Frequently Asked Questions
Frozen Meal Info
Are your meals fresh or frozen?
They are “freshly frozen”. We make our meals from scratch, using wonderfully nourishing, fresh, wholefood ingredients. Then we snap-freeze them to lock in the goodness and flavour. We believe frozen ready meals are the best and healthiest option for you.
Why frozen?
There are so many benefits to frozen food, starting with the fact that freezing is a wholly natural method of food preservation. This means that we do not need to add any preservatives or unnatural additives or chemicals to extend the shelf life. Freezing also maintains the quality of the food from our kitchen right to your front door: it conserves the nutritional value of the food; and reduces waste too! Learn more here: 6 cool reasons why frozen beats fresh
But surely, fresh is best?
You need to decide for yourself. When it comes to ready meals, there are typically two options:
Freshly frozen meals – such as the ones from GDS involve cooking with natural ingredients then snap-freezing to allow you to enjoy the food many weeks or months later, without using any unnatural or unhealthy additives.
Chemically fresh meals – many companies promote their ready meals as freshly made and delivered, however, they offer many days/weeks shelf life. How? Using chemicals of course. Fresh meal providers usually use preservatives or MAP gas-flushing techniques (or both!) to unnaturally extend the shelf life of their food.
Nutrition, Serving + Storage
What ingredients are used?
Locally sourced, real ingredients are what we use in all our meals. We don’t use any preservatives, additives or genetically modified foods. Fresh herbs, onion, garlic and spices are used to create unique flavour bases. All meals are cooked from scratch in our kitchens with premium produce. For a full list of ingredients for any dish please click on the photo of the meal. Full nutritional information is also provided for every meal. We update our meals seasonally so you’ll always have new flavours to enjoy.
Great care has been taken to remove all pits/pit fragments, seed fragments, herb and spice – stems, pods, seed shells, nut shells from all our meals, however, some may remain.
We use fresh fish and while great care is taken to remove all fish bones, some may remain.
Who cooks my meals?
Our team of talented chefs cook all your meals from scratch. The team is headed up by our Master Chef, Gupreet Singh. The combined skills across our kitchens results in an extensive menu of global flavours that will leave you enjoying every mouthful.
How do I store my meals?
Meals can be stored in the freezer for up to 4 months. Once defrosted, they can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days. Any fresh items such as salads can be stored for 4/5 days in the fridge. They can’t be frozen. Please see labels for use by and storage information.
How do I serve my meals?
Each meal has easy instructions on how to heat or cook. If you are using the oven you need to transfer food from the plastic containers to an oven proof dish before heating. Foil packaged meals need to have the lid removed prior to heating. All meals can be heated using a microwave (including foil containers), with the exception of those meals which need to be cooked.
Ordering and/or purchasing a gift
Should I order online or over the phone?
We are an online business so your entire order can be completed via our website. Of course, if you run into any problems then please do give us a call and we can help. Some NDIS or HCP customers may need to call to complete their split-payment order.
Do you accept orders for NDIS and Home Care Package recipients?
Yes we do! Please see our dedicated NDIS page or our Home Care Package page for more details.
Are there any contracts?
There are no contracts and no joining fees. You have the option to choose what and when to order so long as the minimum food value is $75 (plus delivery fee). After ordering online, you will receive an email confirmation containing your order details. Please check all details thoroughly and call our office if any changes are required. Please note that we require 1-2 business days notice to adjust delivery dates or make meal changes for an order but will endeavour to accommodate where possible.
How do I purchase a Gift Voucher?
Gift Vouchers can be purchased online and will be emailed direct to the recipient. You can choose to have the voucher emailed direct to yourself by simply entering your email address in the recipient's email address field. This way you can forward the Gift Voucher to the recipient by email or print it out to give them a hard copy.
Can I send a gift of meals?
Yes, gifts of meals can be ordered online. Choose a Hamper or select your own items from our menu; provide the recipient's delivery details and select from the available delivery dates. At the checkout stage it will give you the option to ‘Make The Order a Gift’ and ask for you to add a message for the optional Gift Card. If no-one is home the gift will be left at front door. It is your responsibility to advise recipient of delivery date. We cannot be held responsible if they are not home or away and shall not accept any liability after delivery.
I'm based overseas, can I guy a gift voucher or meals?
Yes, you can. Please note that our website doesn’t accept international addresses and some overseas credit cards, so please use PayPal for payment and our address (5/9 Powells Rd, Brookvale NSW 2100) for the billing address. Thank you for your understanding.
What if I get my order on the wrong day or to the wrong address?
It’s important to check your email confirmation once you have placed an order to ensure you have selected the correct delivery date as this is the date that determines when we will make the delivery. If you fail to check the order confirmation and receive a delivery on the wrong day we can arrange to re-deliver but there will be a redelivery fee (at standard rates) + $5 admin charge.
Delivery
Is there a minimum food order value for a delivery?
Yes, there is. The minimum food order value for delivery is $75.
When do you deliver to my area?
Each area has a designated delivery day – please enter your postcode at the top of this page for details. While our drivers endeavour to deliver between the time frames advised on our site, we cannot guarantee a specific time frame. Our delivery routes are only finalised on the morning of your delivery. At this time you will receive an email with estimated delivery time and a link for tracking. For courier deliveries, you'll receive a text message with all your delivery information.
Who delivers my food?
Sydney + Brisbane metro are serviced by our Gourmet Dinner Service drivers. For Melbourne, ACT and regional NSW, VIC and QLD we use trusted courier partners to make our deliveries.
Do I need to be home to accept the delivery?
You don’t need to be home to receive your delivery as meals are delivered in a thick cardboard box with gel ice packs and can be left in a safe location for up to 8 hours. If you live in a gated complex or high rise building please leave delivery notes with instructions on how to enter the complex, otherwise we will leave at the front door and no responsibility will be accepted. Please note that our drivers are unable to call on approach as they are focused on driving.
What do I do with my delivery box?
Please recycle your cardboard box in your regular council collection. Or feel free to reuse it.
What about Public Holidays?
Delivery days are subject to temporary change during special events local to you and on public holidays. Most deliveries will be made on your next delivery day. We advise you by email, in advance, of any public holidays that may affect your delivery.
Weekend deliveries
As we are closed on weekends, please be aware that any fresh components ie salads will have a shorter shelf life than week day deliveries due to the orders being packed on Friday afternoon.
Picking up an order
Collecting my order from your Sydney or Brisbane locations
You can collect your order from our Sydney or Brisbane kitchen at no charge. Please pre-order prior to 12 noon and ensure you give us at least an hour so that we can have it packed ready to go.
Where do I collect my order from and at what time?
We are located at:
Sydney kitchen: 5/9 Powells Road, Brookvale NSW 2100. Pick up: Monday to Thursday 8.00am - 5pm. Friday 8.30am - 4pm.
Brisbane kitchen: 5/33 Meakin Road, Meadowbrook QLD 4131. Pick up: Monday to Friday 8.00am – 1pm. If picking up from Brisbane kitchen and the gate is closed please use code: 3343# to enter and exit.
Melbourne kitchen: deliveries only, sorry no pick ups.
Dietary Requirements
What if I'm allergic to some foods?
Our meals may contain traces of dairy, egg, wheat, barley, rye, oats, gluten, fish, crustaceans, molluscs, peanuts, tree nuts, other nuts, sesame, seeds, soy, sulphites and/or capsicum. Gourmet Dinner Service and Dietlicious cannot guarantee a total absence of any of these products in any of our meals.
If you require specific dietary guidance, we strongly suggest consultation with your doctor before consuming Gourmet Dinner Service or Dietlicious meals.
Dietlicious and Gourmet Dinner Service are not responsible and accept no liability, for any adverse effect on any person due to allergy or intolerant reaction arising from that person’s consumption of any food or drink supplied by Gourmet Dinner Service or Dietlicious.
Do you cater for special dietary requirements?
Our food is designed for general healthy eating however you may select our icons or filters for vegetarian, no added gluten, no added dairy etc. Our sister company Dietlicious offers small meals for weight loss and more vegetarian, no added gluten and no added dairy options. Unfortunately we are unable customise meals due to our cooking schedule and our meals being cooked in batches.
Can I eat Gourmet Dinner Service meals while pregnant or breastfeeding?
All of our meals are free from any preservatives so are perfectly healthy for pregnant or breastfeeding mothers, though it is always best to consult your healthcare professional(s) before starting a diet or embarking on a particular type of eating plan.
Payment
What are my payment options?
Payment can be made by Visa, Mastercard, Amex or Paypal online. To protect your security we use a secure independent payment gateway and do not store any credit card details unless you manually select to do this. Your card details are encrypted and held on the gateway providers’ site.
Loyalty Program T & Cs
How do I join the loyalty program?
There’s no need to join our loyalty program – it’s free and if you have an account with us, you’ll automatically earn points! Just make sure you’re logged into your account each time you order.
How many points do I earn when I place an order with Gourmet Dinner Service?
Every time you order food from us, you’ll earn 1 point for every $1 spent. You do not earn any points on delivery fees, promotional items or discounts. You must be logged into your account when you order, to earn points. If you use our guest checkout then points will not be accrued to your account, and they cannot be applied later.
How can I earn points on referrals?
When you want to refer a friend, family member or colleague, just use our Refer a Friend feature on your loyalty page. Copy your referring link and share either through your email, text, social messaging or sharing with your social audience. When your friend clicks on the link they will be taken to our loyalty site where they will be asked to enter their email to reveal their promotional code. If your friend places an order, you’ll be rewarded with 2500 points (equivalent to $25 store credit to be used on your next order).
How much are my points worth?
When you redeem your points, 100 points will give you $1 store credit when you choose to redeem.
Can I use my points and a promotional code?
Yes, absolutely! You can redeem your points at any time. You do this by first converting them to a Store Credit at checkout and then applying the Store Credit as payment towards an order. You can then use your weekly Newsletter promotional code as well.
Can I still earn and use points if I place my orders over the phone?
Of course! Just ask our friendly Customer Service team to help you redeem your points for a discount.
How can I check my loyalty points balance?
You can view your points balance at any time by logging into your account and navigating to the loyalty page. Your points balance will also appear on the top of the weekly newsletter we send you.
