Outsource Your Life

The Dallasite's master list of food and booze (and more) delivery apps

Ordering a favorite wine right from your couch or greeting a courier holding your dry cleaning in one hand and dinner in the other sounds like heaven to us. Now Dallas has more options than ever for at-home delivery of groceries, spirits and more, right from an app on your smartphone.

Caviar
Caviar specializes in delivering upscale meals on-demand from nearly 30 Dallas restaurants, from Bob’s Steak & Chop House to HG Sply Co. to Mesa. Any number of appetizers, entrees and desserts can be ordered via Caviar’s website or free mobile app for Android and iOS. Detailed photographs of each item, complete with delivery estimates, help the indecisive diner choose his or her next meal. You can track the status of your order, and there is a flat delivery fee of $4.99.

Drizly
Whether planning a party or just stocking up, Drizly is the perfect solution for legal-age drinkers who want to shop quickly for the best liquors, beer and wine right from their smartphone. Drizly has partnered with Dallas favorite Goody Goody Liquor to deliver — for a flat fee of only $5 — to the neighborhoods of downtown, West End, Deep Ellum, Oak Lawn, Uptown, Knox/Henderson, Highland Park, University Park, Lower Greenville, Lakewood, Preston Hollow and Lake Highlands. Just download the free app for iPhone or Android, or log on to Drizly.com to get started. Schedule deliveries when it’s convenient for you, and earn rewards for referrals.

Favor
Established in Austin in 2013, Favor has spread quickly across the U.S. and is now available in Dallas. Dry cleaning, prescriptions, menu items from area restaurants, groceries and more can be delivered right to your home through Favor’s secure and cashless payment system. Runners wearing tuxedo T-shirts deliver items in less than an hour from 9 am to midnight, Sunday through Wednesday, and 9 am to 3 am, Thursday, Friday and Saturday for an additional $6 fee plus 5 percent of the cost of the items and tips to the runner. The Favor app is available for both iPhone and Android.

Lash
Inspired by the British idea of fun times and partying with close friends, Lash is ready to deliver a complete bar experience Monday through Saturday. Legal-age drinkers in Dallas, Plano, Allen, Fairview, South Frisco and South McKinney can order up to seven days in advance. Choose from a selection of more than 3,000 liquors, beers, wines, mixers and party essentials to arrive via Lash’s zippy, merlot-colored vans. Download the app for either Android or iOS and select your preferred delivery date. Delivery is free for orders over $35, and only $5 for orders less than that amount.

Minibar
Minibar features some of the most diverse spirits available for delivery in the Dallas area, from sake and sparkling wine to sweet vermouth and vodka to imported beer. Connect with a variety of alcohol vendors in Dallas-Fort Worth through Minibar’s app, available for both Android and iPhone. Stock your home bar, prep for your next event or send a gift to a friend. Depending on the vendor, a minimum order may be required, but first-time users receive $5 off their orders.

Plāt
Pronounced “plate,” Plāt offers shoppers a curated list of grocery items available for delivery in under an hour — or scheduled delivery, if that's more convenient — via its free iPhone app. Natural and organic produce, seafood, pantry items, meat, beer and wine, desserts, and products from local companies like Oak Cliff Coffee Roasters and Empire Baking Company can be delivered right to your home. Delivery is free (with a minimum order of $35), and prices are comparable to those of local grocery stores; you can even save lists of items you often order. Delivery areas currently include Dallas, Irving, Los Colinas, Richardson and, Addison with plans to expand throughout North Texas shortly.

Postmates
Got a hankering for SmashBurger or Zoës Kitchen? With Postmates, you can get it without leaving home. From menu items at local restaurants to practical items available through the Postmates General Store — hey, you never know when you may need a package of ballpoint pens — Postmates specializes in on-demand deliveries across the U.S. Download the free app for iPhone or Android to start placing orders for delivery at residential or commercial addresses. Delivery fees start at $5 and scale depending on mileage.

Shipt
Starting in August 2015, green-shirted Shipt shoppers will be zipping through neighborhoods in Dallas, Garland, Plano and Carrollton to deliver a full range of more than 40,000 grocery items from local stores to anyone with the Shipt app. Select your items, enter information about preferences or substitutions, and enjoy the delivery of an unlimited quantity of items for an annual membership of $99, or a monthly fee of $15. You can schedule deliveries for specific one-hour windows and have open communication with shoppers as they fulfill your order.

Same-day groceries arrive right at your door from Shipt.

Photo courtesy of Shipt

Same-day groceries arrive right at your door from Shipt.

unspecified

innovation begins here

Texas ranks as 3rd best state for new businesses in 2026

Texas is chugging along as an innovative state.

Photo courtesy of Getty Images

Texas has climbed back into the top three for the first time since 2023.

High employment growth and advantageous entrepreneurship rates have led Texas into a No. 3 spot in WalletHub's just-released ranking of "Best and Worst States to Start a Business" for 2026.

Texas bounced back into the No. 3 spot nationally for the first time since 2023. After dropping into 8th place in 2024, the state hustled into No. 4 last year.

Ever year, WalletHub compares all 50 states based on their business environment, costs, and access to financial resources to determine the best places for starting a business. The study analyzes 25 relevant metrics to determine the rankings, such as labor costs, office space affordability, financial accessibility, the number of startups per capita, and more.

When about half of all new businesses don't last more than five years, finding the right environment for a startup is vital for long-term success, the report says.

Here's how Texas ranked across the three main categories in the study:

No. 1 – Business environment
No. 11 – Access to resources
No. 34 – Business costs

The state boasts the 10th highest entrepreneurship rates nationwide, and it has the 11th-highest share of fast-growing firms. WalletHub also noted that more than half (53 percent) of all Texas businesses are located in "strong clusters," which suggests they are more likely to be successful long-term.

"Clusters are interconnected businesses that specialize in the same field, and 'strong clusters' are ones that are in the top 25 percent of all regions for their particular specialization," the report said. "If businesses fit into one of these clusters, they will have an easier time getting the materials they need, and can tap into an existing customer base. To some degree, it might mean more competition, though."

Texas business owners should also keep their eye on Dallas, which was recently ranked the 3rd best U.S. city for starting a new business. Several neighbors around Dallas have also been hailed as top U.S. career hotspots with the best environments for tech workers. Workers in Texas are the "third-most engaged" in the country, the study added, a promising attribute for employers searching for the right place to begin their next business venture.

"Business owners in Texas benefit from favorable conditions, as the state has the third-highest growth in working-age population and the third-highest employment growth in the country, too," the report said.

The top 10 best states for starting a business in 2026 are:

No. 1 – Florida
No. 2 – Utah
No. 3 – Texas
No. 4 – Oklahoma
No. 5 – Idaho
No. 6 – Mississippi
No. 7 – Georgia
No. 8 – Indiana
No. 9 – Nevada
No. 10 – California

innnovation texas wallethub rankings best states business