Ritual - Order Local Takeout

I used to LOVE using Ritual before the pandemic. It saved you time and the prices were the same as in store. Everything changed since then. It was only yesterday that I noticed they charge a $0.99 service fee in the orders and the prices on ritual is more than the in store prices. The only reason I noticed the service fee was my order didn’t show up at the restaurant despite the app telling me the transaction was completed and I could pick up. I had to pull up the receipt to show the cashier and that was how I noticed the 0.99 service charge. I also had to show them the bank confirmation that they charged my card. After back and forth like 8 minutes, they put in the order for me “free of charge”. I told them I can call ritual but then the lady said this happened before and they were able to see the transaction in the “back end”. I then reviewed all my receipts and noticed the $0.99 fee they charged since the pandemic. I think they are being sneaky. When you order, you see the price but when you check out to pay, you don’t see an itemize list show the charges. It shows one final charge (I always thought the final charge was the food plus taxes). You have to pull up the receipt in order to see the service fee. I’m not using them anymore. Before I delete the app, want to warn others. You can still order from seamless.

Disclaimer, I’m generally too cheap too use all the various food delivery apps. More often than not the order is wrong and no one takes responsibility. Those apps always feel sleazy too because the prices are inflated and then your asked to tip before receiving service. Before I signed up for Ritual I checked the business model and it seems to be subscription based rather than commission based. Ritual prices are supposed to match in store, this all feels more honest and fair to me. After using for a few weeks there’s a lot to love, fairly accurate order ready times and walk time estimations. They also have rewards programs that incentivize trying something new. It’s not just value, but ease! Ritual makes it easy to place that first order with a new restaurant, no google, no janky website menu...needless to say, I keep using it! Although, I do wish custom tipping options were available, often times it’s only 10, 15, 20%.

Unlike all the other food ordering apps out there, this one actually respects your time and appreciates your business. Ritual has a very responsive and informative progress reporting system that keeps you updated on the status of your order. It will tell you exactly when to leave to pick up your order, so that you don’t end up waiting around for your food. And even more impressive, Ritual has a really awesome point rewards system which rewards you every time you place an order, pick up an order for a co-worker, write a restaurant review, or invite a co-worker to join the app. All of these reward points add up to actual dollars which you can use to make purchases. I’ve gotten many literal free lunches from this app, because Ritual actually makes it worth your time to use it. Which is just the way things should be 👍