Good news, pastry and coffee fans: A Dunkin' Donuts delivery service is reportedly in the works — which means that I am one step closer to never, ever leaving my apartment, because I can literally get anything I could possibly need dropped off right at my door. To be fair, I don't actually eat donuts that frequently; I may be in a constant state of wanting them, but they're more like an occasional treat than an everyday occurrence. But given that my nearest Dunkin' locations are a few towns away from where I actually live (not unlike my Starbucks situation)… well, let's just say that being able to have a donut chauffeured directly to me on days when my boyfriend has our only car at work with him would be a boon.
Dunkin Brands Chairman and CEO Nigel Travis recently made an appearance on CNBC's On the Money, during which he discussed the bakery and coffee chain's plans. Said Travis, “Delivery is clearly a big opportunity. We're now developing mobile ordering.” He went on to note that the company is currently doing a “private test”; a more public test will come later in 2015, with the goal being to launch a mobile ordering system sometime during the course of 2016.
As Travis put it, “The trend in this country is convenience. So I think delivery plays very strongly. Think in the next few years you're going to see us get more and more into delivery.” In fact, we've already begun to see the trend growing stronger; less than two weeks ago, we received news that Taco Bell's planned delivery service is edging closer to the test phase — and that's just one of an increasing number of traditionally non-delivery-based fast food chains that are all hopping on the same wagon.
It's worth noting, though, that Dunkin' isn't planning on rushing into delivery; they'd rather get it right and have it take longer to develop than kill themselves attempting to get the service out as fast as possible before it's actually ready for release. “The key thing,” noted Travis, “is we have to make sure we can operationalize all these procedures. That's why I've slowed up mobile ordering to make sure it's operationally simple at the store level.” Sounds like a solid plan to me.
I don't know about you, but so many fast food and fast casual joints have begun trying to make delivery a reality that I've lost track of all of them. So in case you need a reminder, here's a list of a few of the chain delivery services we have to look forward to in the future:
1. Starbucks
Sometime during the second half of 2015 (which I'm taking right now to mean “soon”), the 'Bux will begin testing two kinds of delivery in two different cities: The Seattle version will partner with sharing economy courier service Postmates, while the New York version is called “Green Apron Delivery Service.”
2. Taco Bell
According to the latest update, Taco Bell delivery will likely begin testing near college campuses first. It won't be available at all locations, nor will you be able to avail yourself of it at all times of the day — but hey. Any Taco Bell delivery is good Taco Bell delivery, as far as I'm concerned.
3. Chipotle
Like Starbucks' Seattle service, Chipotle's experimental delivery option partners with Postmates to bring you your burritos on command.
4. McDonald's
Man, Postmates seems to be a popular option, doesn't it? McDonald's New York-only (for the moment, at least) delivery service also uses the sharing economy courier company to get your Big Macs to you whenever you want them.
And just for good measure, here are a few other unexpected delivery services:
5. Uber Eats
Is Uber Eats better than Seamless? Well, as Bustle's Emma Lord and Kadeen Griffiths discovered, Uber Eats is faster, but Seamless is cheaper. Weigh your options carefully.
6. Maple
Backed by Momofuku's David Chang, Maple is a little different than most other delivery apps: The food options available rotate, and the menus are planned by chefs like Dan Kluger.
7. Domino's Emoji Ordering System
Pizza delivery is nothing new — but something as simple as “tweet pizza emoji; get pizza delivered” is revolutionary, indeed.
8. Fooji
Fooji (once it launches) will function similarly to Domino's emoji ordering system; it's just got a broader base with options beyond pizza. Heck yes.
9. Thirstie
Booze delivery? Yes please!
10. Google
The ability to order food directly from my Google search results is something I've been waiting to be able to do my entire adult life.
Images: Giphy (5)
