Food trucks have been a staple at the University since 2011, when they were first added to U.Va. Dining’s list of food options. After 10 years on Grounds, however, the way the food trucks are operating and taking orders has shifted — to minimize the risk of an outbreak, the University has encouraged food trucks to utilize the popular app Grubhub, an online app that offers students the ability to order and pick up their food rather than stand in line.
Despite this, not all students choose to order through the app, creating logistical problems and confusion for food truck employees.
Many restaurants on Grounds, such as The Castle, Subway and Rising Roll, offer Grubhub ordering as an option for students. The various food trucks located around the Amphitheater, however — El Tako Nako, Got Dumplings and Halal Kitchen — are labeled “Grubhub Only Ordering.”
“Grubhub is a great tool for U.Va. Dine because it reduces contact between staff and customers and has provided a safer ordering system during the pandemic,” said Sarah Gordon, marketing manager at Aramark, the University’s dining service provider, in an email to The Cavalier Daily. “Because ordering online removes the in-person ordering process, it also increases our throughput with order volume. We are able to serve more students by using the Grubhub app in our locations.”
Apps such as Grubhub, Doordash and UberEats have skyrocketed in popularity since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic because they allow for social distancing and minimize the amount of time one has to spend around others, thus lowering the chance of the virus spreading. While these apps have been criticized for sometimes hurting businesses by incurring additional delivery fees, the University only uses GrubHub for pre-order and pick up, which doesn’t add on any extra costs to the customer or the restaurant, according to Gordon.
“Whether you are ordering through Grubhub or in person, using a meal plan saves you almost 10 percent because purchases made using a meal plan on Grounds are tax-free,” Gordon said.
Food trucks at the University first began using Grubhub at the beginning of the fall semester. As the app has only been used for less than two months, there have been various hiccups throughout the learning process that have inhibited food truck workers and owners.
Komal Imtiaz, an employee at the Halal Kitchen food truck, said the transition to using Grubhub was difficult at first.
”It was a little hectic in the beginning … once you have something new, [but] once you get used to it, it’s much better,” Imtiaz said.
Now that the team has gotten used to the new system, Imtiaz says that Grubhub has made the ordering process faster.
“It gives us ample amount of time to actually complete the order,” Imtiaz said. “[Students] don’t have to actually wait for [the food].”
While Imtiaz praised the app for relieving some of the stress and rush that comes with students ordering in person, she also noted that there are flaws in the system.
“[When] a lot of kids are using it at the same time, the apps don’t work, so when a student comes up to us and they want us to swipe their student ID, we’re not able to,” Imtiaz said.
Additionally, glitches in the system mean that students have had to wait longer for their food or, in some instances, be told their food is ready to be picked up when it is not yet prepared. Because of these logistical challenges, many of the food trucks are still taking in-person orders, even if they are labeled as Grubhub only.
Margarita Castillo, an employee at El Tako Nako, said sometimes orders placed through the app pile up before El Tako Nako can make them. The El Tako Nako food truck has been on Grounds for four years.
“We serve over 200 students, so when you have 60 tickets coming in all at once, then it’s pretty hard to get them out in a timely manner,” Castillo said. “At the same time, I’m having students that order here in the front, so it’s kind of hectic.”
With some students following the push from the University to use Grubhub and others ignoring it, food trucks have been receiving more orders than they can fulfill in a short period of time.
“We would prefer if [the students] would just use Grubhub because you can pay with [Flex dollars] plus your card,” Castillo said.
Employees at both Halal Kitchen and El Tako Nako said that Grubhub does streamline the ordering process. When an order comes in, they prepare the order and students can walk up to the window, state their Grubhub order number and receive food with no extra hassle or wait time.
Students have had mixed responses to the new way of ordering. First-year College student Molly Lane used Grubhub to order from Got Dumplings — another popular food truck in front of the amphitheater — but said in her experience, the app has not made ordering faster.
“[Grubhub says] that my order is ready, but they aren’t going to start making [my order] until I actually get up and tell them what number I am,” Lane said.
Meanwhile, second-year College student Sydney Stokes said she likes the ease of ordering through the app because she can order and pick up food between classes.
Though the new system has been a learning process, Castillo said she thinks it works.
“It has its pros and cons,” Castillo said.”It’s kind of hectic, but I think it's okay.”
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