a mouthwatering meal from one of your favourite local restaurants is one of life’s greatest simple pleasures.
Someone else cooks, someone else cleans, and just about everything on the menu beats whatever you might throw together at home.
Of course, sometimes it’s not convenient or possible to dine in. This is especially true in the age of COVID-19 when more of us are avoiding restaurants altogether and spending more time in the safe and cozy confines of home.
Fortunately, we live at a magical moment in history when food delivery services like Skip the Dishes, UberEATS, and DoorDash will bring food from your favourite local restaurants straight to your door.
These food delivery services are an easy way to put dinner on the table when you’re extra busy. They’re also a great way to break up those long winter months or treat yourself and your family instead of going out to a restaurant.
Delivery Service | Canadian Cities | Delivery Fee |
Skip The Dishes → | 100 | $2-$5 |
UberEATS → | 30 | $2-$5 without subscription |
DoorDash → | 50 | $2-$5 without subscription |
Which food delivery service is the best? Here’s a quick look at the top three food delivery services in Canada.
Skip the Dishes
Skip the Dishes is the largest food delivery service in Canada. It’s available in all 10 provinces (but not the territories), including more than 100 cities and many of their surrounding suburbs.
Their website boasts more than 16,000 participating restaurants nationwide but selection will vary depending on your exact location. If you don’t live near a major city, for instance, your options will be fewer.
Pricing includes a variable delivery fee, which is dependent on the restaurant you choose and your distance from it. Your exact delivery fee is displayed before you submit your order and typically this is between $2 to $5 per order. You also have the option to tip your delivery driver.
The Skip Rewards program lets you earn points on every order, which you can use to redeem rewards and discounts, plus a variety of members-only offers.
Delivery Service | Loyalty Program |
Skip The Dishes → | No-cost rewards system. Earn points for discounts and more |
UberEATS → | $9.99-per-month subscription for free delivery & 5% off orders over $15 |
DoorDash → | $9.99-per-month subscription for free delivery on orders over $15 |
UberEATS
UberEATS is a service that leverages the growing network of Uber drivers in Canada. If you already take advantage of Uber’s car service, UberEATS is a convenient choice, as you can use your same account and payment method.
UberEATS isn’t as widespread as Skip the Dishes in Canada but it’s available in around 30 Canadian cities and many of their surrounding suburbs. Their website boasts “hundreds” of restaurants near you, though the exact number will vary depending on your location.
As with Skip the Dishes, pricing includes a variable delivery that changes depending on the restaurant you’re ordering from and your distance from it. Like Skip the Dishes, this fee is typically in the $5 range. You also have an option to tip the driver as part of your order.
For regular users, UberEATS offers an Eats Pass subscription service that costs $9.99/month. With it, delivery fees are waived and you enjoy 5% off every order over $15.
DoorDash
DoorDash isn’t as widely available in Canada as Skip the Dishes but does provide more coverage across the country than UberEATS. It’s currently active in 50 Canadian cities and surrounding neighbourhoods, boasting more than 300,000 participating restaurants in North America.
Pricing on DoorDash operates much the same way as Skip the Dishes and UberEATS. Each order includes a variable delivery fee, which is dependent on your location and the restaurant you’re ordering from. As with the other food delivery services in Canada, the delivery fee is usually around $2 to $5.
DoorDash also offers a monthly subscription service, the DashPass. For $9.99/month you enjoy zero delivery fees on orders over $15 from eligible restaurants.
Which food delivery service is the best in Canada?
Unfortunately, there’s no simple answer to this question. All three services offer similar pricing models and user experiences, with an ability to order and pay online or via an app, and then track the progress of that order right to your doorstep.
When it comes to food and restaurant selection, your experience will differ from service to service depending on where you live. In one city Skip the Dishes may offer more cuisine choices than UberEATS or DoorDash, while in another city the opposite may be the case.
The silver lining here is choice. Before you place an order for your movie night feast, you can browse what’s available on all three services and (hopefully) find that perfect-something, rather than settling for something on one particular service.
