Dining services pilots online ordering

By Ashton Smith, contributing writer  
Posted on September 27, 2007

Instead of standing in line dining services is offering a more convenient way to get campus food. Madison Grill and the Dog Pound now offer online ordering.

“JMU Dining is always doing research to better understand our customers’ needs and preferences and implementing changes in response to those needs,” said Angela Ritchie, the marketing program manager of Dining Services. “We aspire to make the campus dining program as convenient as possible in a variety of ways that reflect the lifestyles and needs of today’s busy college students.”

The orders can be placed 15 minutes in advance and ordering stops 15 minutes before the location closes. 

“Once you set up an account, you can go in anytime to place an order,” Ritchie said.  “You designate the time you want to pick up the order, and it will be ready.”

Students don’t have to worry about having extra cash, because they can use their meal plan. 

“Students pay when the food is picked up,” Ritchie said.  “The payment options are the same as when food is ordered in-house.”

Dining Services learned about the ordering online feature while working with the Webfood company which supplies the ordering kiosks in Top Dog and Festival, Ritchie said.

“We’re first piloting the online ordering at Madison Grill and Dog Pound,” Ritchie said.  “If online ordering is successful at those locations, we will consider offering it at other locations on campus.”

Ritchie predicts success.

“Students are very technology oriented and this is a convenient way to increase speed of service so we [Dining Services] anticipate that it will be very successful,” she said.

Madison Grill student manager Brittany Fetherolf is hoping this new feature will reach out to a new customer base for Madison Grill and the Dog Pound. 

“It is new and with new things it takes a while for it to pick up,” she said. “Once the word gets out and students see how easy the process is, the online ordering will be successful.

Many students see online ordering as a positive.

“I think its a really good idea offering this online feature,” freshman Emily Pillow said.

“Having a great meal within a decent time allows more time for productive things.”

Junior Anthony Ward agreed that this new feature could save time.

“If you are in a rush or on a strict schedule it’ll let you get your food quickly,” he said.

Some students are split over whether or not online ordering will benefit campus residents or commuters.

“I think that would have been great two years ago when I lived on campus, because now you have to go find parking just to get your food,” junior Nicole Cottone said. 

JMU junior Bryan Howell disagrees. 

“I think being off campus is easier because it might be hard for people on campus that decide to go get food to get to a computer and order online,” he said.

Howell also thinks it will take for online ordering to catch on.

“I think it could be successful but it might be a little hard to get students to switch to that method of ordering their food, because they might want to stick to their normal routine,” he said.