Free food.
Two words that are bound to attract poor, starving college students everywhere.
As part of a promotion to kick off a new online food delivery service, the Web site campusfood.com is giving away free food items from four participating local restaurants, but only until Sept. 26.
The Web site functions as an online ordering system where customers can place orders on the Internet, rather than making a phone call.
"No busy signals, no miscommunications, they don't have to wait in line," said campusfood.com spokeswoman Christine Heller.
Heller said the Web site was founded in 1997 by Michael Saunders, a student at the University of Pennsylvania who was having problems placing delivery orders over the phone.
The Web site currently offers students four restaurants to get free food: Venezia's New York Style Pizza, Mr. Goodcents Subs and Pastas, Cheba Hut and the Pita Pit. Certain delivery fees apply depending upon the restaurant.
Campusfood.com offers its services to more than 200 universities including NAU and UA, she said.
Heller said the response at ASU has been fairly good.
"It's been very good, we have a great number of restaurants, especially for a launch," she said. "We're definitely doing well."
Microbiology senior Crystal Palermo said the offer caught her attention.
"Free is always good," Palermo said. "I don't think anybody would disagree."
Palermo said she also liked the idea of the Internet ordering system and said she might continue to use it even after the promotion is over.
"Anything online is a good idea," Palermo said. "I'd live my whole life online if I could."
English junior Kara Morel said she thinks free food is a good promotional idea for targeting college students.
"Way to go for giving college kids free food," she said.
Keith Lininger, a manager at Mr. Goodcents said the promotion had been doing well and the restaurant had received 40 to 50 orders as of Friday afternoon. Ordering online also makes taking orders easier, he said.
"It gives us more time to make orders and send them out quicker," Lininger said.
Cheba Hut manager Richelle Smith said the response at the restaurant has been lower. Only four orders had come in through campusfood.com as of Saturday afternoon and none of them were for the free food offer.
"I'm disappointed that it's not necessarily going as well," Smith said.
She said she hopes that the orders will pick up and encourages customers to check it out.
"Just give it a try," Smith said.
Reach the reporter at rkost@asu.edu.
