If you really need it, UberEATS is a pricey but convenient service

Are you willing to pay $18.30 for an UberEATS lunch? That is the question.

Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous UberEATS prices,
Or to take arms against a sea of delivery services,
And by opposing end them?

…is likely what Shakespeare would write in answer to that question.

Since it’s me, however, I’ll just repeat it: Are you willing to pay $18+ for lunch? That’s what I’m wrestling with now as I enjoy my beautiful bowl of Poke Tea House ahi tuna goodness.

This being the first day of Charleston’s foray into UberEATS, I had to go ahead and order from the delivery service. And seeing as how the main sell of the service is the convenience of it arriving at your door, I chose Poke Tea House, a place I love that is also a pain in the ass to find parking. It felt like it was worth the splurge, and I do mean splurge.

For my order — ahi tuna, pickled cucumbers, tamago, asparagus, pineapple, tobiko, and fried onions — plus the delivery fee, the bill came to $18.30.

Now, I don’t know about you, but for me that’s a mighty steep price for a desk lunch. Honestly, the only reason I bit the bullet was because of the UberEATS promo code — EATSCHS — which knocked off $5 from my order, essentially the $4.99 UberEATS delivery fee. (Note: that’s the same amount as local service QuickFoxes charges, but they don’t do busy time surge pricing). That brought my total to a $13.30, still high, but less offensive given the package arrived in the rain at my office within 20 minutes.

That’s right, not only did my order arrive relatively quickly, the delivery driver was friendly and the food in perfect condition. I can’t vouch for a hot order, but my poke bowl was on point.

For $13.30, that’s worth it to me. For $18.30? Well, I’ve narrowed down three instances when I might be able to rationalize such an extravagant lunch:

1) I’m sick
Like can’t get off the couch, ladle the soup directly into my mouth, sick.

2) I’m buried in edits
Like when we’re five shows deep into Spoleto and I have a mountain of proofreading to do and if I don’t eat I might not survive to see the festival finale.

3) I’m wildly hungover
Like that time I treated Stars’ wine taps like my personal CamelBak and spent the morning of my 30th birthday intermittently dry-heaving and sobbing.

In all those scenarios, UberEATS, sign me up. On a typical Thursday, however? I’ll take my chances finding parking on Spring Street.