Takeout 101: The ins and outs of dining app, Tapingo

When you were a prospective freshman, you might have tried the grilled cheese and stir fry at Market Central and thought it was edible enough to spend the vast majority of your meals there.

Market is allright, but you’re going to crave some variety. You’ll find yourself eating out more than you expected.

For students dining out in an attempt to avoid Market, Pitt recommends the use of the app Tapingo, a service which offers pre-ordering for quick, reliable pick-up meals on campus. Instead of just running with that recommendation, though, recognize that each participating restaurant that uses Tapingo responds to orders differently. At some restaurants, the service is so supreme that you’ll never want to order in person again — but other restaurants just aren’t up to par when they receive Tapingo orders.

Here are some secrets that will help you best utilize the app.

Pick-up: When ordering food for pick-up, it’s sometimes easier to just wait in line and avoid ordering ahead altogether.

1. Cathedral Café: When eating at the Cathedral Café on the ground floor of the Cathedral, ordering ahead is imperative because it’s always crowded. Tapingo is helpful for ordering pick-up, but unless you order at least a half an hour in advance, you still will not be receiving the food you already ordered as soon as you get there.

2. SubConnection: The line for SubConnection on the bottom floor of the William Pitt Union is rarely long and it will usually take longer to get your food if you order ahead than if you just wait in line.

3. Strutters: There is not often a long line for Strutters, which is also located on the ground floor of the Union, but if you are ordering a specific sandwich instead of something simple like chicken tenders, it is best to order a few minutes in advance.

4. Taco Bell: The Taco Bell on the bottom floor of the William Pitt Union is not often crowded. However, there is often a bit of a wait for food because they have to prepare it after you order, so it is best to order on Tapingo about five minutes in advance.

5. Einstein Bros Bagels: Einstein Bros is often crowded because it is located in Posvar Hall and picks up the traffic of those heading to and from class. You’ll be thankful you ordered about five to ten minutes in advance.

Daytime Delivery: Be wary of establishments on Forbes that are built around a more direct transaction with customers, allowing patrons to pick specific toppings or build their own meal. Don’t use Tapingo for these restaurants, because not only are you ordering at one of the busiest times of the day, but your order has the potential to be very personalized. In these scenarios, it’s better to visit the restaurant in person due to the nature of your order.

You should make a point to actually walk into places like Qdoba, Five Guys and Sushi Fuku because you can make sure you get exactly what you want — whether it’s some guacamole on the side of your burrito, onions on your cheeseburger or Yum Yum sauce on your sushi rolls. When an order is customizable, it’s more difficult for businesses to communicate with customers through an app. It’s through no fault of the restaurant — it’s just difficult to create a personalized meal without some personalized contact.

Late Night Delivery: When ordering food late at night, there are not many options. It essentially boils down to just pizzerias.

6. Domino’s: Domino’s is a classic — you can count on fresh, hot pizza that looks just like the ad. You always know what to expect and they are pretty consistent with getting food to you within an hour. However, Tapingo adds a $3 delivery charge, not including the tip, and delivery people often get lost around the dorms and you have to wander around searching for them. In this case, it’s better just to make a traditional call than to use Tapingo because it’s simpler to communicate with the drivers.

7. Pizza Pronto is, on paper, the best choice for late night delivery. They have an extremely reliable mere 45-minute wait time, a delivery fee of only $1, and the food is consistent. While their pasta leaves a lot to be desired, their sandwiches are always up to par and their cheesy fries never disappoint.

Whether you get a late-night craving for pizza or an insatiable thirst for some lemonade from Einstein’s, Tapingo can be useful. Just be wary of restaurants that can screw up your order — Tapingo isn’t a foolproof middleman.

Vivek Wagle, head of marketing at Tapingo, said that while errors do occur, the Tapingo team makes smooth operations a priority.

“Since our product employs machine-learning technology…anticipated wait times improve significantly with increased app usage,” Wagle said. “The more often people use Tapingo, for pickup or delivery, the more accurate the estimates become.”

So don’t quit using Tapingo. Just double-check your bag when you pick up your order.

Keep calm and Tapingo on.

Adrianne Glenn primarily writes about social and cultural issues for The Pitt News.

Write to Adrianne at adg79@pitt.edu.