Carryout, Carry-out, Carry Out, or Delivery: How do Students Choose Between Off-Campus Food Options

University of Maryland students have an abundance of options when it comes to food. Going to the dining hall or making dinner at home can get boring and/or stressful. Sometimes you just feel like treating yourself. How can one stay on budget and decide what treat you want with so many choices near campus?

Student Answers

Shannon Gaffney, a junior computer science major, mostly picks up whatever is the closest but going to The Board And Brew for carryout is her favorite. When Gaffney decides to get delivery, she uses a food delivery app, like Postmates or Grubhub, and tries to keep the order under $20.

“They have good burgers,” Gaffney said.

The Board and Brew, located at 8150 Baltimore Ave, College Park, MD Image credit: Ryan Lepore for The Campus Trainer

Senior sociology and criminal science major Hannah Warren likes going to Lotsa Stone Fired Pizza. Warren normally carries out to save money, but she has used delivery apps when that isn’t an option. Warren doesn’t have a spending limit but that said she “won’t pay a delivery fee that is higher than the price of the food.”

Lotsa, located at 4350 Knox Rd, College Park, MD Image credit: Ryan Lepore for The Campus Trainer

Lauren Spector, a freshman animal science major, said her favorite option is pizza from Domino’s. Spector prefers to carry out and tries to set a spending limit of $20. Spector hadn’t used any of the delivery services until, she said, “I got [a] $10 [credit] for signing up for DoorDash.”

Domino's, located at 7312 Baltimore Ave, College Park, MD Image credit: Ryan Lepore for The Campus Trainer

Route 1 Restaurant Trends

Papa John’s Pizza gets more carryout orders at night and delivery orders are higher during the day, General Manager Bobby Browning said. The average total price of individual carryout and delivery orders are about the same, he added. Browning notices that “business is dead” during the summer and winter breaks, but the trends are the same.

Papa John's, located at 4509 College Ave, College Park, MD Image credit: Ryan Lepore for The Campus Trainer

Carryout orders at Jason’s Deli are more frequent than delivery, but since they have a catering service, dollars spent on delivery tends to be higher, Assistant Manager Kelly Hickey said. He doesn’t notice a change in that trend when students are away, but does notice a huge drop in the number of orders placed, Hickey added.

7356 Baltimore Ave, College Park, MD

Delivery orders via DoorDash are the most frequent choice at Nando's Peri-Peri. The amount of money spent on all individual delivery orders is higher than carry out orders, Lead Nandoca Trainer Jonae Walker said. When students leave for breaks, the number of delivery orders decreases to the point where they are about even with carryout orders.

Jason's Deli, located at 7400 Baltimore Ave, College Park, MD Image credit: Ryan Lepore for The Campus Trainer

For students, the driving force in deciding between the plethora of food options seems to be the total price to amount of food ratio. On the downside, when students aren’t around for classes, the businesses take a hit. So if you feel like you can’t spare the time to make yourself food don’t hesitate to stop by one of the many restaurants in College Park.