Grubhub is an app that allows restaurants to list their services for consumers to order from. Pace University has decided to implement this app for campus diners and it’s said that, with mobile ordering through Grubhub, the individual can experience the convenience of skipping the in-person order line, picking up on their own schedule, and getting exclusive offers.
The use of Grubhub at universities is nothing new and has been implemented at many universities, such as NYU, in recent years. On the surface, the emergence of Grubhub and other mobile ordering apps entering college campuses seems to have its advantages. However, is it really state of the art? Does it deserve this title, and is it really the best we can do in 2024?
Ordering food online or takeout options has always been a common, efficient way of ordering food. Online food services allow one to make an order simply through a few taps on their phone. We no longer have to rely on making phone calls or going in person to make an order. It’s made it possible for us to order food without actually having to interact with people. Seems kind of nice if we plan on slowly killing in-person interactions in society.
Many might question how this development is beneficial on college campuses. Well for one, the lines to order food and check out have shortened. But by attempting to solve a pre-existing issue, we seem to have created more problems.
Pace had the typical system of ordering in person and purchasing through checkout, however, for the 2023-2024 school year the university switched to a predominantly online ordering system. Since the shift to our Grubhub cafe, long lines have turned to long waits due to the inaccuracy of the app. Planning to order your food beforehand has become extremely unreliable for Pace students, as the waiting times are always inaccurate. The app will either show your order being ready when it’s not, or it’ll say the order isn’t ready when your order is completed. This isn’t a dependable source of ordering food when students are planning to eat during breaks in between classes or simply trying to follow an orderly schedule. Planning to order extra early for assurance also seems to backfire, as it leads to food getting cold. It almost seems like there’s no way to win with the app.
Imagine waiting a long period of time to quell your hunger, and then when you finally get a hold of your food, you realize your order was wrong or, even worse, stolen. The wrong orders are another issue with the app. One problem with online anything is that it always leaves room for misunderstandings and, therefore, problems. Along with that, picking up food on the honor system leads to your food being stolen. Getting your food stolen can be a frustrating feeling not only for the student but also for the cooks, who have to remake the food while also dealing with current orders. Ordering in person eliminates the possibility of these things happening and allows for a more satisfactory dining experience.
The shift to an online ordering system has completely changed the student dining experience. While not all bad, students definitely seem to agree that the abrupt and extreme change of shifting the entire cafe system has led to many flaws. Workers and students seem to be having a hard time adjusting to the change. Completely eradicating in-person ordering isn’t efficient, and the only solution to avoid these problems would be to keep both in-person and mobile ordering options for all places to eat at the cafe.