Crunchbutton to provide restaurant delivery service to U. students

Crunchbutton, a start-up that offers delivery service from restaurants that typically do not deliver, will launch its operations on campus on Feb. 26.

Dalia Katan ’15, the company’s marketing representative for the University, said she contacted the company to start a branch on campus because she was not satisfied with limited dining options on campus.

“I felt like we shouldn’t have to wait for study breaks for Chipotle,” Katan said.

The service will be provided from 6 p.m. to midnight, according to Katan. When a student places an order through the Crunchbutton app, the drivers hired by Crunchbutton will pick it up and then deliver it to the given location. Students will have to pay a small flat-rate delivery fee, but the exact amount has not yet been decided, according to Katan.

The list of restaurants is still being modified but will include Chipotle, Chick-fil-A, Wendy’s, Panera Bread and a few of the Asian cuisine restaurants in the area, Katan said. She added that the list might increase in the future based on student feedback.

Piyapat Sinsub ’17, who said she will be going independent next semester, said Crunchbutton will help her save time cooking and said that since she does not have a car, she would probably find it useful.

“[The app would be useful] especially if I need to organize a group meeting or want to eat with a group of friends,” Sinsub said.

Brandon Zhou ’17 said he was interested in seeing the diversity of food options available on campus increase.

Katan said she first reached out to Crunchbutton headquarters last December and discussed the launch throughout January. She explained that she felt the service would be very helpful in allowing more dining options for students, especially those without cars.

“It’s like Uber, but for food,” Katan said. “Anyone could use it. Whether you are independent, in an eating club or a co-op, having that variety of quality and quantity of food would definitely be an important thing to have.”

One advantage of the app is that it is user-friendly, Katan said. The app is able to remember the customer’s location, payment information and last order, she added.

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Students have reacted positively about the service so far, she said. She sent out a survey on Feb. 8 asking students whether they would be interested in using the service, and, if so, which restaurants they would want to order from. As of Feb. 12, around 750 students responded to the survey, and over 99 percent of those who replied said they would use the service, Katan said.

Crunchbutton was founded in 2012 by David Klumpp, Devin Smith and Judd Rosenblatt, then seniors at Yale, who decided to make a website to offer delivery service for a sandwich that was popular among students.

“Our goal is very simple,” Rosenblatt, the company’s CEO, said. “We want to allow people to order their favorite food, pay for it and have it delivered straight to their dorm from their favorite restaurants. So we provide delivery service for them.”

The company now has branches at over 20 colleges nationwide, including Brown, Emory University and the University of Southern California. The company is currently growing at a rate of 16 percent per week, Rosenblatt said, and is aiming to launch its service at over 40 college campuses by the end of this semester.

“We’re not yet perfect, but we are working to improve everything that we possibly can,” Rosenblattsaid, adding thatCrunchbutton wants to hear feedback from students.