Looking to save a bit of cash, or even to just survey all the dinner choices you actually have without waiting 30 minutes for another Chipotle burrito or eating that same Caeser wrap from Wawa again? Street feels you. Here are some new options, including ones to avoid.
Close.by/Penn: Developed by Penn student Alex Ingerman (E '19) and father David Ingerman, this app delivers all the deals in University City right to your phone. The app is organized into lists, with categories ranging from bars to food trucks to hotels and even laundry/dry cleaning. With close.by, not only can you save some serious moolah and discover daily deals on most living essentials with minimal effort, but you have an automatic list of every restaurant and retail store within a five mile radius of Penn. You’ll know exactly when every happy hour is, when donuts are 3–for–$6 at Wawa and the locations of many popular food trucks.
Sweetgreen App: Launched last semester, the Sweetgreen app lets you skip the line and order from your couch. It even offers the option of sending an Uber to take you to pick up your salad. Nice idea, but since I’m already eating a salad I might as well do some exercise to get the full effect. Only downside: your salad won't be tossed.
Ubereats: No tip or delivery fee like GrubHub, but we’re not liking the $4.99 service charge. Not recommended for small orders, but if tip is over $3 then go for it! The plus side is you don’t need to also download Zoomer to track your order (phone storage space is precious).
Eat24: This one is about as trustworthy as a curbside palm reader. We love Yelp, but their delivery app services just doesn’t seem very organized (read: canceled deliveries, inadequate number of drivers, overcharging). Stick with GrubHub or Ubereats.
Spotluck: This new startup, worked on by many Penn students, gives you a discount on a random restaurant every time you spin based on weather, time of day and time of week. And you get three spins a day, which is pretty sweet. Too bad alcohol discounts are prohibited in Pennsylvania.
