Be it lack of energy, laziness or other reasons, some days are simply not meant for cooking. Luckily, at times like that, food delivery services can save the day.
But not all home deliveries run smoothly. Some might end up with items missing, some arrive cold, sometimes your pizza is upside down. For TikToker Marija Lezaja, her food was delivered reeking of smoke. She shared her disappointment in a video that went viral, but fellow TikTokers were seemingly split into camps over the matter.
Bored Panda has reached out to Marija and she was kind enough to answer a few of our questions. You will find her thoughts in the text below.
Not all food deliveries are worth a five-star rating
Image credits: Marques Thomas (not the actual photo)
TikToker Marija did not have a pleasant experience as her food was delivered with a terrible smell
Image credits: marijalezaja
"So I order DoorDash from Applebee's because I didn't feel like cooking and I had a long day with the kids."
Image credits: marijalezaja
"I was like, 'At the front door, I'll meet you there.' And there's a girl giggling in the background. He walks up and gives me the bag. He's like, 'Alright, have a good night.'"
Image credits: marijalezaja
"I don't know what the vetting process is for DoorDash but maybe we could make it a little more extensive because, why would you call me talking like that, and why would I want to eat my food smelling like that when I have to pay an arm and a leg for DoorDash? So I'm good, I'll just take the L on the money."
Image credits: borodai (not the actual photo)
Marija’s video attracted more than 130k views on TikTok
The TikToker made sure to tip the delivery person beforehand
Image credits: marijalezaja
Food delivery service has gotten increasingly more popular over the years
Image credits: cottonbro studio (not the actual photo)
Nowadays, food delivery service is quite a popular option among those who can’t or choose not to cook a homemade meal. Nearly every country has at least one option that allows people to order in from the places they love without having to take one step out of the house.
“I like the convenience of not having to leave your home,” Marija told Bored Panda, and she’s arguably far from the only one feeling that way. Statista revealed that the revenue of companies providing meal delivery has been growing steadily since 2017, going from 110 billion dollars back then to 390 billion now, in 2023. The number is expected to reach over 500 billion dollars by the year 2027.
But it’s not only meal deliveries that have been on the rise lately, as people have been using the service more and more to get groceries, too. The revenue for the latter reportedly grew from 130 billion in 2017 to 630 billion in 2023.
The majority of food delivery app users rely on them at least once or twice a week
Image credits: Ketut Subiyanto (not the actual photo)
Even though quite a few restaurants offer their own delivery service nowadays, some people opt for using dedicated apps instead; and it’s not difficult to see why. Having numerous options at the tip of one’s fingers allows them to compare the meals and the prices or other factors that can determine their choice. In addition to that, such apps can help them learn about unheard of places likely to become new personal favorites.
Research found that ease of use and search of restaurants are two of the main aspects encouraging people to turn to food delivery apps for sustenance. Surveys seem to prove it, as according to one carried out by Real Research Media, the majority of people (43%) reportedly use such apps because they get to choose from a variety of menus.
Real Research Media revealed that other reasons included lack of time—or willingness—to physically travel to a restaurant or to cook at home. That’s why out of 300,000 surveyed people, roughly three-fourths said they use food delivery apps; be it 1-2 times a week (as do roughly 53% of the respondents), 3-4 times a week (23%), or more than 5 times a week (9%).
During a recent interview, Marija told Bored Panda that she only uses food delivery services a few times a year, and the incident she discussed in her video was the only negative experience she had so far.
A delivery-gone-wrong is pretty much inevitable every once in a while
Image credits: Alex Green (not the actual photo)
With so many people using food delivery services, mistakes and accidents are pretty much inevitable. According to a survey by Circuit, nearly every consumer has experienced mishaps with their order, whether it was a meal or groceries that were being delivered.
For instance, roughly 90% of surveyed Americans said they have received a wrong order, more than half of them—54% to be exact—believed the courier gave their food a taste before dropping off the food, and nearly 60% reported having a confrontation with the delivery person.
This just goes to show that far from every home delivery runs smoothly; and when they don’t, customers typically request a refund, Circuit reports. Requesting a refund or getting in touch with customer support is what some people under Marija’s video suggested, as they seemingly could relate to the TikToker’s situation. Others, however, didn’t sympathize with her much.
Some TikTokers sided with Marija
Others justified the food delivery service
