When it comes to food delivery apps, convenience is the name of the game. Did you have to skip dinner to finish a paper? Need to celebrate surviving midterm week(s) with a pizza and some much-needed relaxation? With food delivery apps, all it takes are a few taps on the screen and your food is on its way. Alternatively, you can place a pickup order instead in the same way to avoid long lines and grab on the go.
However, not all apps are created equally, and some work better in theory than in practice. So which one is the best? To keep it nice and simple, I will be pitting the two apps I am the most familiar with, Tapingo and Eat24, against each other to decide which of the two is superior.
Tapingo has a greater presence on campus by far compared to Eat24, considering Tapingo has partnered with Loyola to bring students campus’ dining options ranging from Boulder to Starbucks and allowing its users to pay with meal swipes or points instead of money. The app also proves useful for places off campus, such as Clark Burger, Wendy’s, and even Sofi’s Crepes.
However, on campus Tapingo tends to fall flat: its presence and popularity on campus can be either a blessing or a curse.
The app has saved me from going hungry on days where I cannot wait in line for an omelet and still get to my 9:25 class on time. However, for places like Starbucks, Tapingo can be much more of an obstacle than a convenience. The sheer number of morning Tapingo orders makes the express line at Starbucks just as long and crowded as the actual line. Such a large surplus of express orders at Starbucks often results in confusion, inefficient service, and a wait time that ultimately makes the app more harmful than helpful, especially on a tight schedule.
Tapingo may have its pros and cons, but how does Eat24 compare? Despite the fact that Loyola does not employ Eat24 like it does Tapingo, Eat24 remains a solid choice for a delivery app. It has a wider range of delivery options than Tapingo does, a means of filtering your options based on your preference, and lists of restaurants ordered according to a five-star system.
Similar to Tapingo, Eat24 also remembers your recent or previous orders and gives the option of ordering the same thing with a single tap of the screen. However, the possibility of miscommunication and inefficiency still exists: depending on where you order from, the delivery drivers may be too unfamiliar with the campus to know exactly where on campus to go.
Ultimately, neither app is entirely more convenient than the other in any and all circumstances. For Loyola students on campus, I would say Eat24 is the better option for delivery or off-campus dining while Tapingo is better for both on-campus pickup orders and deliveries from places Eat24 does not cover like Sofi’s Crepes. While less effective in places like Starbucks, Tapingo maintains its intended convenience when used in other areas like the main dining halls. Use either, or use both: it all depends on what you prefer.
