Last night I took the big step! I used WhatsApp to get a pizza delivered! Woo!!!
Sometimes I just don’t want to walk 15 minutes to get dinner, then haul the leftovers home. But talking to someone on the phone here throws me into a language coma. I think I am relying on body language a great deal when I converse in Spanish. With just the phone, my “I can get by” Spanish suddenly becomes “Huh? What?”.
WhatsApp is a very popular messaging app in México. Many of the restaurants monitor it for their delivery orders. Seems like a win-win for everyone, especially the Spanish-deficient like me!
If you follow the Mazatlán FaceBook groups you’ll see there’s an ongoing debate on the best place for pizza. And by best, I mean something that reminds people of what they get in the USA/Canada. While Rin-Rin does a brisk business with the locals, it is México’s version of Little Caesars. Not that it’s bad, well – ok, it’s bad. I’d still eat it if it was sitting in front of me. Via Condotti is the spot I go to when I do feel like walking 15 minutes. They have a nice selection and they do the dishes. Piccola Roma is good when I’m already out and in their area. On the FB groups, many people agree that La Rustica has an excellent pie. They deliver, AND they use WhatsApp!
So, last night I Google Translated my order, cut and copied into WhatsApp and cut/copied the response back into Google Translate so I made sure I knew I needed to be waiting in 45 minutes. I asked them to please send me a message when they left (they’re about 3 minutes away by scooter, enough time for me to run downstairs), but it didn’t happen. I did go down to the street at the 40 minute mark, just to be sure things went smoothly, and I’m glad I did. A lot of places don’t want to deliver to places with an ‘interior’ address (my apartment is behind a door at the street, and there’s no doorbell/intercom), so I just plan on meeting drivers at the street.
Pizza was spot on, speaking of the delivery time. I had ordered the thin ‘gourmet’ crust, and it was appropriately thin and crunchy. Toppings were all present, but the distribution needed a little work (some slices were just cheese, while others were piled with toppings). Flavor was excellent – both hot, and then again today cold for breakfast! The one thing that @La Rusticaneeds to do differently is to update their website. They list combination packages that come with spaghetti, calzones, wings, salads, etc., but I don’t see any of these items listed for sale separately. I would have ordered wings if I’d seen them at a good price. Just sayin’.
So now I’m not a WhatsApp newbie … This might be an excellent way for me to try new places while throwing my budget to the wind 🙂
***UPDATE: Three times now La Rustica has not responded to WhatsApp messages. The first time I tried to call them, but no one answered either of their numbers. The second time I got through, and was able to navigate the language barrier, barely. Third time I just gave up and have written them off of my list for now. El Burro Gordo delivers and the gentleman answering the phone will accommodate by speaking English. And Via Condotti delivers through UberEats.
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