# It's something about ordering food online that does not feel right **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 1, 2014, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-something-about-ordering-food-online-that-does-not-feel-right/697195 "2014-09-01T21:34:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![AnaMen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dfb087/32.png) [@AnaMen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnaMen)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2014, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-something-about-ordering-food-online-that-does-not-feel-right/697195/21 "2014-09-01T22:39:03Z")
Ordering online is much more reliable. I wish my food could also be made and delivered by robots. Humans mess everything up. ---
**Author:** ![7e42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/7/51bf81/32.png) [@7e42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/7e42)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2014, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-something-about-ordering-food-online-that-does-not-feel-right/697195/22 "2014-09-01T22:42:05Z")
> [@Lamar\_Mundane](#): > > You print your emails, don’t you? I don’t have a printer ---
**Author:** ![7e42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/7/51bf81/32.png) [@7e42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/7e42)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2014, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-something-about-ordering-food-online-that-does-not-feel-right/697195/23 "2014-09-01T22:43:34Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Why would they care less about online orders than they do about phone orders? I don’t know not feeling as much pressure since the order was made without a call? ---
**Author:** ![MareIt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ea666f/32.png) [@MareIt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MareIt)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2014, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-something-about-ordering-food-online-that-does-not-feel-right/697195/24 "2014-09-01T22:50:47Z")
Most places the kitchen can’t tell how the order was placed. A ticket prints out in the cooking station, they cook, plate according to “dine in/dine out” and they move to the pass. The person running the pass then routes the food to the correct path out - Delivery, carry out, eat in. ---
**Author:** ![Wolf333](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf333/32/3460_2.png) [@Wolf333](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolf333)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2014, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-something-about-ordering-food-online-that-does-not-feel-right/697195/25 "2014-09-01T22:55:18Z")
> [@7e42](#): > > so if I order on game day with the game starting at 1pm, would it be wise to order online around 11:30am? Heck, order it the day before and have it delivered at 2pm on game day. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2014, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-something-about-ordering-food-online-that-does-not-feel-right/697195/26 "2014-09-01T22:56:35Z")
The one time I ordered food online, when I went to pick it up I gave them the name I placed the order under on the website. Couldn’t find my order. So I had to go and tell them everything I ordered, then they went through all the orders until they found it, not under my name, the name I specifically used on the website, but under the name of someone else living at my house (who wasn’t even in town at the time and so no, couldn’t have had anything to do with the order, nor could they have done anything to change the name). Yeah, I’m not ordering online again if they have a system so fucked up it changes the name on the order rather than using the name you give it. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2014, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-something-about-ordering-food-online-that-does-not-feel-right/697195/27 "2014-09-01T22:57:10Z")
> [@7e42](#): > > I don’t know not feeling as much pressure since the order was made without a call? Again, I’m not seeing why you think this would make a difference to the kitchen. It’s not as if they just believe that online orders poof into existence from Fairyland and there’s not a real person attached to them. ---
**Author:** ![MareIt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ea666f/32.png) [@MareIt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MareIt)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2014, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-something-about-ordering-food-online-that-does-not-feel-right/697195/28 "2014-09-01T23:04:38Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > The one time I ordered food online, when I went to pick it up I gave them the name I placed the order under on the website. Couldn’t find my order. So I had to go and tell them everything I ordered, then they went through all the orders until they found it, not under my name, the name I specifically used on the website, but under the name of someone else living at my house (who wasn’t even in town at the time and so no, couldn’t have had anything to do with the order, nor could they have done anything to change the name). Yeah, I’m not ordering online again if they have a system so fucked up it changes the name on the order rather than using the name you give it. Odds are they matched either the phone number or the address to your roommate’s name. My local Pei Wei asks for my name when I call in an order about 60% of the time, the rest of the time they tell me my name because they have my phone number associated with my name in their system. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2014, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-something-about-ordering-food-online-that-does-not-feel-right/697195/29 "2014-09-01T23:07:48Z")
> [@7e42](#): > > I don’t know not feeling as much pressure since the order was made without a call? And why do you think an online order doesn’t engender that same pressure? What outcome from ignoring an online order do you think would not be felt for a phone order? Do you think people who order online, and are ignored, are not going to complain? Do you think they won’t stop patronizing the restaurant? Do you think they won’t give their business to someone who doesn’t ignore online orders? ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2014, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-something-about-ordering-food-online-that-does-not-feel-right/697195/30 "2014-09-01T23:08:16Z")
Can you web order and pay with cash on receiving? ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2014, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-something-about-ordering-food-online-that-does-not-feel-right/697195/31 "2014-09-01T23:19:40Z")
> [@7e42](#): > > I don’t know not feeling as much pressure since the order was made without a call? I mostly order online through a website called [grubhub.com](http://grubhub.com). So if the restaurant screws it up, I don’t even call them. I call grubhub. I call the people who are steering dozens (at least) of people to order from this restaurant every week. They call the restaurant and get things sorted out toot sweet. While the restaurant may not give a rat’s ass about my online order, they are pretty anxious to keep grubhub happy. I also like using them because they keep records better than I do. I can tell you what I ordered for dinner on January 27, 2009 (2 Rard Nar, Moo Ping, Panang Kuay Tiew, Cucumber Salad, Splendour’s Noodle) and from where (Siam Splendour) and how much it cost ($45.56 + tax, delivery and tip). I can leave reviews so I remember which Chinese place had the good Crab Rangoon. In the 8 years I’ve been using online ordering (mostly, but not exclusively through grubhub) I’ve had 3 orders that were messed up or didn’t arrive in the promised time. 1 of them grubhub was able to sort out to my satisfaction, 1 they cancelled the order and refunded my money, then helped me find another restaurant near me with a similar menu and 1 they canceled and refunded the entire meal, which the restaurant delivered 10 minutes later anyway (and yes, I told them it had been cancelled and refunded, and they apologized all over themselves and asked me to accept the food gratis, and here were some coupons for my trouble.) **etv78** , for most restaurants, yes. Some have a credit/debit card only rule, but they’re the exception. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2014, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-something-about-ordering-food-online-that-does-not-feel-right/697195/32 "2014-09-01T23:23:00Z")
> [@etv78](#): > > Can you web order and pay with cash on receiving? That probably varies by restaurant. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2014, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-something-about-ordering-food-online-that-does-not-feel-right/697195/33 "2014-09-01T23:30:19Z")
Do you have a Domino’s you can order from? You can “watch” online as your order goes through the fulfillment process as well as see the names of the people who are clearly not ignoring your order even though you didn’t become best friends while on the phone. ---
**Author:** ![LibrarySpy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f9ae1b/32.png) [@LibrarySpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LibrarySpy)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2014, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-something-about-ordering-food-online-that-does-not-feel-right/697195/34 "2014-09-01T23:31:35Z")
> [@7e42](#): > > I am thinking if I decide to order a pizza on game day online, they are not in a big rush to get to it since it was ordered online. Especially if there is no follow up call Pizza maven here. When you place your order, it goes into a queue with all the other orders, phone, online, in-person all together. First come, first served. As your order’s turn comes, it’s made as you ordered it, then it’s sent to either pick-up or delivery. Ain’t nobody got time to care less about one or the other. It’s an assembly line. Online orders are PREFERRED. We don’t have to deal with your stuttering, questioning ass on the phone (uh, what are the specials, uh, what toppings are there, uh, do you make club sandwiches?). Online/credit card payment is PREFERRED, so we don’t have to stand there awkwardly for five minutes while you dig in your couch for cash. > [@etv78](#): > > Can you web order and pay with cash on receiving? If you must. ---
**Author:** ![7e42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/7/51bf81/32.png) [@7e42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/7e42)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2014, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-something-about-ordering-food-online-that-does-not-feel-right/697195/35 "2014-09-02T00:11:11Z")
> [@etv78](#): > > Can you web order and pay with cash on receiving? I would like that a lot better ---
**Author:** ![7e42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/7/51bf81/32.png) [@7e42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/7e42)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2014, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-something-about-ordering-food-online-that-does-not-feel-right/697195/36 "2014-09-02T00:12:19Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > I mostly order online through a website called [grubhub.com](http://grubhub.com). So if the restaurant screws it up, I don’t even call them. I call grubhub. I call the people who are steering dozens (at least) of people to order from this restaurant every week. They call the restaurant and get things sorted out toot sweet. While the restaurant may not give a rat’s ass about my online order, they are pretty anxious to keep grubhub happy. > > I also like using them because they keep records better than I do. I can tell you what I ordered for dinner on January 27, 2009 (2 Rard Nar, Moo Ping, Panang Kuay Tiew, Cucumber Salad, Splendour’s Noodle) and from where (Siam Splendour) and how much it cost ($45.56 + tax, delivery and tip). I can leave reviews so I remember which Chinese place had the good Crab Rangoon. > > In the 8 years I’ve been using online ordering (mostly, but not exclusively through grubhub) I’ve had 3 orders that were messed up or didn’t arrive in the promised time. 1 of them grubhub was able to sort out to my satisfaction, 1 they cancelled the order and refunded my money, then helped me find another restaurant near me with a similar menu and 1 they canceled and refunded the entire meal, which the restaurant delivered 10 minutes later anyway (and yes, I told them it had been cancelled and refunded, and they apologized all over themselves and asked me to accept the food gratis, and here were some coupons for my trouble.) > > **etv78** , for most restaurants, yes. Some have a credit/debit card only rule, but they’re the exception. a friend just suggested [seamless.com](http://seamless.com) to me so I will see how it goes ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2014, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-something-about-ordering-food-online-that-does-not-feel-right/697195/37 "2014-09-02T00:31:55Z")
> [@7e42](#): > > I don’t know not feeling as much pressure since the order was made without a call? Why do you think a phone call is more pressure than an online order to the people fulfilling the order? > [@TBG](#): > > The one time I ordered food online, when I went to pick it up I gave them the name I placed the order under on the website. Couldn’t find my order. So I had to go and tell them everything I ordered, then they went through all the orders until they found it, not under my name, the name I specifically used on the website, but under the name of someone else living at my house (who wasn’t even in town at the time and so no, couldn’t have had anything to do with the order, nor could they have done anything to change the name). Yeah, I’m not ordering online again if they have a system so fucked up it changes the name on the order rather than using the name you give it. I’ve ordered food online a lot, mostly from Dominos or Papa John. They either ask you to sign in with your user name or ask you to fill in your information fresh. Using those systems I can’t imagine why this would happen. Calling in by telephone though a lot of places have information automatically attached to a phone number. I can see how that might create this problem. But in those cases, if you are following up, they look up your phone number, not your name. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2014, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-something-about-ordering-food-online-that-does-not-feel-right/697195/38 "2014-09-02T00:39:53Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Yeah, they mess up. But it’s no different than how often they mess up on the phone or at the drive-up window. Maybe less. > > . I have noticed that I have to phrase my order at McDonalds as “Iced Tea, NO sugar” to get an unsweet tea, otherwise I tend to get a sweet tea. As a diabetic, I don’t do sweet tea, I want to stay out of a coma! I feel that their speaker microphones are not kicking on for the first syllable or something. [URL=“[http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/](http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/)”] ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2014, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-something-about-ordering-food-online-that-does-not-feel-right/697195/39 "2014-09-02T00:47:24Z")
Order via fax, follow up with a telegram. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2014, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-something-about-ordering-food-online-that-does-not-feel-right/697195/40 "2014-09-02T00:57:55Z")
I’m not sure if the OP is sincere or not but anyway. When you order online, they are LESS likely to screw up, because whatever you order, is exactly what goes into the system. When you call, you have to trust that the person on the phone is inputting your information into the system correctly. And this whole bit about “Not getting into a rush for online orders” is just crazy talk. Businesses WANT you to use their online service because they’ve got better things for their employees to do than talk on the phone. So if anything, online orders would get priority. They want your online experience to be a pleasant one. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-something-about-ordering-food-online-that-does-not-feel-right/697195.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-something-about-ordering-food-online-that-does-not-feel-right/697195.md?page=3)