Mobile App Aims to Cut Wait Time

By Sarina Caragan

Tapingo, the mobile application that allows students to bypass lines and order food for pick-up directly from their smart phones, launched at various stations in Benson's Marketplace on Jan. 24.

The app allows students to save their ACCESS card information to a personalized account and buy food and other items with Flex or resident dining points.

"We found another option, really another convenience, for students," said Bob Lubecky, general manager of Dining Services. "It's nice to be able to sit at a table and order your food."

According to CEO Daniel Almog, he and his team developed Tapingo in order to provide a shopping mobile app that provides a central place to purchase items from nearby vendors — and therefore caters to the shoppers themselves.

"One area that was not improved by the proliferation of smart phones was everyday shopping," said Guy Bauman, Tapingo's vice president of marketing, in an emailed statement.

Almog echoed these sentiments. "We wanted to create an app where the user — in this case, the student — was at the center," he said. "There's no reason why technology shouldn't be able to make (shopping) a much, much better process."

Almog planned to launch Tapingo, which is based in New York, at a university on the East Coast. However, after meeting Nirmal Palliyaguru, director of ACCESS and Conference Services, at a conference, Almog and his team decided to partner with Santa Clara and integrate the app into the on-campus dining system.

According to Almog, Palliyaguru's vision for changes to the ACCESS card and its services aligned with Tapingo's vision for its eventual university collaboration.

"Because of (Palliyaguru's) attitude and philosophy, we decided that (Santa Clara) would be an ideal place for us," he said. Tapingo first launched at the California Deli, the Marketplace's express sandwich station, and Sauté, where students can order pasta and specials.

"You have such a huge congestion here (in Benson)," said Almog. "The food's so good; it's just about making it an enjoyable shopping experience."

Leavey Concessions has also started to use the app, providing students with the option to order food during games. According to Lubecky, Concessions and the Ruff Riders will also use Tapingo to allow students to pre-order tickets to the Gonzaga game on Feb. 16. The pre-order will come with a food ticket.

When asked if the mobile app has been successful since its launch, Lubecky responded: "It's too early to tell, but there's definitely a buzz going around."

A promotion at the Bistro station last Wednesday allowed students to order sushi at half-price. According to Lubecky, the sushi promotion garnered about 140 Tapingo orders in an hour.

"We've gotten a lot of comment cards from students saying they love it," said Melissa Reynen, marketing manager for Dining Services.

Sophomore Molly Saint commented on the app's convenience. "It's much easier than waiting in line for a sandwich," she said. According to Lubecky, ACCESS Services and Dining Services plan to roll out Tapingo to other stations in the Marketplace. Bistro will have the option to order via the app on Friday, and 540, the pizza station in the Bronco, will be integrated into Tapingo's system in the near future.

Almog also plans to integrate off-campus vendors, while Lubecky and Dining Services would like to offer a credit card payment option for non-students and students without a dining plan.

The Tapingo team has been monitoring the app's progress on-campus since its launch and plan to remain in Santa Clara until the end of winter quarter in order to "work out the kinks."

"We're happy to hear feedback ­— anything that will help make the service better," said Almog.

Contact Sarina Caragan at scaragan@scu.edu or (408) 554-4852. Madisson Goorman also contributed to this report.