Traffic look bad, too hot to go out, or want to order in for a company meeting?

Eateries and grocery stores are beating traffic to reach more people in their homes and offices with expanded express delivery services, reported the companies this week.

Quiznos, with 31 outlets in Costa Rica, and Teriyaki, with seven, recently implemented express delivery in the areas surrounding Lindora near Santa Ana, Paseo Colón in downtown San José, Real Cariari in between San José and the Alajuela airport, and Plaza del Sol in eastern San José’s Curridabat district.

“We are analyzing the next points to include during the second stage of the plan, because our followers have been requesting the service for a while, and we want to please everyone,” said Juan Carlos Rodríguez, marketing manager of Quiznos, in a statement.

The upscale grocery store, Auto Mercado, is trying out their “A Domicilio Express” delivery service in the areas of Lindora, Curridabat and Moravia in addition to its existing San José locations, and said they intend to expand to Heredia and Escazú in the near future, if the pilot program is successful, according to the company’s website.

Express services generally cover an area within a 5 kilometer radius from the store, and include surcharges of about CRC2,000. For Auto Mercado’s express delivery, there are some limitations on the size of the order and number of items, said the company.

Orders can be placed for A Domicilio Express by phone 2232-5202 or via WhatsApp at 8599-7288, Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Saturdays from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. Delivery times average one hour.

As for Quiznos and Teriyaki, they join existing venues on the phone application “¿Que Comemos?” such as Pizza Hut, El Fogón and several others, which is a quick and easy platform for ordering and paying. Orders can also be placed through ¿Que Comemos? on your computer via their website; the express surcharge of CRC1,500 on average is added to the order cost.