Delivering Food On-Campus at UChicago

I. Startup Idea:

SnackTaxi- an on-campus food delivery system that takes orders from students for various on-campus cafes and delivers them straight to their exact location on-campus

II. General Overview:

Food delivery is a growing market. Currently, it is a $35 billion industry and can grow to $365 billion by 2030 (source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/andriacheng/2018/06/26/millennials-are-ordering-food-for-delivery-more-but-are-they-killing-the-kitchen-too/#49fddd4393e1).

Our startup will focus on UChicago students where we aim to make on-campus cafes more accessible to them.

III. Who is our market?

· Mainly UChicago undergraduates living in the dorms. Students living off-campus are also of interest. This will be a UChicago-only service for the 100-day challenge.

· Plan on expanding to other Chicago-area campuses in the future.

IV. Who are our competitors?

1. UberEats: Users can have food delivered from a wide variety of restaurants with a tap on their phone

• PROS: Works relatively quickly — generally delivers within 15 minutes from pickup to drop off from local restaurants
• CONS: Delivery fee can get a bit hefty depending on distance from the restaurant and what time of the day the order is placed. It does use surge pricing.

2. GrubHub: Similar to UberEats, it is another company where users can order food to be delivered to their location

• PROS: It does not use surge pricing (delivery fees are the same regardless of time of day ordered). Also, it is relatively convenient to use as it has online and mobile platforms.
• CONS: There can be a minimum order depending on the restaurant, which can force customers to place larger/more expensive orders.

3. On-Campus Food Trucks: Offers another dining option for those who do not want to go to the dining halls

• PROS: Works during class-time and lunch period on weekdays (starting at around 11 am), making them attractive options during those hours.
• CONS: They are immobile, which can be a less attractive option especially during the winter when students do not want to walk to one.

V: What do we offer that our competitors don’t?

1. We will deliver from UChicago-specific cafes.
2. We are highly mobile, delivering directly to dorms, classrooms etc. We will be developing a mobile app where students can place orders from various cafes and indicate where they would like it delivered.
3. We will never charge a delivery fee greater than the cost of the order itself. At most, it will be 50% of the cost of the order.
4. We will be in service for most of the day (i.e. from 7 am to 11 pm).

Team Members: Mak Khafif, Lia Kim, Daniel Kramer, Jonathan Liu, Michelle Zhou