Page 44 - South Mississippi Living - December, 2017

DINING meals on wheels
WAITR
story by Kelsey Sunderman-Foster photo courtesy of WAITR
Chances are you’ve probably seen
a green bow tie logo pop up in the windows — or signs out front — of quite a few local restaurants lately.
So what’s it mean? That’s the logo for WAITR, an online food delivery app that’s changing the way people order take out.
As a customer, you’re able to go online or on the app, enter your location, and select from any participating restaurant within a set radius to ensure your food stays fresh on its way to your door. Just from our office location alone we have access to more than 60 restaurants, with plenty more to come in the future. So far, there are participating restaurants in Long Beach, Gulfport, Biloxi and D’Iberville.
Each delivery charges the customer
$5, but the good news is that if you’re placing a group order, that $5 can
be split amongst the entire group! That means that if you’ve got 10 people in your office who want to order from the same restaurant, each of you will only have to pay a 50¢ delivery charge. Pretty cool, right? The app is incredibly user-friendly too, with a simple but sleek interface, high resolution photos and order customization options.
WAITR is definitely great for customers, but what about for the businesses? “We were a little skeptical at first because we have our own delivery drivers, but it’s turned out to be a doubly great thing,” said Carol Ann Branson, who co-owns C.A. Sarducci’s Pizzeria with her husband, Jim Branson. “The WAITR team does
a wonderful job and it’s just been an amazing addition.”
Rob Stinson, owner of Salute Italian Restaurant, had experience with similar services in New Orleans and was skeptical when WAITR initially came to the Coast. “After I met with them and got the details of what their vision is, I got excited,” Stinson said. “They have taken a quality approach to food delivery, and we’ve seen a dramatic increase in to-go orders. We’ve actually doubled the amount of to-go boxes we normally order!”
With reasonable charges and amazing food on demand, Stinson says he believes this service is here to stay. The WAITR app is available for download on Apple and Android devices.
www.waitrapp.com
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