By Tia Harish
As DoorDash releases a new subscription service catering towards post-secondary clients, many students at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) say they’re sticking to ordering take-out directly.
“DashPass for Students,” DoorDash’s new subscription service comes with various perks, like “free delivery and reduced service fees,” according to a DoorDash press release emailed to The Eyeopener. Introduced on Jan. 9, the pass costs $4.99 per month or $48 per year.
Some TMU students say they prefer ordering directly from restaurants near campus as opposed to using services like DashPass.
Second-year social work student Harleen Saggu commutes to TMU and frequently takes advantage of the restaurants around campus.
“I don’t have time as a full-time student to cook at home,” said Saggu. “I usually stick to the food places nearby, just because I know those to be reliable and I know what they taste like.”
Lu Zhang, an associate professor of finance at TMU, said this subscription may not be very effective for students on TMU’s campus because they have the luxury of being in the core of downtown Toronto, where there are food options.
“They’re so close to so many coffee shops or restaurants, it probably wouldn’t be too much of an effort for them to just go [pickup takeout orders] themselves, especially for those budget conscious students,” she said.
In the press release, DoorDash said the subscription is convenient and affordable for students looking for a restaurant meal at home or as “a last-minute snack while studying.”
“I don’t have time as a full-time student to cook at home”
But for students who live on-campus and pay for a meal plan, the DashPass may not be as effective.
Rachel Enns, a first-year environmental and urban sustainability student at TMU living at Pitman Hall Residence, said she won’t be using DashPass.
“It wouldn’t make sense to be paying money for a service that I probably wouldn’t use,” she said.
Even students on a meal plan make the choice to buy takeout occasionally, whether they would prefer to eat from the dining halls or not.
“It wouldn’t make sense to be paying money for a service that I probably wouldn’t use”
Eshan Sobti, a first-year media production student who lives at Pitman Hall, said usually he eats at the dining hall in his residence building or he orders takeout.
“The annoying thing is, the dining hall closes at nine and sometimes I have clubs that run until after, and it’s just annoying that I don’t have the option to get the food that I paid for,” said Sobti.
The Pitman Dining Hall opens from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. from Monday to Thursday. On Fridays, the hall closes at 8:30 p.m. and on weekends it is open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Zhang said “though the fee appears to be low, again, it adds up,” since students may be enticed to spend more on food when there is no delivery fee.
Nadine Khoury, registered dietitian in Toronto, said for students “the best way to save money is to prepare your own meals.”
She added that plant based proteins, like beans, lentils and chickpeas, are cheaper and simpler to cook with than meat.
“Students lack the knowledge in how to balance their meals. They also lack the knowledge in cooking, preparing foods,” said Khoury. And those two things combined can lead to unhealthy eating, skipping meals and eating junk food, she said. When it comes to the DashPass, Khoury said it’s only a good deal if students are ordering from it frequently.
“If [students are] ordering once a month, it wouldn’t make a lot of sense. But if they’re ordering a few times a week, then that’s a good deal for sure,” said Khoury.
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