Yalies' takeout food app for college students takes off
Contributed Photo | Harold Shapiro
Jamie Marshall, Kevin Tan, and Jonathan Cameron are founders of Snackpass, a takeout food mobile app that's taking off among college students on Yale's campus and beyond.
What started as an attempt to impress a girl has evolved into an increasingly popular mobile app that’s benefitting New Haven college students and restaurants alike.
Snackpass, a free app that lets users order and prepay for food, is the brainchild of Kevin Tan, who graduated from Yale University in May; Jamie Marshall, a rising senior at Yale; and Jonathan Cameron, a recent Ohio State University graduate.
Since its launch in 2017, more than 4,000 Yale undergraduates – more than 80 percent of the campus population – have downloaded and are using the Snackpass app, according to Tan. In February, the app expanded to its second campus, Brown University, in Rhode Island.
“We make ordering food more convenient, affordable and social,” said Tan. “Those three things are really universal and caught fire with students.”
Here’s how it works: Students use the Snackpass app on their smartphone to order and prepay for food from a local restaurant. The restaurant then accepts the order and assigns each order a pickup time. When a student arrives at the assigned pickup time, the order is waiting for them at a designated Snackpass station.
While other apps provide similar features, Snackpass is unique in a couple of ways. It not only allows users to earn loyalty points and rewards based on their purchases but also lets them share those rewards with friends, adding a social and potentially viral component to the experience.
“What makes Snackpass really unique is the social aspect,” said Tan.
He came up with the idea for the app last year when he was studying for final exams “and trying to find a way to procrastinate,” he said. At the same time, he was looking for a way to impress a girl who frequented Tropical Smoothie Café in New Haven; he was trying to think of ways he could gift items from the café to her, and Snackpass was born.
As the app gains popularity, company leaders are securing financing and looking to expand. Last month, the company won the Miller Prize, a $25,000 award from the Tsai Center for Innovative Thinking at Yale. The award recognizes student startups that focus on technology or tech-enabled services.
Tan said the founders plan to start looking for office space in Boston this summer to establish a headquarters, with hopes of targeting that city's numerous colleges and universities for expansion.
At Yale and Brown, the company is focusing on serving the college communities: mostly undergrads, but also graduate students, staff and faculty. Company leaders plan to expand to more universities and, eventually, grow more broadly.
“Campuses are our go-to market strategy,” Tan said. “But long term, we want to bring it everywhere.”
The app doesn’t just make life easier for users, he noted; it benefits the restaurants as well.
Eateries that partner with Snackpass get custom marketing campaigns and are included in campus-wide email marketing, referral programs and social media posts.
Since its inception, the app has brought an average of 1,000 new customers to restaurant partners and generated more than $200,000 in sales, Tan said.
“They’re really finding value out of us,” he said of the restaurants. Tropical Smoothie Cafe, Popeye’s and The Juice Box are just a few that have signed on so far.
For restaurant owners, getting established on Snackpass costs a $300 setup fee, which includes a tablet on which restaurants will receive food orders; menu entry; professional photography; marketing and a customer loyalty program.
Snackpass charges restaurant owners a 7 percent commission on any sales generated through the app and pays restaurants biweekly via direct deposits.
Once people try the app, they typically are eager to tell their friends, said Tan, who said the company has done little marketing and enjoyed great word-of-mouth exposure.
“This app makes ordering food a breeze,” a user posting under the username LaynieLou wrote in January when reviewing Snackpass in the Apple App Store. “I use it every weekend after work, order the food as soon as I’m done and pick it up on the way home. It’s improved my life in a way that I’m not sure my college education can live up to – I love food.”
Another reviewer, posting as Mtbrownbear, wrote: “I no longer wait in lines. When I’m trying to get some quick takeout, I hit up Snackpass because I know it will not only have discounts but also fast pickup. I sent reward points to my friends too. Highly recommend.”
And as for the girl Tan was trying to win over when he first thought of the concept?
“I think it impressed her,” he said.
Cara Rosner can be reached at news@newhavenbiz.com
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