Last week, Grubhub, a food delivery and pick up app, was available for residents of Indianola to use for a quicker, more convenient way to get their food from restaurants in the area.

Simpson student Abby Ruby says she used Grubhub to pick-up an order from Pizza Ranch last weekend.

“You just walk up and say you have a pickup order and then they bring it out,” Ruby said. “They couldn’t find my name at first and when I mentioned it was from Grubhub the cashier said I was the first customer to use the app because it was new. It worked out great and I had to wait 5 minutes but that was no problem for me.”

Ruby also says that the Grubhub app can be used to pick up orders from Des Moines.

“I can change my location on the app to Des Moines and order pick-up from there, however, it is such an inconvenience to drive 45 minutes in total to just bring it home,” she said.

Ruby prefers Grubhub to other food delivery apps. 

“Personally, I feel like Grubhub has a lot more deals and coupons that they send in my email which is why I use it more than other ones,” Ruby said.

This is not Ruby’s first time using Grubhub. 

“I used Grubhub a lot in Cedar Rapids over quarantine and summer,” Ruby said. “With pre-existing conditions in my family, it was super beneficial during this time as we can still order food when we don’t feel like cooking and support the local businesses in my town. I had no problems and I felt like it was more effective than calling in because you know your order is correct and won’t be messed up.”

Scott Oderio, a senior at Simpson, has a view of food delivery apps from the other end of the spectrum. 

“I drove for DoorDash, I signed on to do it at the beginning of June of this summer. I worked pretty regularly up until classes started again,” Oderio said.

Oderio found the process easy to understand.

“The process was pretty simple, my phone and location were tracked through their app,” he said. “It would alert me when there was an order ready to go. I would then accept it and get the food, then bring it to the customer. DoorDash uses one app for their drivers and another for their customers, it’s called Dasher, whereas the customer uses DoorDash.”

Both Oderio and Ruby believe Grubhub and other food delivery apps will continue to stick around and possibly grow in Indianola. 

“I think the future is bright for these apps, I tried to capitalize on the re-opening of restaurants, with my timing, as COVID continued on,” Oderio said.

Oderio also says he would consider driving for Grubhub in Indianola.

 “I would look into driving for GrubHub in Indianola,” Oderio said. “I wouldn’t use it as a means to purchase food. The fees add up for the customer. But if you can’t drive or just don’t want to, then go for it.”

According to the Grubhub app, the following restaurants in or near Indianola are available for pick up and delivery: Pizza Ranch, Popeyes, Papa Murphy’s Pizza, Arby’s, and Fat Tuesday Restaurant.