Thanks to an internet trend that started in 2007 with Swedish company, Middagsfrid, meal kit delivery services have quickly grown into a booming $400 million dollar industry and it’s growing. Their aim? To provide simple, fresh, inventive and cost effective answers to the classic question of what you’ll be eating tonight. Companies like Hello Fresh, Blue Apron and Sun Basket allow you to purchase 3-4 meals per week and deliver them directly to your door. Upon delivery all you have to do is follow some instructions, cook and enjoy!
If you’ve been interested in trying one of these services out, doing a bit of research by reading reviews can help make the decision easier. See what our Sitejabber community has to say:
“We have had our 10th meal from Hello Fresh and each one has been so delicious…such a nice change from our boring meals…” -Ann S. (Hello Fresh)
“My wife and I have been enjoying Sun Basket dinners for several weeks now, and we really like the menu selection, food quality and service. The food is fresh and tasty, all measured out and well-packed and labeled, with no waste on this end…” -Brian F. (Sun Basket)
“Just completed my first “3-meals for two” delivery and have been blown away! I’ve always loved cooking and Blue Apron removes all the stress in trying to create great meals. No shopping, no forgetting ingredients, and straight forward directions…” Edward M. (Blue Apron)
“We love, love, love The Purple Carrot’s food, quality, convenience and recipes! The food we’ve received has been fresh and top notch quality.” -Paul S. (Purple Carrot)
“Of course, leave it to Martha Stuart to join in on the food delivery craze and completely dominate! The meals are delicious! It’s like Martha herself planned my dinner and I love that! They are priced better than other food delivery services and the quality is top notch. I’ve tried many other services and this one takes the cake!” -Barbara J. (Marley Spoon)
Not every experience has been positive, however, from receiving spoiled food to being auto-billed for packages customers didn’t intend to purchase. So, we’ve searched through Sitejabber reviews and put together a list of tips to ensure that your meal delivery adventure is a good one.
Meal Kit Delivery Tips
- After placing your first order, immediately pause the second and third week of deliveries. Some of our community members have said the food was so bad that they “wouldn’t even feed it to my dogs.” Yikes! The best strategy, if you are going to order, is to pause weeks 2 and 3 meals and then if you do not like it you can immediately cancel your subscription without being charged.
- Make sure you use a discount code on your first shipment as the vast majority of businesses offering meal delivery services offer incredible introductory offers so that you’re able to try out the product at a fraction of the cost.
- Double check the amount that you’re authorizing for purchase and compare that to the actual charge on your bank statement as we’ve seen reviews where customers stated that they were charged the full price.
- Read through the company’s policies and procedures pertaining to cancelling your subscription so that you’re not met with any surprises if you decide to stop using the service.
- Delete the credit card on file if you do cancel your membership. One user wrote, “Two years after canceling my membership, I discovered four different charges over the period of two years of $59.99 for meals I never ordered / nor received.”
- When you cancel speak to a customer service representative and write down the cancellation number.
- Be vigilant by checking your credit card and bank statements.
- Food spoils quickly so always check to make sure the food you receive is fresh and if it is not, immediately contact the company to let them know.
- If your delivery is late be sure to alert the business so that they have a chance to resolve the issue and send you a new box, if need be.
- Plan ahead to put aside time to make the meals you receive within a few days of delivery so that the food doesn’t go bad.
- Establish how many meals you’d like a week, how many servings of each and any dietary restrictions that you may have beforehand and then choose a particular service accordingly. With so many options out there you should be able to easily find one that meets your criteria.
Using a meal kit delivery service can save you time by delivering everything you need to make an amazing dinner all while minimizing food waste. Whether you’re stuck in a cooking rut or just short on the time involved in preparing healthy meals, a subscription might be just what you need. Have you tried a meal kit delivery subscription? Tell us about it!
