Let’s see what’s on The Menu

 

Recently, I’ve started using  to have food delivered to my door.

 

DISCLAIMER: My father was the manager

to an exclusive private gentlemen's club, so I’m somewhat aware of

the hospitality industry of

preparing and presentation of food.

 

 

With that said, I had a history of ordering double-cheese pizzas from Julian’s (now closed) and mozzarella sticks, onion rings and all kinds of whatever was on the delivery menu before. This was the period when the stove was removed from the kitchen (don’t ask).

Growing up, our family would go out-to-eat at least once a week. Sometimes it was a dress up formal dinner or a country club affair. Other times, it was the local steak house or fried chicken place. They were always a get in the car and go to a brick-and-mortar building and wait to be shown to a table for four. We’d be handed a menu, but always ordered the same thing. Meat and potatoes. No one ate out for the salad or green beans. Don’t know if dad just wanted to get out of the house or visit another restaurateur to see what the clientele were ordering so he could adjust his menu at the club? I never saw a check delivered to the table. We’d just get up and leave. Not sure how that worked.

Now and then, we’d go to a cafeteria where we had to grab a tray and walk down a line of open steaming food and point out what we wanted to fill the tray. At the end of the line was a cashier. Us kids would just go find a table while dad settled the tab. The cafeteria at school wasn’t as appealing but it was cheap. Even so, I started bringing my lunch in a Roy Roger’s lunch box with a leaky thermos. A peanut butter sandwich, a handful of chips and what milk was left. The apple was thrown away. In high school I’d always bring a brown bag lunch. Freshman year in college, would have lunch at Robert’s every day. Two hamburgers, lettuce, tomato and mayo, fries and a coke. Sophomore year, I had an apartment (with a kitchenette) and a job working for a vending machine company, so I fed myself out of tiny cans and the best of the wrapped sandwiches. By the time I got married, my parents would supply us with gigantic cans of additional club stores or they were close enough to have us to dinner.

In high school, fast food joints appeared on every corner. Get a burger, fries and a coke for a buck and a half, so food was affordable. Luckily, we were not snackers or heavy drinkers at the time, so the paycheck could pay for rent and records.

My wife and I did much walking and would stop at familiar food providers along the way to refresh and recharge. Some became regular stops and comfortable to invite others to attend a meal. Again, we never ventured into unusual palates from different cultures. Learned that from my wife experimenting from television cooking shows.

For years, I’ve used the excuse to get exercise by a daily ride to the Tummy Temple, buy what one person can eat for the day, then ride home and consume. Recently, these trips are taking longer and the hills are higher and the heat is hotter and the wind is… well, you get the idea.

So, I’ve decided to try out this  thing and see how that works. If I can get food delivered, then I don’t have to go out into the wind, cold and rain or plan ahead for the next few days of bad weather or laziness.

Be patient, I’m getting to the menu.

I open up the  site, give them my address and credit card number and they present ALL the restaurants in my area that can be ordered from.

I spend an hour scrolling through the choices and see what they have to offer in color photos to appear appetizing. Monochromatic images do not look like something you want to put in your gut.

What I found of interest are the similarities of the selections. Breaking down food groups to categories, Greek food had Greek food, Sub shops had submarine sandwiches and pizza places had pizzas. (Note: you don’t go to a chicken place and order a steak or a pizza place and order a hamburger or a Chinese place and order a pizza.) Relying only on a photo and a brief description of ingredients, you can ‘add to cart’ and it will be delivered to your doorstep lickety-split.

Each of these fine dining establishments have the usual hospitality credo of ‘get the patron in, served and out’ for the next customer to take their table on the grub assembly line. The kitchen, if run correctly, waste no time in preparation and can deliver to the table (or in this case) the  piping hot and delicious.

This new method of having substance to fill my gullet, seems as easy as Amazon delivering item the next day or Lowe’s forklift delivering items too big for most trucks.  seems to have a good messaging method to accept the request, estimate the arrival time and notification w/photo of placement on delivery.

While I will miss the ambiance of fine indoor dining and the flirting with the cute waitresses who are at your beckoned call, this  may save the wear-and-tear on these old bones. At the end of the month, I’ll get one bill for all the meals, no matter where they came from.

I’ve checked the prices and they seem about the same of if I attended at the countertop. The ‘food’ taxes are estimated, the delivery charge seems reasonable so this might work out, being the only decision of the day.

“What about the other items needed from the Tummy Temple”, you ask. “What about dish detergent and soap and t-paper and toothpaste?”

Well, since they are not on the  menu, I’ve tried . It is basically the same process, but I was curious about alcohol.

The same ‘add to cart’ and they deliver, but you have to be there so they can scan your ID to prove you is old enough to pass the VABC requirements. I think both services do this, but I’ve separated them to ‘grub’ to ‘other stuff’ request. This could be dangerous, for they will deliver many cans for consumption through the week, but… if it is in the house?

So far, I’ve order Mexican burritos, Subway sandwiches and Wendy’s burgers. All have been satisfactory (except for leftovers) and filling with fried grease. All the other selections seem to be fast food, but I’ve not ordered any platters? I suppose this is a good way to sample different sauces and packaging techniques of various dining establishments?

What could go wrong?

If the meal isn’t prepared to your satisfaction, you can send it back to the kitchen. There is a review survey, but you can’t compliment the chef.

I keep a pretty tight miser budget and record every penny (oops, they don’t make those anymore) so I’m tracking the fees to see if that will fit in my 2026 budget.

Then I go to place an order and WHAM! REJECTED. Seems the credit card I’ve been using for Amazon, Intracart and now DoorDash hit its limit. Lesson learned. This is too easy.

I check the credit card site and sure enough. I’ve been ordering like I had a back-of-the-room staff preparing my meals. No problem. Wait for the bill in the mail, send in a check and wait until the balance is back.

Being the best weather for a couple of days and having to pay my property tax (gulp) I pull out my pony, pump up the tire (but probably let out more air than I put in) and road to the mailbox. Since I was close, I parked at the Tummy Temple to pick up a few items I would have had delivered (including alcohol) and ventured back home with a reminder of why I’m considering this delivery option.

I made it home, panting and puffing, then lay down for I could go no further.