Skip the Line: Local Service offering Delivery and Pickup

I recently became aware of Skip the Line, a local company that might interest some of our readers. Skip the Line began as a line-sitting service. But, faced with the elimination of lines due to the pandemic, added pickup and delivery services. Unlike the national services such as Grubhub and DoorDash who have earned bad reputations due to charging high fees to restaurants, Skip the Line does not charge merchants at all. Instead customers pay a delivery fee directly to Skip the Line. The fee is based on distance, ranging from $10 for 2 miles or less to $25 for distances between 11 - 16 miles.

In honor of Mother's Day, Skip the Line is offering DC Moms and Dads participants a 10% discount on their fee with the code "MOM10". The company also offers gift certificates which many moms might appreciate as a time-saving option for the weeks or months ahead.

Skip the Line continues its traditional line-sitting service and, with in-person events on the horizon, there will likely once again be demand for holding a place in line. But Skip the Line's expansion to delivery and pickup may be more timely. The company has partnered with some of DC's hotest restaurants including Little Serow, Gravitas, and Rose’s Luxury. My wife, Maria, hails from the country of Georgia (we met there while I was working in the country). So we were excited to see the Georgian restaurant Tabla on the list of partners.

To schedule a pickup or delivery, just visit Skip the Line's website and click the "Schedule a Delivery" button. Check the calendar for availability and reserve your slot. Ordering from a restaurant is essentially a three step process. First, reserve a delivery slot with Skip the Line. Next, order your meal through the restaurant's own website, indicating pickup during your reserved time slot. Then, return to Skip the Line and update your reservation with your order details. Obviously this is not as seemless as traditional delivery apps, but it it also not as exploitative of restaurants as those apps.

However, Skip the Line is currently working with Tabla to test an integrated system more along the lines of the major delivery apps. Those whose delivery address is within two miles of Tabla can use this system. While we live within two miles of Tabla, I couldn't get the ordering system to accept my address and had to use Skip the Line's normal ordering system. In the process, I was able to experience Skip the Line's excellent customer service which was very helpful every step the way.

Skip the Line will also do your grocery shopping for you, pick up items that are ready for curbside pickup, or understake just about any other delivery or pickup you can envision. For example, gifts, packages, dry-cleaning, office supplies, or prescriptions are all things that can be scheduled for pickup.

Skip the Line has a local, vetted customer service team that ensures they meet your needs on-time and hassle-free. They pay their team members a living wage, and never charge the restaurants and grocery stores they work with any fees, ensuring that individuals and local businesses are fairly compensated for their hard work.

After a year of social distancing and being confined to home offices, errands can be something to which some may actually look forward. But, there are still times when delivery or pickup are more appealing options. Skip the Line provides a local option that avoids many of the negative aspects of the national services.