The Pub Online Ordering System- good, and bad. It has ups and downs. Sometimes it feels like more downs than anything else, of course. As does a lot on campus and in life right now. But also, its ups make things bearable. 

Starting with the downs- and like I said, it feels like a lot- it is best to start with the fact that it is an app, dependent on technology. And technology always has hitches. There’s been plenty of times for myself and my friends that we’ve had orders never go through, or take a while to go through after we ordered. Along with that, sometimes we don’t get our notifications that food is ready, which always is a rough time as well. Of course, both of those are issues that lead to late meals, missing food, and worse. When you’re trying to eat before a class, it can be stressful to miss a meal because the technology didn’t work to get the food on time. Away from technology, sometimes the ways that the orders aren’t sent through to the kitchen until right before the allotted time also is upsetting. This isn’t a glitch, it is just the way the system works, and it also adds to the stress of missing/late food. These all are things I wish would function better, but only some of them are easily fixed.

One other issue I have is that it feels like it is harder to customize orders. If the option isn’t on the ordering screen, it will be something you have to add to notes and hope is noticed and done, or hope it even works. One example- Dr. Feelgood. There’s no soy chicken option when ordering it, and I think that would be a really good addition. 

However, even with all of those issues with the system, there’s some things that I really appreciate about it. It’s a lot cleaner- no paper being passed back and forth across the counter. I don’t have to worry as much about whether the order gets caught and done- besides glitches, the orders aren’t on paper. They will be put in line, not lost as easily. Also, the limits on how many orders can be put in at once are nice- I don’t have to worry about a rush of 30 orders put in right before mine, meaning I won’t get my food for 45 minutes. It might be a little late, but it isn’t a lot.

Something else I know that people appreciate, myself included, is how it limits talking to people to get the food, something that helps with anxiety. I don’t have to stop by the counter to check out once I get my food, since I already paid for my food ahead of time, so you are able to be done immediately.

Overall, even with the issues with the system, I prefer the online ordering to the system that it used to be. The issues are all small enough, and expected enough, that they don’t phase me too much, and the relief of not waiting for a huge crowd and the lessening of social interaction to get food is wonderful. As long as they keep the app as the way to order, I will be happy to keep using it, even after the COVID days have moved behind us, in some capacity or another.