| Anyone familiar with China will know that pretty much anything can be delivered nowadays. Almost all restaurants will be on at least one delivery app if not multiple. Whatever you’re craving you’re bound to find it. When it comes to essential apps in China, a food delivery app is a must! In China there are two big main contenders which are Meituan Waimai (美团外卖 Měi tuán wàimài) and Eleme (饿了么 Èle me). Now, both these apps are in Chinese which may seem daunting for non-speakers. But it’s actually much easier than you think!  Meituan Waimai This food delivery app is instantly recognisable by their cute kangaroo logo. No doubt anyone who has been in China for even a short amount of time will have seen at least one of these kangaroo clad delivery drivers. Meituan Waimai has everything from big fast food chains like McDonald’s and KFC to small local Chinese restaurants. What is deliverable will depend on your area as most restaurants have a limit of the distance they will deliver to. However, if you can’t find what you’re looking for here you can always check the other delivery apps. On the homepage of the app you can click on the food (美食 Měishí) icon. From here you can browse through a list of nearby restaurants that are available to order from. Alternatively, if you know the Chinese name for what you’re looking for, you can put this in the search bar. You can search in English but the results normally aren’t very good. Along with being able to order food from restaurants you can also order a variety of drinks (饮品 yǐnpǐn). They have coffee shops like Costa if you’re after a caffeine fix. Or if bubble tea is more your things outlets like Coco are also available to order from. Now, what’s available to order doesn’t stop there. You can also use the app to order groceries from supermarkets (超市 chāoshì). This can be anything from some snacks to some must need essentials like toilet paper. There is also a specific section for fresh food (生鲜 shēng xiān) such as fruits and vegetables. There is even a medicine (药品 yàopǐn) section so you can order from a nearby pharmacy. Delivery fees: Normally around 5 CNY, but are often less and sometimes even free! Discounts: Most food outlets normally have a few deals on offer that will display at the top. When you pay you’ll also be given a voucher which you can share with friends. This also enables you to receive the voucher yourself. How to Use Meituan Waimai Set up your profile. You’ll need a Chinese phone number which you’ll be asked to confirm with a verification code. Input your address. Now, this is the only slightly tricky part of the process for those non Chinese speakers. It may be a good idea to get a Chinese friend or colleague to help make sure everything is correct. After all, you don’t want to be sat waiting for your dinner which has been delivered to the wrong address! Find what you want to order by clicking on the various icons and looking through the list. Or search directly for what you’re looking for. Go to check out. Press the orange check out (去结算 qù jiésuàn) button at the bottom. Pay. Check everything is correct then press the submit order button (提交订单 tíjiāo dìngdān). This will take you to your chosen payment option. The default option is WeChat Pay but you can also change it to AliPay. And you’re done! Sit back and relax while waiting for your order. Most restaurants will give you an estimated delivery time, it’s normally about 30-40 minutes from when you ordered. |
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