After a week of using Ritual, I came to enjoy the order-ahead app much more than I had anticipated.
Although you still need to walk outside your office and pick up your food, Ritual is incredibly convenient.
It's partnered with so many restaurants near our office that I never had to walk more than a block-and-a-half. I became convinced that in a busy, downtown setting, using Ritual was easier than food-delivery apps, where coordinating dropoffs with drivers can often lead to headaches.
Then there's the fresh-air aspect. Getting outside for lunch and getting some steps in, when you don't have to wait in long lines, is quite nice.
Ritual is also more affordable than I had initially thought.
Once you rack up a few days of rewards and can take advantage of the "perks," lunches drop to the $6-$7 range, which makes it competitive with services like MealPal. Also, one advantage to Ritual over MealPal is that you don't have to select a plan and pay up-front each month. You can use Ritual as much or as little as you'd like in a given month and there's no sunk cost.
Personally, even $6-$7 is still a bit much for lunch. I did enjoy the Ritual experience and the tasty options, but this week, I've already moved back to my PB&J's.
That said, I still have my rewards points and will gladly use them when my fridge at home is empty.