DoorDash and Grubhub come to Lake Charles

By Hannah Treece | February 20, 2019 at 6:20 PM CST - Updated February 21 at 5:21 AM

LAKE CHARLES, LA (KPLC) - Waitr has been the sole delivery service in Lake Charles since they were founded there in 2013.

Now, Grubhub and DoorDash have both joined the delivery circuit.

“Traffic sometimes is bad, you may just want to hang out, had a long day at work. It gives you the ability to get what you want without having to put in all the effort to go and get it," said Del Prudhomme.

Prudhomme is the owner of Fitness One Stop at Gigi’s in Lake Charles.

He’s been using Waitr in his business since they were founded and now, he’s expanding to using Grubhub and DoorDash as well.

“You’re going to see some of your customers that were paying for some of your services with Waitr jump on the other services," Prudhomme said. "But in all, you should get a greater reach for people who are from out of town who don’t know about Waitr.”

There’s no question that Waitr is well used in the Lake Area.

“Quick service; the price is fairly reasonable for delivery. We’ve enjoyed it," said Ramona Sosa, a Waitr user.

The question is: are people willing to branch out?

“I think I probably would try it," said Kelly Pepper, a frequent Waitr user. "I like that Grubhub’s format gives a picture and a little bit more of a description.”

For Waitr, there’s a flat-fee of $5 for all deliveries.

With Grubhub, you pay a delivery fee set by the restaurant, which typically ranges from $4 to $8.

With DoorDash, the standard delivery is $5, but can go as high as $8 depending on their agreement with individual restaurants.

Some of those restaurants don’t charge anything for delivery.

Waitr said they’ll continue to stick to their same business plan, despite the competition.

“It’s been our mission from the beginning to serve the local community and it’s a part of how we’ve created our business. From the W2 drivers, to partnering with local restaurants, and then trying to deliver the best service possible, we’re going to continue to do that; now, and for years to come. We’re happy to serve Lake Charles as a community and happy to continue to bolster the economy, not only here, but throughout Louisiana, " said Tyson Queen, national sales director with Waitr.

Grubhub also sent a statement to KPLC:

Earlier this month, Grubhub, launched in Lake Charles to provide an easy way for locals to order food from their favorite restaurants for pickup or delivery. We currently work with dozens of restaurants in the Lake Charles area, including The Sloppy Taco, OB’s Bar & Grill, Dickey’s Barbecue Pit, and KFC to name a few! Grubhub is the nation’s leading online and mobile food ordering marketplace and partners with more than 105,000 restaurants in over 2,000 U.S. cities across the nation. We’re committed to providing the best experience for hungry diners in Lake Charles and across the country through our network of restaurants, fleet of drivers, and dedicated, 24/7 customer care team.

We have reached out to DoorDash, and have not heard back.