By Shereen Siewert
As much as we hate to admit it, those long, lazy, summer days are soon coming to an end. That means busy schedules for many Wausau families. My children are grown and gone, but I remember all too well what it’s like to work all day, shuttle the kids back and forth to school and sporting events, and still somehow try to find the energy to shop for groceries and make dinner.
As much as we try, as parents, we can’t always “do it all.” But there are only so many times you can pick up the phone and order a pizza, right? If you’ve been longing for more meal delivery options for those busy nights, 715Delivery.com is it.
Shar Bruder, co-owner of 715 Delivery.com, asked us to give the service a try and write an honest review about our experience. So this week, on an especially hectic day, my husband and I downloaded the app on our phones, explored the menus for more than 30 restaurants delivering to our southeast side location, and gave it a whirl.
The app itself is easy to navigate, though be careful not to rely on the location finder to pinpoint your exact address. (Don’t worry, you can enter it manually.) Another tip: be sure to create an account, or sign in if you already have one, before adding items to your delivery cart, or you’ll have to start over when you sign in. Regardless, you can easily see which restaurants are available for delivery, an estimated delivery charge based on your address, the minimum order ($15 is typical) and the estimated time for delivery.
After much debate, we chose to order from BB Jack’s Pizza and Sandwiches, in part because it is clear across town from where we live. This way, we thought, we could gauge how effective the service is at keeping food warm. We also wanted to know how well one of our favorite BB Jacks menu items, the taco pizza, would hold up during delivery. Would the thin crust be soggy, we wondered? Would the lettuce be wilted?
In short, we were pleasantly surprised. Not only did our selections (which also included the gyro flatbread) arrive perfectly warm, the pizza crust was anything but soggy and the lettuce held up, too. (Seriously, you have to try that taco pizza. It’s pretty amazing.)
As far as the service goes, the app makes it easy to track where your order is in the process and pinpoint exactly when it will be delivered. You can also have text message updates delivered to your phone. These features are great, because if you’re relaxing on the back deck or need to run a quick errand while waiting for food to arrive to your front door, you can pretty much guarantee you won’t miss your delivery. (Average delivery time is from 45 minutes to an hour, depending on your location.)
Our order arrived precisely 60 minutes after we placed our order, exactly the amount of time we were expecting, and our delivery driver, Shannon, had a huge smile when she came to our door. By the way, if you have a favorite, the app also allows you to request the driver of your choice.
Since launching in 2015, 715Delivery.com has expanded its local offerings to a wide variety of restaurants, from Milwaukee Burger to 2510 to Hiawatha and El Tequila Salsa. (They’ve also expanded to Marshfield, Merrill, Stevens Point and Eau Claire.)
Need coffee and bagels for the office? They’ll deliver from Biggby Coffee. How about a dozen gourmet cupcakes? Sweet Lola’s is on the list. They’ll even deliver flowers from Floral Magic. The list goes on, catering to those living in the Wausau area, including Schofield, Rothschild, Weston, Kronenwettter and Mosinee. Depending on how far the customer is from the restaurant they want to order from, the delivery cost starts at $2.99 (add 50 cents per mile from the restaurant to delivery address). The delivery cost stays the same regardless of the size of the order. Our fee was just under $5, which was stated up front.
In addition to the delivery charge, you’ll also need to tip the driver, but this seems reasonable. After all, you’d tip the waitress if you dined in, right?
Hours of delivery are 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Offerings depend on the restaurant’s hours; see the complete list of restaurants on their website, or download their app to your mobile device.
In exploring the website, I was surprised to learn that the business also offers a variety of unique on-demand services. Let’s say you buy something really cool at a rummage sale, or you picked up a new washer and dryer but don’t have a way to get it home. As long as you have the muscle, 715Delivery.com will haul it for you. They’ll also take your donated goods to Goodwill, St. Vincent DePaul, Bethesda, or the Salvation Army. (Who knew?)
Our verdict? 715Delivery.com is a great way to enjoy many of your favorite restaurants without having to step foot out of the house. The service is reliable, the delivery charge is reasonable, and there’s plenty of options to choose from — and yes, that even includes pizza.
