In the midst of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the University has begun a fully-online system for ordering food from the Student Center dining hall.
Transact Mobile Ordering is an application for iOS and Android which will offer students the capability to order their dining hall food remotely and pick it up when ready, similarly to features of popular food courier apps like DoorDash and Grubhub. However, Gourmet Dining Marketing and Office Manager Jennifer Pomarico notes that, instead of using a student’s debit or credit card information, “the mobile ordering app will…be integrated with our meal swipe system, so students will be able to use meal swipes and declining dollars.”
Through Transact Mobile Ordering, students will have access to relatively quick and large selection of food with limited contact. Because of the high rate of transmission of the coronavirus, it is possible that an in-person dining hall experience would put students at a greater risk of contracting the virus.
By minimizing the points of contact created through in-person food service, Pomarico and the Gourmet Dining team are attempting to lessen the risk of COVID-19 infection among faculty, students, and staff whose main source of meals is the dining hall. Pomarico said, “Our Gourmet Dining team felt that mobile ordering would be a great addition to help keep the campus community safe.”
PHOTO COURTESY of Monmouth University