7 Best US Cities for Food Delivery Services During Quarantine
With countries all over the world asking people to stay at home, daily life suddenly looks very different for most of us.
Social plans are canceled, trips to the grocery store are limited, and those who can are skipping their daily commute to the office in favor of working from home.
At the moment, access to healthcare has never been more important. But when it comes to living and working in the confines of your house – and limiting contact with other people – your broadband connection and access to delivery services are also essential to help maintain this change in lifestyle. (And to make sure you can wait this whole thing out with good food and uninterrupted streaming, too).
Bring the grocery store to you
In a time where you might not be able to get out to grab groceries yourself, meal delivery services can make things easier. You can get fresh ingredients delivered to your door in a meal delivery box. You pick the recipes you want to try out each week, they’ll send you the exact amount of ingredients, and all you need to do is follow the step-by-step recipe cards to put together a nutritious meal every evening. Options like Marley Spoon, Purple Carrot, Dinnerly and Freshology will send you these recipe kits to keep you fed without needing to leave your home. Make sure you check out our list of the best meal delivery services before you get started.
Or, if you wanted to remove all the hard work during this time, you can opt for services that send you pre-prepared meals. In the same format as meal delivery boxes, you select the meals you want to eat, but this time, there’s no prep, no cooking and no washing up involved. Simply unpack your meal and heat it up in minutes. We’ve picked out our favourite prepared meal delivery services for you to look at.
And if that’s not your style, access to online grocery delivery services will be really useful at this time
These include services like:
Instacart – With Instacart, you can shop from all your favorite local grocery stores without leaving the house. Instead, a personal shopper will pick up everything on your list and bring it to your door. You can buy from places like Target and CVS, too, so you can order non-food essentials. Bear in mind that Instacart shoppers go to actual stores, so they’ll be restricted by what’s available. You can request ‘Leave at my door’ for safe, no-contact delivery.
Amazon Fresh – The online retail giant offers door-step delivery, so you don’t have to worry about coming into contact with your delivery driver.
Shipt – Like Instacart, Shipt delivers from places like Target, CVS, Costco, and other national retailers. You’ll be in contact with your personal shopper in real-time, so if you realize you’ve forgotten something on your list, simply send them a message and they’ll pick it up for you while they’re still in the store.
So, which US cities have access to the best services during this period of staying home? Keep scrolling to find out.
#1. Austin, Texas
Credit: Carlos Alfonso via Unsplash
Stay at home effective from March 24
Austin broadband coverage: 99.9%
Planning to spend your time indoors gaming online or streaming that Netflix series you always meant to start? You’ll have no trouble in Austin. The city has the fastest internet in the US, with a 143.66 Mbps download speed. Even better, 58% of people have access to the fastest speeds on offer. That means you can dial into that eight-way video conference call without any awkward freeze frames on your end. Phew.
Food and meal delivery services
Meal delivery services available in Austin include Purple Carrot, HomeChef, Fresh and Easy, Dinnerly, Marley Spoon, and Blue Apron. If you’re unsure which one is right for you, you can check out our list of the best meal delivery services in 2020.
Online grocery delivery services available include Instacart, Amazon Fresh, and Shipt.
#2. Boston, Massachusetts
Credit: Michael Browning via Unsplash
Stay at home advisory effective from March 24
Boston broadband coverage: 95%
When it comes to healthcare, there’s no better state than Massachusetts (which ranks top in the US) and no better city than Boston. Labeled the best “hospital city” in the US, Boston scored 99.64 out of 100 for hospital quality of care, infrastructure, and access, topping the list ahead of LA and New York.
Food and meal delivery services
Meal delivery services available in Boston include Purple Carrot, HomeChef, Fresh and Easy, Dinnerly, Marley Spoon, and Blue Apron.
Online grocery delivery services include Instacart, Amazon Fresh, and Shipt.
#3. Cincinnati, Ohio
Credit: Tanner Daniels via Unsplash
Stay at home effective from March 23
Boston broadband coverage: 100%
Ohio was one of the first states to adopt strict stay-at-home measures. As one of the state’s biggest cities, with an urban population estimated at 1.5 million, Cincinnati holds the top spot on Healthgrades’ National Health Index for large cities who are ‘getting healthcare right’. The number one ranking is down to first-rate access to care, the population’s overall health, hospital quality, and the local specialists available. Great healthcare aside, Cincinnati also has 100% broadband coverage, so you know you can get online efficiently, wherever you live.
Food and meal delivery services:
Meal delivery services available in Cincinnati include HomeChef, Fresh and Easy, Dinnerly, Marley Spoon, and Blue Apron.
Online grocery delivery services include Instacart, Amazon Fresh, and Shipt.
#4. Bismarck, North Dakota
Credit: Jeff Dewitt via Unsplash
Bismarck broadband coverage: 99.4%
There’s no official line to stay at home in North Dakota yet, possibly because it’s the state with the third-lowest cases of COVID-19 (at the time of writing). The state does have one of the lowest populations in the country though, and Bismarck city only has around 73,000 inhabitants. The combination of a low population and robust healthcare makes this a great place to live. North Dakota sits pretty high on the ‘Top States for Healthcare 2020’ list, where its services ranked third.
Food and meal delivery services:
Meal delivery services available in Bismarck include Purple Carrot, HomeChef, Fresh and Easy, and Blue Apron.
Online grocery delivery services include Instacart.
#5. Denver, Colorado
Credit: Cassie Gallegos via Unsplash
Stay at home effective from March 24
Denver broadband coverage: 97.9%
Denver is one of several areas in Colorado ordering residents to stay home, with the Mayor explaining the strict measures need to exist because, "Frankly, voluntary ‘distancing’ is simply not enough.” With Denver coming second in the ranks for cities with the fastest broadband, working remotely should be as pain-free as possible for workers and local businesses who can do so.
Food and meal delivery services:
Meal delivery services available in Denver include HomeChef, Fresh and Easy, Dinnerly, Marley Spoon, and Blue Apron.
Online grocery delivery services include Instacart, Amazon Fresh, and Shipt.
#6. Cheyenne, Wyoming
Credit: David Mark via Pixabay
Cheyenne broadband coverage: 92.1%
Cheyenne makes this list because Wyoming has the lowest cases of coronavirus (at the time of writing), probably because it has the lowest population in the contiguous United States. There’s no official lockdown yet, although the local government is limiting public meetings and encouraging residents to order from food-to-go services.
Food and meal delivery services:
Meal delivery services available in Cheyenne include HomeChef, Fresh and Easy, and Blue Apron.
Online grocery delivery services include Instacart and Amazon Fresh.
#7. Rochester, Minnesota
Credit: Mike Thorn
Rochester broadband coverage: 98.9%
Although categorized as a small city (with a population less than 250,000), Rochester still took first place in the overall rankings of Healthgrades’ top US cities for healthcare, beating much larger cities like Baltimore, Philadelphia, San Jose, and Cleveland. While there’s no formal stay-at-home lockdown yet, Minnesotans have been advised to social distance and the local government has introduced strict rules around gatherings and closures of most public spaces.
Food and meal delivery services:
Meal delivery boxes available in Rochester include Dinnerly, Marley Spoon, and Blue Apron.
Online grocery delivery services include Instacart, Amazon Fresh, and Shipt.
Methodology
In order to compile the data and information presented in this blog, I have diligently researched and verified internet speeds from a variety of sources including broadbandnow.com. I have also spoken with each meal delivery service to ascertain their shipping areas and gathered all healthcare facility details from the Health Care Index. Although these US cities are listed, please note that they are not ranked in any specific order.
