# Does restaurant delivery mean inside the building to your door? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 23, 2019, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-restaurant-delivery-mean-inside-the-building-to-your-door/830065 "2019-02-23T04:54:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2019, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-restaurant-delivery-mean-inside-the-building-to-your-door/830065/1 "2019-02-23T04:54:55Z")
That is if you are in an apt building. I’ve had a broken limb lately and I have called for delivery 4 times and each time got a phone call and a kind of sob story as if I was supposed to come down and they didn’t expect to have to come up. one guy pretended my bell didn’t work. I told him he had to try harder. two phone calls about not being able to park or something. Is this a new thing? A memo i didn;'t get? the whole point of my dialing out is to get my food at the door, right? 4 out of 4 sounds like a trend but of what? ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2019, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-restaurant-delivery-mean-inside-the-building-to-your-door/830065/2 "2019-02-23T05:18:23Z")
Did you tell them when you called in what was going on? I’m just trying to put together why, multiple times, people would (allegedly) get all the way to your place of residence and then decide not to deliver. Of course, if it’s the same place and the same driver, that would be an explanation. In any case, you might try a more small local place. They’d, I think, be more likely to go out of the way for a customer since one customer on a night that they have 50 deliveries means a lot more than one customer on a night they have 700. Also, make sure when you call them, you tell them that you’re have a broken limb and ask if the driver will be able to run the food up to your door since you won’t be able to come down to the main door. Personally, I’d leave it at that, then make sure your apartment(?) door is unlocked and when they get up there and knock, tell them it’s open and have them drop it where you want it and collect the money. If there’s any place in town that knows you by name, or at least by face, call them first. They’re the most likely to go out of the way for you. I have a small store. Just a grocery c-store type place and any time a customer mentions something about an upcoming surgery or they have a significant other die, the first thing we always tell them is ‘if there’s anything you need…’. And we mean it. We’ve run groceries to peoples houses, we’ve spotted good customers a few bucks, hell, I even drove a really good customer to and from her endoscopy. Beyond that, social media is always a good way to get attention. If you hit up their facebook page and send them a PM or tell them right on their wall what’s going on and ask if they can run it up to your door, they’re a lot more likely to say yes, and follow through. And, of course, tip well, especially if you’ll want/need them to do it again a few more times while you’re healing. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2019, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-restaurant-delivery-mean-inside-the-building-to-your-door/830065/3 "2019-02-23T05:23:45Z")
if you use door dash there’s a place at the checkout where you can leave specific delivery instructions and if they don’t follow them you can send a e-mail to corporate and they’ll call you to discuss the matter most of the time they’ll refund the most of the order price if not all of it ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2019, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-restaurant-delivery-mean-inside-the-building-to-your-door/830065/4 "2019-02-23T06:07:59Z")
In DC it seems standard to come all the way up. Assuming they can get in (remote unlock or staff). I’ve lived in buildings where there was no way to buzz anyone in. So I always noted they needed to call. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2019, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-restaurant-delivery-mean-inside-the-building-to-your-door/830065/5 "2019-02-23T07:37:55Z")
I live in a house, not an apartment (and for what it’s worth the UK, not the US.) My curry restaurant delivers to my front door - and very promptly too. (I’ve been a good customer of theirs for 28 years. 🆒 In fact, when I had gallstones and couldn’t eat curries for a month, I got a polite phone call from the restaurant manager asking if there was a problem with their food!) My supermarket delivers to my kitchen and also help me unpack. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2019, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-restaurant-delivery-mean-inside-the-building-to-your-door/830065/6 "2019-02-23T07:42:16Z")
we get Christmas and birthday cards from our local dominos……… for about 15 years weve had dominos 3 out of 4 every Friday nights ……… ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Crap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.crap/32/3131_2.png) [@Dr.Crap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Crap)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2019, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-restaurant-delivery-mean-inside-the-building-to-your-door/830065/7 "2019-02-23T13:16:52Z")
The last time I ordered Door Dash, the driver left my food on the other side of my enormous retaining wall and told her supervisor (?) it was due to a panic attack. ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2019, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-restaurant-delivery-mean-inside-the-building-to-your-door/830065/8 "2019-02-23T14:02:41Z")
When I lived in. 3 story walk up I had drivers call and say they couldn’t make it up the stairs and would I come down to get the food. It was mostly laziness with some out of shape people picking up a second job. I never tipped if they couldn’t deliver to my door. I think the phenomenon is due to the gig economy and people who didn’t know what they were getting into and either bail out when it gets hard or or just being lazy or taking more work then they can handle and taking some short cuts to get it done. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2019, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-restaurant-delivery-mean-inside-the-building-to-your-door/830065/9 "2019-02-23T14:05:18Z")
> [@nightshadea](#): > > we get Christmas and birthday cards from our local dominos……… for about 15 years weve had dominos 3 out of 4 every Friday nights ……… That’s longer than the “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.” story; but it’s every bit as sad. ---
**Author:** ![Alpha\_Twit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alpha_twit/32/265_2.png) [@Alpha\_Twit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alpha_Twit)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2019, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-restaurant-delivery-mean-inside-the-building-to-your-door/830065/10 "2019-02-23T15:11:47Z")
I would definitely agree that the onus is on you to make sure that you give specific delivery instruction when you place the order. Make sure that you’re absolutely crystal clear that the driver will have to enter the building, climb the stairs and bring it to your apartment door. ANY ambiguity in this will be exploited. With that beings said, if they still take the order then it’s their job to follow through. Any dispute in this will be between the driver and his manager. You’ve done what you can. I also agree, tip well. Preferably in cash. Either way, I hope you like your food with extra phlegm. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2019, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-restaurant-delivery-mean-inside-the-building-to-your-door/830065/11 "2019-02-23T15:27:27Z")
In NYC here the default is to bring it to your apt door. It doesn’t seem ambiguous to me at all, if you list your apt # on the delivery address, it’s supposed to go to your apt. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2019, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-restaurant-delivery-mean-inside-the-building-to-your-door/830065/12 "2019-02-23T16:31:17Z")
I live in a Chicago high rise and it’s delivery to the door almost every time. Usually the delivery person reports to the front desk concierge, they call me, and I say to send them up. It’s very rare that they’ve asked me to get it, I assume it was due to parking. Occasionally, I’ll already be in the lobby of my building if I’m using the delivery tracker, on big move in/move out weekends, the wait for an elevator can be interminable ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2019, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-restaurant-delivery-mean-inside-the-building-to-your-door/830065/13 "2019-02-23T17:25:38Z")
> [@Oredigger77](#): > > When I lived in. 3 story walk up I had drivers call and say they couldn’t make it up the stairs and would I come down to get the food. It was mostly laziness with some out of shape people picking up a second job. I never tipped if they couldn’t deliver to my door. > > I think the phenomenon is due to the gig economy and people who didn’t know what they were getting into and either bail out when it gets hard or or just being lazy or taking more work then they can handle and taking some short cuts to get it done. this is what I’m getting at. People who redefine the service on the fly, passive aggressively trying to manipulate you into a change in the contract, when you are the customer. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2019, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-restaurant-delivery-mean-inside-the-building-to-your-door/830065/14 "2019-02-23T17:32:22Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Did you tell them when you called in what was going on? I’m just trying to put together why, multiple times, people would (allegedly) get all the way to your place of residence and then decide not to deliver. Of course, if it’s the same place and the same driver, that would be an explanation. > > In any case, you might try a more small local place. They’d, I think, be more likely to go out of the way for a customer since one customer on a night that they have 50 deliveries means a lot more than one customer on a night they have 700. > Also, make sure when you call them, you tell them that you’re have a broken limb and ask if the driver will be able to run the food up to your door since you won’t be able to come down to the main door. Personally, I’d leave it at that, then make sure your apartment(?) door is unlocked and when they get up there and knock, tell them it’s open and have them drop it where you want it and collect the money. > > If there’s any place in town that knows you by name, or at least by face, call them first. They’re the most likely to go out of the way for you. I have a small store. Just a grocery c-store type place and any time a customer mentions something about an upcoming surgery or they have a significant other die, the first thing we always tell them is ‘if there’s anything you need…’. And we mean it. We’ve run groceries to peoples houses, we’ve spotted good customers a few bucks, hell, I even drove a really good customer to and from her endoscopy. > > Beyond that, social media is always a good way to get attention. If you hit up their facebook page and send them a PM or tell them right on their wall what’s going on and ask if they can run it up to your door, they’re a lot more likely to say yes, and follow through. > > And, of course, tip well, especially if you’ll want/need them to do it again a few more times while you’re healing. I don’t call for delivery a lot but I don’t expect to have to tell them I have a medical problem when I do. It’s kind of assumed that you need a “delivery.” Do they need to know why? isn’t that tmi for them? the places were all local to an ara where there is a lot of delivery going on. They were all close by and, to me, should know how to park if they are doing this kind of service. Calling me from the street and telling me they can’t park is just like “WTF. Stop your damned whining!” One of them was from across my street, one block down. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2019, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-restaurant-delivery-mean-inside-the-building-to-your-door/830065/15 "2019-02-23T17:34:16Z")
> [@drad\_dog](#): > > I don’t call for delivery a lot but I don’t expect to have to tell them I have a medical problem when I do. It’s kind of assumed that you need a “delivery.” Do they need to know why? isn’t that tmi for them? They don’t need to know the “why,” but as others have said, it’s a very good idea to specify “the delivery person needs to come to the apartment door, I cannot meet them in the lobby,” when you place the order. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2019, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-restaurant-delivery-mean-inside-the-building-to-your-door/830065/16 "2019-02-23T17:39:05Z")
> [@Alpha\_Twit](#): > > I would definitely agree that the onus is on you to make sure that you give specific delivery instruction when you place the order. Make sure that you’re absolutely crystal clear that the driver will have to enter the building, climb the stairs and bring it to your apartment door. ANY ambiguity in this will be exploited. With that beings said, if they still take the order then it’s their job to follow through. Any dispute in this will be between the driver and his manager. You’ve done what you can. > > I also agree, tip well. Preferably in cash. > > Either way, I hope you like your food with extra phlegm. If a place says “We deliver” on the menu, why would you say the onus is on the customer to tell them to deliver it to the door, instead of the street? I don’t see the ambiguity, although I do see they are exploiting me. ---
**Author:** ![Alpha\_Twit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alpha_twit/32/265_2.png) [@Alpha\_Twit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alpha_Twit)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2019, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-restaurant-delivery-mean-inside-the-building-to-your-door/830065/17 "2019-02-23T17:47:57Z")
> [@drad\_dog](#): > > If a place says “We deliver” on the menu, why would you say the onus is on the customer to tell them to deliver it to the door, instead of the street? I don’t see the ambiguity, although I do see they are exploiting me. By nailing down expectations right from the outset, these conflicts can be reduced. Your experience may vary. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2019, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-restaurant-delivery-mean-inside-the-building-to-your-door/830065/18 "2019-02-23T17:49:10Z")
I live in a large apartment building and I get a LOT of food deliveries. To my door. Every single time. Except for once. When the 2003 blackout hit NYC, I had just placed a food order that had not yet been delivered. So I made my way down the dark stairwell to wait outside, as the building interior was pitch black and the buzzer system was power dependent. After taking a call from the restaurant ( I did have to change our original order to items that did not require cooking). But I actually got my food. I was pretty impressed with the resiliency of that restaurant. And I was also glad I had a landline phone. But delivery all the way to the door should be the standard. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2019, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-restaurant-delivery-mean-inside-the-building-to-your-door/830065/19 "2019-02-23T18:12:13Z")
> [@Alpha\_Twit](#): > > By nailing down expectations right from the outset, these conflicts can be reduced. > > Your experience may vary. So no onus? I guess I have a problem with things becoming a problem for no reason. Also I like to reduce the things in life that I need to monitor and nail down, when there seems to be no reason for it, especially little things that I am paying decent money for. YMMV. It just seems presumptuous to try to get out of apartment delivery by making weird phone calls. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2019, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-restaurant-delivery-mean-inside-the-building-to-your-door/830065/20 "2019-02-23T18:29:21Z")
**drad dog** , if you mentioned whether the 4 times were all from the same delivery place, I missed it. That’s key information we’d need to answer the “4 out of 4 sounds like a trend but of what?” question. But, in general, this sounds to me like a “Would you rather be right or would you rather be happy?” kind of situation. Yeah, you shouldn’t _have_ to specify that you need delivery to your door, or why—but you’d stand a better chance of getting the results you want/need if you’d do so. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-restaurant-delivery-mean-inside-the-building-to-your-door/830065.md?page=2)