Home delivery has exploded over the last two years with lockdowns seeing a huge increase in how many of us order takeaways, and how often we want them. McDonald's has announced a number of expansions of its McDelivery service - taking on new partners and redesigning its branches to make things quicker and more efficient.
But is it faster to get a delivery sent to your home, or is it worth jumping in the car and getting it yourself? MEN writer Emma Gill decided to find out for herself.
She said: "Having sent my order via Uber Eats, I set off at the exactly the same time, 6.45pm last Saturday, with my mission to order and collect the exact same items in store. By this point Uber was giving me an estimated delivery time of 20 to 30 minutes. With the restaurant being 1.6 miles from my house, around 10 minutes away, I was unsure whether I'd beat that or not.
"I'd already been informed via the Uber Eats app that milkshakes weren't available - when are they ever? - so it was no surprise to find the same thing when I arrived at the branch in Tyldesley, Wigan, to place my order.
The queue inside McDonald's (Image: Manchester Family / MEN)
"When I got there, there were a few customers hanging around waiting for their food, along with three delivery drivers who were collecting orders for people at home. While customers looked at watches as they waited in line, I heard the drivers also complaining about their waits - maybe they don't get priority after all.
"My order number was at the bottom of a pretty lengthy list, but it seemed mostly online orders rather than customers in store. By 7.18pm I had my order in my hands and less than 10 minutes later - 7.27pm - I was home and unpacking.
"It was another 11 minutes before the Uber arrived and I recognised the driver from one of the trio standing in store. He must have been collecting and delivering a few orders at once, otherwise he'd surely have made it back before me.
I was home and unpacked more than 10 minutes before Uber Eats arrived (Image: Manchester Family / MEN)
"That probably explains why it was a bit cooler than my own collection too. The bags can only keep it hot for so long. What was most disappointing was my order was wrong too. I'd ordered, among other things, a Crispy Chicken Italiano. What arrived was The Italian Stack.
"While I still ate it, it wasn't what I ordered. When you decide on chicken, you're ready for chicken aren't you, not two beef patties. McDonald's has acknowledged that changes are needed to account for the 'relentless' change of pace it has experienced, with the pandemic accelerating its demand online."
I ordered a Crispy Chicken Italiano. What arrived was The Italian Stack (Image: Manchester Family / MEN)
She added: "After winning my race against Uber, I think I'll be sticking to the traditional route for now."
A McDonald’s spokesperson said: "We are very sorry to hear about your experience. We take order accuracy very seriously and have a number of procedures in place to avoid inaccurate orders. We are disappointed that we fell short of these on this occasion.
"If any customer does have a concern, we encourage them to either speak to a member of the crew in the restaurant or get in touch with our customer services team."
If anyone receives an inaccurate order via Uber Eats or Just Eat, he said customers are encouraged to contact whoever they ordered with so they can 'then liaise with the restaurant to find a resolution'.
An spokesperson for Uber said: “McDonalds is one the most popular choices for customers in Manchester. We always strive for the highest standards of customer service and our great network of couriers work hard to deliver meals on time. We would encourage any user who has an issue with an order to reach out to us via the Help section in the app they used to make their purchase.”
