University of Rhode Island alum Devin Sheehan launched a new online menu and ordering site called Hungry Rhody last month. It's designed to make ordering food from the Kingston Emporium and the Memorial Union faster and easier for students. They can pick up the order whenever they want.
"There are a lot of menu sites out there but I wanted to make something that had a little more school spirit," Sheehan said. "URI lacks the connection between campus and the places off campus and from a financial standpoint, we as a school make this whole town run."
Sheehan graduated with degrees in supply chain management and entrepreneurship and has been wanting to start Hungry Rhody since before he graduated.
Since the sites's launch, restaurants in the emporium have received more than 900 orders through the website, said Sheehan. Besides the online ordering, he has also started delivering Bagelz orders to students or faculty that are made between the hours of 7 a.m. and noon.
Sheehan said, ordering online is much easier because one doesn't have to worry about a language barrier or not being able to hear and understand the other person then messing up the order. He said it makes getting food much more efficient because students and teachers can order from their desks and have the food ready when they arrive instead of having to order at the restaurant and wait. He said the there are also certain deals that are available through the website that customers can't receive if they order in the restaurant or over the phone.
"So far, students love it because they don't feel rushed and they can order and decide from anywhere," Sheehan said." There is no pressure and it is a stress relief."
Sheehan's advertising strategies involves mostly word of mouth and walking around campus telling people about Hungry Rhody.
"If your friends are using Hungry Rhody and think it's cool, then its most likely that you are on it too," Sheehan said. "I've also gotten up at 4:30 a.m. to chalk the campus and then a lot of times I'll just walk around talking to students because you'll remember it better when you have someone in your face bothering you about something."
In the future, Sheehan hopes Hungry Rhody will establish a presence in neighboring towns and communities as they have in the Emporium.
"I am hoping that once they start seeing how successful we are, restaurants all around will be calling me and want to be on the site because people will be talking about it so much," Sheehan said. "It's a win-win situation for everyone because they will get more orders because of my site."
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