College senior Michael Saunders spent this summer making his brainchild a reality -- designing and marketing an on-line food delivery service for the University community, called campusfood.com. The service is designed for anyone in the area who wants to order food from local restaurants. Instead of placing an order over the telephone, customers can access the company's World Wide Web site. The site features such local establishments as Allegro Pizza, Salad Works Cafe, Campus Epicurean and Lee's Hoagie House. It can be reached on the Web at http://www.campusfood.com. Those using the free service must first register their personal information -- including their address and phone number -- on the Web site, before receiving a password and username that they can use when accessing the service in the future. "It was a lot easier [to develop] than we expected," said Saunders, an Economics major who is excited as his business goes into its second week of operation. "I'm somewhat of a programmer, and it was really neat to do." Saunders started developing the service about six months ago, after feeling that he and other Penn students shared common complaints about restaurant food delivery on campus. "With all of [the menus] on-line, there is never a busy signal, the order is always right and it's not as rushed," Saunders said. Seeking financial support from a consulting firm where Saunders was once employed, he said he got "100 percent" backing from his former boss. And after realizing that he and his computer weren't enough to develop the service, Saunders once again looked for help -- this time from his friend, Engineering senior Jarid Lukin. "I had a similar idea, but he took the initiative," said Lukin. The Web site, Saunders noted, will be adding new restaurants periodically. He said he hopes some of the future participating restaurants will be located in Center City. "So far, 100 people have registered, and we've had about 25 orders [to the restaurants]," Saunders said. The pair also hopes to add restaurants that deliver to other college campuses, including Drexel and Villanova universities. To monitor the fledgling system, Saunders carries a beeper, which automatically notifies him when an order is placed and if it is received successfully. "So far everything's been great," Saunders assured. In the future, the site will also feature a weekly sweepstakes, as well as opportunities for members to accrue "membership points" that can be used to buy more food. To generate profits from the service, campusfood.com charges restaurants credit-card fees, and Saunders hopes to sell advertising space on the site to local businesses. He said he found encouragement not only from his benefactor, but also from the local restaurants that he approached with the idea. "It's a good marketing idea," explained Salad Works Cafe owner Edward Siegle. "We have a small number of take-outs and this is another avenue to increase business." And while Allegro manager Angelo Hernandez also praised the service, he showed his skepticism as well. "I've got to wait a week or two [for community response]," he said. But noting that most Penn students have access to the Internet, he added, "I hope it becomes something great."
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