Diamondback Online - The University of Maryland's Independent Daily Student Newspaper

Issue date: 4/10/08 Section: News

Admit it. On more than one occasion, you couldn't be bothered to get out of your pajamas to go grab Chipotle.

You wanted it. You wanted it bad. You agonized over it. If only they delivered!

No more.

Eats on Wheels, a new food order service that promises to deliver the fast-food options that ordinarily require a trip out, has been launched.

"There is that gap that was there before and it has been filled," Eats on Wheels founder and university alumnus Ayodeji Rotimi said. "You can actually have food delivered until 2 a.m. If you want something late at night, you can get it."

The new delivery service, which began a month ago, is a spin-off of Goody Goody, an online grocery delivery service Rotimi created last semester. Whether it will catch on with students is an open question. The delivery charge ups the cost of that burrito by a $3 or $4 flat fee.

Still, the service will deliver from 12 different restaurants including McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Chipotle, Subway, Dunkin' Donuts and IHOP. And that could have a real impact on the dynamics of the downtown economy.

Take California Tortilla, the only Mexican restaurant in the city that delivers. California Tortilla's delivery manager, Pat Rigiel, has questions about the Eats on Wheels business model, but does wonder if Rotimi's operation could cut into his delivery profits.

"We just started delivery last semester and it's brought a good bit more income to us," Rigiel said. "There's definitely a question of, 'Chipotle is our competitor; if that service is available, there may be some people that want Chipotle instead.'"

Rigiel questions the speed of the operation, though.

"The time it takes to place an order, go to the restaurant to prepare the food, then the driver stops in. I don't know how they do that in a very timely service," he said. "For us, we get the order, put it on the line, do it and our driver shoots right out."

As a small, private company, Eats on Wheels doesn't file its sales or revenue publicly. But some anecdotal evidence suggests the service has at least a few happy customers.

Sophomore computer science major Jherica Belle has ordered from Eats on Wheels more times than she can count, and says she loves the convenience.

"It takes a lot of time to catch a bus and go down to Route 1 to eat," Belle said. "Most restaurants I like don't deliver, so it's a good way to get the food I want."

Continued...

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