Is It Fair? There’s A New Kind of Lunch Rush In Missoula Montana

Call me old-fashioned, or frugal, but I almost never pay for delivery. If I can get there myself, I will pick up my own food when I order takeout. Lately, this habit has been to my own disadvantage.

Ordering Takeout for Lunch in Missoula

The other day I was headed to one of my favorite lunch spots in the mall and I was sort of shocked by how long it took to get my food.

This was not because of the staff. In fact, they were doing an excellent job. They had their assembly line of taking orders, cooking, and giving orders to customers operating like a well-oiled machine.

But as I waited, I noticed that there were plenty of orders going out, but not to people who were ordering at the counter the way I had. Eventually, it dawned on me that the orders had been made online, and these were probably DoorDash or Uber Eats drivers picking up the orders.

I should have kept track of how long it was taking, but if I were to guess, I imagine I stood there for 20-25 minutes waiting for what would qualify as "fast food."

Get our free mobile app

It's not that I mind waiting, but for some reason, it felt especially annoying because I didn't see anyone else standing in line. I kept wondering, who is getting all this food?!

If there was an actual person standing in line for every order that went out, I'm sure the line would have wound down the mall. And if I had walked up and saw a line that long, I probably would have gone somewhere else. But when no one is standing there, how would you know?

Whis Is More Important, Time or Money?

As irritating as it might have been for me, those orders were paid for by actual people, and they paid more than me to have it delivered. Maybe they work a job with a short (or no) break and they don't have the luxury of picking up their own food. I get it.

But next time, I might need to follow this advice, and only go out for lunch in Missoula when I know the lines will be short.