How to Cancel an Order on Grubhub: A Comprehensive Guide

In our busy modern lives, food delivery services like Grubhub have been a game-changer. With just a few taps, you can order your favorite meals from local restaurants and have them brought right to your doorstep. It’s hard to beat that convenience when you’re short on time or just don’t feel like cooking.

But what happens when your plans change after you’ve already placed that Grubhub order? Maybe you double-booked yourself, or your friends canceled your dinner plans last minute. Whatever the reason, you now need to figure out how to cancel an order on Grubhub.

The short answer is: that you can cancel a Grubhub order through the website or mobile app, but there are some key things to know. This guide will explore the step-by-step process for canceling, explain when you can (and can’t) get refunds, provide tips for a smooth experience, and answer common FAQs around order cancellations.

So let’s dive in and cover:

• An overview of Grubhub and how the service works
• The right way to cancel orders through the website or app
• Getting refunds for canceled Grubhub orders
• Adjusting or modifying an existing order instead
• Answers to other frequently asked cancellation questions

Whether you’re a first-time user or a Grubhub regular, this guide will ensure canceling an order goes as smoothly as possible.

What is Grubhub and How Does it Work?

Before we get into the nitty-gritty of canceling orders, let’s quickly go over what Grubhub is and how the service operates.

Grubhub is one of the nation’s most popular online food ordering and delivery platforms. Through their easy-to-use website and mobile apps, Grubhub connects hungry diners with local restaurants in over 4,000 U.S. cities.

Here’s a simple overview of how the process works:

1. A customer places an order and pays through the Grubhub platform, selecting their delivery address.
2. That order gets sent to the restaurant, where they prepare the food.
3. Once the food is ready, a Grubhub delivery driver is notified to pick it up from the restaurant.
4. The driver then delivers the order right to the customer’s door.

It’s a seamless, convenient experience for diners. But what if you need to cancel that order after placing it?

Can You Cancel a Grubhub Order?

The short answer is yes, you can cancel a Grubhub order. However, there is a limited time window to do so.

In most cases, you can only cancel a Grubhub order before the restaurant has begun preparing your food. Once they start cooking, the order is typically locked in.

This is because Grubhub’s operational model is designed to get food from the restaurant to your doorstep as quickly as possible. As soon as an order is placed, the restaurant receives it and starts working on it right away.

So if you need to cancel, you’ll want to act quickly before the restaurant gets too far into making your order. The sooner you cancel, the better your chances of being able to do so successfully.

How to Cancel a Grubhub Order on the Website

If you placed your order through Grub hub’s website on a desktop or laptop, here are the steps to cancel it:

1. Log into your Grubhub account on their website (grubhub.com)
2. Click on the “Account” tab and select “Orders”
3. Find the current order you want to cancel and click on it
4. Select the “There’s an issue” button
5. Choose “Cancel order” as the reason
6. Enter details about why you need to cancel
7. A chat window will open to connect you with a Grubhub customer service agent
8. Let the agent know you need to cancel the order. They will confirm if it’s still possible to cancel based on the restaurant’s status.

It’s a fairly straightforward process but does require connecting with an agent before the cancellation can be completed. Have your order details handy in case they need to verify anything.

How to Cancel a Grubhub Order on the Mobile App

For orders placed through Grub hub’s mobile apps (iOS or Android), the process is very similar:

1. Open the Grubhub app and sign into your account
2. Tap on the “Orders” tab at the bottom
3. Select the current/upcoming order you want to cancel
4. Tap “Help” in the top right corner
5. Choose the “Cancel order” option
6. Pick a reason for canceling from the provided list
7. Tap “Chat with us” to connect to a customer service agent
8. Inform the agent that you need to cancel this order

The key difference is that on the mobile app, you go through “Help” > “Cancel order” to initiate the cancellation and agent chat. But otherwise, it’s fundamentally the same steps as the website.

No matter which platform you use, the sooner you request to cancel, the better. As I mentioned, once the restaurant starts prepping your food, they’ve likely already accepted and processed the payment. At that point, it becomes very difficult to cancel.

Tips for Smoothly Canceling Your Grubhub Order

Here are some additional tips to keep in mind when canceling a Grubhub order:

• Act quickly as soon as you know you need to cancel
• Have your order number and details ready to verify your order
• Be polite and patient when chatting with the customer service agent
• Call the restaurant directly as well once you’ve initiated the cancellation on Grubhub’s end – this improves your chances of it being successfully canceled

Following these tips will help ensure the cancellation goes as smoothly as possible.

When Can’t You Cancel a Grubhub Order?

We’ve covered when you can cancel, but what about times when it’s no longer possible? Unfortunately, there are certain points when it becomes too late to cancel a Grubhub order, such as:

• If the restaurant has already begun preparing your food – As mentioned, once they start cooking, it’s very unlikely they’ll cancel it unless there are extenuating circumstances.
• If the Grubhub delivery driver has already picked up your order from the restaurant – At this point, the logistics are in motion and it would be hard to stop everything.

In these cases, your options are limited. You may be able to get the driver to return the order once they arrive for a partial refund. But it’s best to try and cancel as early as possible to avoid this hassle.

Getting a Refund on a Canceled Grubhub Order

So you’ve managed to cancel your order – but will you get a refund? According to Grubhub’s policies, you should receive a refund if you successfully cancel an order before the restaurant starts prepping it.

To request a refund, you’ll go through the same cancellation process of chatting with an agent. Make your refund request clear to the agent while canceling the order.

In many cases, the agent will go ahead and process the refund for you right then and there. If not, they can point you to the proper channels to request one after canceling.

Other Valid Reasons to Get a Grubhub Refund

A canceled order before preparation is the most clear-cut scenario for getting a refund. But Grubhub does allow refunds in some other situations as well if there were issues with your order, such as:

• The food was at the wrong temperature (cold when it should be hot, etc.)
• There were serious quality issues (undercooked, burnt, foul taste, etc.)
• The order contained an item you are allergic to
• You found something unexpected in the food (hair, bugs, etc.)
• Part of your order was missing
• The order never arrived at all after waiting an extended time

So even if your order did get made and sent out, you have some recourse to get partial or full refunds if there were major mistakes by the restaurant or delivery driver.

To get these types of refunds, you’ll need to go through Grubhub’s customer service channels (chat, phone line, etc.) and explain the situation. Have any proof or documentation ready like photos?

Typical Grubhub Refund Processing Time

Assuming you’ve been approved for a refund, either from a cancellation or order mistake, you’re probably wondering how long it will take to get your money back. According to Grubhub, refunds typically take 5-30 business days to process.

However, some factors can influence this timing:

• Payment method – Refunds to credit/debit cards may take a few extra days compared to other payment methods like PayPal or cash.
• Your bank – Once Grubhub initiates the refund, it depends on your bank’s policies and procedures for making the funds available in your account.
• Reason for the refund – Order cancellations before preparation tend to be straightforward, while refunds for issues like missing items may require more verification.

You’ll receive a confirmation email from Grubhub once they’ve submitted the refund request. This will give you an idea of when to expect the money to hit your account or the original payment method.

Contacting Grubhub Customer Service

Speaking of customer service, there are a few different ways to reach out to Grubhub’s support team for issues related to cancellations or refunds:

• Phone support – You can call Grubhub at 1-877-585-7878 any day.
• Live chat – Sign into your account on the website or mobile app, then use the chat functionality to connect with an agent.
• Twitter – You can try tweeting at @GrubhubCare for assistance as well.

The live chat option is usually the fastest for cancellations or basic inquiries. But the phone line may be preferable if you need to go into detail about a specific issue like a missing refund.

No matter which contact method you use, having details like your order number, name, location, and any reference numbers for refunds will help resolve your issue smoothly.

Adjusting or Updating an Active Grubhub Order

What if you don’t want to cancel your Grubhub order entirely, but need to modify or adjust it? This is possible in certain scenarios through Grubhub’s “Order Adjustments” tool.

If you’re using the website, restaurants can add, remove, or edit items from orders already placed but not yet completed. The process is straightforward:

1. Log into your Grubhub for Restaurants account
2. Go to the Orders section
3. Select the current order you need to change
4. Use the +Add Item, Remove-Item, or Edit Item options to modify as needed

For the mobile app, the process looks a bit different but accomplishes the same thing. You can add or remove individual items by tapping through on the order details page.

Of course, once an order has already been picked up by a driver, making changes becomes much more difficult. Your best bet is to adjust orders only during that window after placement but before the restaurant starts preparation.

Common Grubhub Order Cancellation FAQs

To wrap up, here are brief answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about canceling orders on Grubhub:

Can the driver cancel my Grubhub order?

Yes, Grubhub drivers can cancel orders as well, usually for valid reasons like:

• The restaurant was closed/too busy to make the order
• They couldn’t accept your payment method
• Other unexpected issues that made delivery impossible

If the driver has to cancel, you should receive a refund from Grubhub.

Do I get a refund if I cancel a Grubhub order?

You should get an automatic refund if you successfully cancel before the restaurant starts preparing your order. Refunds for other situations are determined case-by-case.

How long do Grubhub refunds take?

Most Grubhub refunds are processed within 5-30 business days once approved and initiated. But it can take longer in some cases depending on your payment method and bank.

I can’t cancel my Grubhub order, what do I do?

If it’s too late to cancel through regular channels, you may need to contact the restaurant directly to refuse/return the order once the driver arrives. Or you can try calling Grubhub’s support line for further assistance.

Canceling a Grubhub order doesn’t have to be difficult when you know the proper steps and policies involved. By acting quickly and following the guidance in this post, you’ll be able to update or cancel orders with minimal hassle.

Conclusion

Food delivery has revolutionized modern life with immense convenience. But that convenience comes with the occasional need to update or cancel orders you’ve placed. Hopefully, this guide has provided a thorough walkthrough of how to cancel an order on Grubhub easily.

The key takeaways are to act swiftly before restaurants start preparing orders, take advantage of Grubhub’s customer service channels, and be aware of refund policies and possibilities. With this knowledge in hand, you’ll never be stuck with an unwanted order again.

So next time a change of dinner plans leaves you needing to cancel that Grubhub order, you’ll know exactly what to do. Enjoy the convenience of delivery, but don’t be afraid to update or cancel when needed!