The order is not the hard part. The last hundred metres are.
Use a payment-app mini programme and keep the hotel front desk as a fallback for the last hundred metres. The online-catering rule that took effect on 1 June 2026 was checked on 1 November 2026; delivery access, room handover and merchant availability still depend on your property and order.
- What was checked
- The dated official and publisher references named in this guide's source section. Each reference explains the specific rule or instruction it supports.
- Known limits
- Prices, opening hours, availability and individual account or document eligibility are not live guarantees. Provider conditions and your actual route, passport, device and circumstances can change the answer.
Payment app → mini programme
Open the payment app you already verified, search for the delivery brand inside it, and authorise the phone number you registered with. No second registration, no second card binding.
- Needs a Chinese number
- Usually not, if the payment account already works
- Card binding
- Reuses the card already in the payment app
- Where it breaks
- Mini programmes that still request a separate SMS verification
Standalone delivery app
A dedicated app gives fuller menus and tracking, but registration and the address field are where foreign numbers are most often rejected.
- Needs a Chinese number
- Frequently, at registration or in the address field
- Interface
- Mostly Chinese; partial English in some builds
- Where it breaks
- Saving a non-Chinese mobile number as the delivery contact
Ask the front desk to order
Hotel staff order delivery for guests routinely. You pay them back in cash or by transfer, and the rider deals with a Chinese speaker.
- Needs a Chinese number
- No
- Cost
- Menu price plus delivery; no service fee is standard
- Where it breaks
- A very small hotel with no front desk at night
An app name in an old guide is already out of date.
The delivery app formerly known as Ele.me was renamed in December 2025, and search results now return the new brand. If a guide tells you to download a specific app, check the listing's current name and icon before you install anything, and prefer the service entry inside the payment app you have already tested.
Chinese property name, exactly as on the door
Copy it from the booking confirmation or photograph the signboard. A translated name cannot be matched by the rider or the front desk.
Floor and room number, not just the building
'Front desk' is a valid destination only if staff are there. Otherwise give the floor and room so the rider can leave it at the door.
One landmark the rider can see
A metro exit letter, a mall entrance or a cross-street name helps more than a postcode.
Never a locker or a pickup station
Parcel lockers are for parcels, and a hot meal left in one is a lost meal. Say front desk in the note as well.
One line, in this order: property, floor, room.
Example shape: the hotel's Chinese name, then the floor, then the room, then the front desk as the receiving point. Write it once in a note on your phone so you are not assembling it while a countdown runs.
A data-only eSIM cannot receive the call
If your plan has no voice number, the rider's call goes nowhere. The note field and the front desk are your substitutes, not your backup.
Voicemail and missed-call screens
A missed call from an unknown local number during a delivery window is almost always the rider. Call back through the app's contact button, which masks both numbers.
Answer with one sentence, then stop
'Qǐng fàng zài qián tái' is enough. Long explanations in poor Mandarin slow the call and increase the chance of a cancellation.
If you truly cannot be reached
Many platforms cancel after a short window and refund automatically. Do not assume the food will be left; check the order status before you go downstairs.
Write the note as if the call will not happen.
The note is read on the rider's phone before they arrive. One short instruction plus the room number does more than any attempt to explain the situation out loud at the door.
Copy the delivery noteRank by sales, choose by photo
The photo shows the actual portion and the actual garnish. A dish name translated by an app can turn out to be chicken feet.
Check the minimum order first
Many shops will not deliver below a threshold, and the cart simply refuses to check out. Adding rice or a drink is the usual fix.
Delivery fee, packaging fee, platform discount
Three separate lines. A discount may require a minimum spend you have not reached, so the total can rise when you add an item.
Cutlery is not automatic
Many orders default to no cutlery for environmental reasons. Tick the cutlery option if you are in a hotel room with no fork.
Read the cancellation reason
'Unable to contact recipient' and 'address not found' need different fixes. The reason is shown on the order, not sent by message.
Refunds follow the payment route
A card refund can take several business days while the platform shows it as complete. Screenshot the order number before you close the page.
Escalate inside the platform
Customer service is reached from the order page. A phone call to the restaurant cannot move money that the platform holds.
When it is a consumer dispute, not an emergency
12315 records a complaint about food or a service. It is not a food-poisoning hotline; for a medical emergency call 120.
CHINESE HELP CARDS · WRITTEN FOR THESE SITUATIONS
Put it at the front desk
The single most useful delivery note. Add the room number so staff can route it.
我是外国客人，听不懂中文电话，没有中国手机号。请把餐放在酒店前台，并告诉前台房号 ＿＿＿，谢谢！如果前台没人，请放在大堂行李处并拍照发给我。Ask the front desk before you order
Say it at check-in, not when the rider is already downstairs.
您好，我今晚可能会点一份外卖，送到酒店前台。我的房号是 ＿＿＿。如果骑手打电话来，可以麻烦您帮我接一下吗？我不太会说中文，谢谢您。A script for the courier's call
Read the first line only. It is short enough to say badly and still be understood.
您好，我是外国客人，中文不太好。请您把餐送到酒店前台，交给前台工作人员就可以，谢谢！我的房号是 ＿＿＿。Dietary notes for the order
Comma-separated is fine. Kitchens read the note as a list, not as sentences.
不要辣，不要香菜，少油少盐。不要放花生和花生油（过敏）。餐具请给一份。谢谢！Ask the platform, not the kitchen, for a refund
The order page holds the record. The restaurant cannot move money back on its own.
您好，我的订单被取消了，但付款已经成功。请问退款会退回到原支付方式吗？需要几天？订单号是 ＿＿＿。如果一直没到账，我可以在平台里申请客服介入吗？Packing leftovers to carry back
Works in a restaurant, not in a delivery order. Use it when you are leaving a table.
麻烦帮我把这两道菜打包，谢谢。汤汁请单独装，我路上要带一段。需要另外付餐盒费吗？Use these notes for common delivery situations. Replace the blank with your room number before sending.
Is Ele.me still available?
The app was renamed in December 2025 and now appears under a different brand name. Older guides that tell you to download 'Ele.me' send you to a listing whose name no longer matches. Search inside your payment app for the delivery service instead of trusting an old app name.
Should I tip the rider?
No. The delivery fee and any platform incentive are the pay. Tipping is not part of the system and cash handed at the door can confuse the transaction record.
Why does the app want my location?
Delivery apps use it to fill the address and to route the rider. Granting it once for the order is normal; you can revoke it afterwards in system settings.
Can I order alcohol or medicine?
Alcohol is restricted by time and by age verification in many cities, and medicine delivery runs through separate licensed pharmacies. Both are refused more often than food, especially late at night.
Is the food safe?
Since 1 June 2026 online catering operators must use packaging that cannot be resealed after opening, and platforms must verify merchant licences at least every six months. That raises the floor; it does not inspect the kitchen for you.
The rider is at the lobby. What now?
Meet them or ask the front desk to take it. Do not tell them to leave it on the street; unattended food is the most common cause of a lost order.
How late can I order?
City curfews on delivery are not uniform, and many kitchens close before midnight. Check the shop's stated hours rather than assuming a 24-hour service.
Official and publisher references used in this guide
These are external references. They are not live availability, price, approval or service guarantees, and each date marks the point after which a rule may have changed.
Order No. 123: food-safety responsibilities of online catering operators
The current rule for delivery platforms and the kitchens selling through them: platform identity checks at least every six months, shop name matching the physical signboard, licence and storefront displayed, a ‘no dine-in’ marker where applicable, tamper-evident packaging, and order records kept for three years.
12315: consumer complaint and report channel
The official route for a consumer dispute over a meal, a delivery order or a purchase. It records a complaint; it does not order a refund, send an inspector to your table, or act as an emergency line.
Common emergency numbers: 110, 119, 120, 122
Police 110, fire 119, ambulance 120, traffic accident 122. These are the numbers to keep on a phone lock screen; they are not a translation service and do not replace the local emergency instructions at a site.
Paying in Shanghai with an overseas card or phone
A city-level explanation of card, mobile and cash acceptance. It reflects one city's published guidance, so it is not evidence that every merchant in another city behaves the same way.
Food safety: five keys and the burden of foodborne illness
General food-safety principles that travel with you regardless of country. It is not a judgment about any specific restaurant in China and cannot certify that a particular dish is safe for you.
Updates and corrections
The dates above apply only to the checks described here. Recheck current prices, opening hours, availability and account or document eligibility with the responsible provider before you rely on them. When an official rule changes, the affected guidance and its review date should be updated. To report a specific change, email support@slowchinaguide.com with the place, date and current source.
Send a correctionWhat this guide does and does not do
This guide turns practical questions and dated references into steps you can follow. It is not a booking service, a live price list or a substitute for a clinician, a lawyer or the staff responsible for your actual situation.
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