By Emma Gonzalez
Contributor
As the new semester begins, the university has implemented a new way to buy food on campus using Grubhub, a food delivery service. By using their school logins, students are able to access their campus card and meal plan funds to purchase food either on-campus or off campus.
According to Grubhub’s campus dining page, participating universities have added perks for their students, such as Grubhub plus which offers free unlimited delivery even off campus, student deals and discounts and on-campus pickup.
“If I’m getting out of class and I know I want food right after, I’ll use it,” healthcare studies major Leslie Galindo, a sophomore, said.
With the Grubhub addition, students can order food in the student center ahead of time, then go pick it up instead of ordering in person.
Galindo said it only took her about two to three minutes to receive her order.
For political science major Zaeda Reid, a sophomore, the addition of Grubhub seemed more like an inconvenience than anything else.
“You have to wait for about 20-25 minutes because not only are you waiting with the people that already made their order at the register, but you’re now also waiting for the other people that made a Grubhub order,” Reid said.
The Adanti Student Center food court had lines of students on Sept. 2 waiting for their Grubhub orders- more than half waiting at the Sub Connections, which is now exclusive to Grubhub- you can no longer build a sub in person.
“I’d rather just go to the place in person and get my food. It’s not as accessible as it was before,” Reid said.
Reid mentions that there is also a new computer system, which has been making transactions take longer.
“I don’t know what they’re seeing behind the screen,” Reid said, “but it’s taking longer than usual.”
Wyatt Cannon, the marketing manager at Connecticut Hall, said that as time progresses, bumps in the road such as long lines, incorrect orders and difficulty connecting meal plans to the app should smooth out.
“The goal of the switch is to reduce time standing in line, increase efficiency in ordering for our team members and create a more seamless way for student concerns to be addressed,” Cannon said.
Cannon said that there has already been a steady increase in orders and a visible decrease in the length of lines, particularly at Dunkin’.
As Grubhub makes an entrance into the dining experience at the university, many may have noticed the absence of the Kiwibots, the small robots that would deliver food around campus.
“To make way for other improvements and upgrades, the university and Southern Dining mutually agreed it best to move away from the Kiwibots,” Cannon said.
Cannon said that the Kiwibot program was underutilized, which just added significant financial impact to the dining program.
“While their discontinuation may be disappointing to some, we hope that the addition of Grubhub plus is free for students will allow them to try some new and exciting spots, both on and off campus,” Cannon said.
