Being in the hub of the tech industry, SF State is always looking for ways to improve student life on campus with new technology.
“Overall, SF State is an exciting campus that is set up really well for mobile ordering,” said Ben Anderson, Tapingo Director of Campus Sales. “The University is looking closely at ways to leverage technology to improve campus life and Tapingo was one of the things they were interested in.”
Trying to achieve punctuality and a full stomach is a struggle. More times than not, students waste those precious ten minutes between classes waiting in line for food. This free app caters to universities by connecting to various food vendors on campuses to allow students to order food and drinks on the go, without waiting in line.
“It is important the campus takes a lead on obtaining new technology that will make life easier for the students, all the way from ordering sandwiches to registering for classes,” said business management senior and Operations Manager for various cafes on campus, Lyle Margerum. “We are in the tech capital of the world. Let’s take advantage of it.”
With the ultimate goal of efficiency, this app allows students to have full control of their order, how they want it and when they need it, to sustain their busy schedules. After only a few weeks, Tapingo has assimilated it’s system into many food vendors around SF State campus within nothing but positive results.
“We hope to gain a partnership with SF State,” said Anderson. “We want to makes life as an SFSU student a bit more convenient and exciting while strengthening our brand. We’re working with many schools across the country, but are thrilled to finally bring Tapingo into our backyard.”
Simply and efficient apps such as Tapingo make obtaining and using technology on campus more accessible for students. By implementing these methods into campus life, students will become more aware of the resources and technology provided to them throughout the University.
“There are no restrictions on how Student Center vendors utilize technology to engage its customers. But what we can do is see what other university food operators are doing, see what is working and what’s not and implement best practices in our campus,” said Leonard Corpus, the Retail Commercial Services Manager for the Student Center.
Based out of the Bay Area, Tapingo has created a presence on 35 universities within the past four years and have just recently launched at NYU, LSU, USC and Arizona. Finally, coming back to their home turf, Tapingo has quickly integrated itself into SF State campus life.
“It allows us (vendors) to process more orders in a shorter amount of time,” said Margerum. “The other benefit for us and the student population is that the students get to basically be the cashier and type up their own orders so there’s nothing lost in communication.”
With goals of reaching all of the food vendors at SF State, the Tapingo team hopes to integrate Gator Dollars into the mix, to reach more students that have meal plans on campus.
“Tapingo integrates with campus and merchant systems, following strict security guidelines, providing constant support and working together with the food service team to ensure a smooth ordering process from start to finish,” said Tapingo CEO, Daniel Almog. “We’ve been completely focused on supporting college students and their on-the-go lifestyle.”
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