A new iPhone application could make food delivery as easy as snapping your fingers. Snapfinger is an App created by Jim Garrett, father of recent Auburn alumna Callie Garrett.
“Most casual dining restaurants do not offer online ordering,” Garrett said. “It is not a delivery App: delivery is up to each restaurant. It is an ordering and payment App for restaurants.”
Snapfinger was available on the iPhone starting September 2009 and is free. The App features mostly fast and casual food chains. Outback Steakhouse in Opelika is currently the only restaurant within 20 miles available on the Snapfinger App.
When asked whether he thought being on Snapfinger would have a significant impact on his business, Michael Noll, manager at Outback, said he imagines it will.
“Everything’s moved to technology these days,” Noll said.
Noll described the App as an online ordering system that connects customers with Outback Steakhouse’s computer system and automatically enters the orders in.
Snapfinger can also be used without ownership of an iPhone. Just go to their website at snapfinger.com and type in your zip code to find the participating restaurant locations near you.
According to its website, snapfinger.com is the largest online ordering site, with more than 28,000 locations in 1,600 cities.
Unfortunately for those living on the east coast, Garrett said Snapfinger is used mostly on the west coast.
In addition to Outback Steakhouse, some popular restaurants participating in Snapfinger’s services throughout the country are McAlister’s, Moe’s, Firehouse, Subway, Applebee’s, Boston Market, Pita Pit, Carrabba’s, Tony Roma’s, Baja Fresh, California Pizza Kitchen and McDonald’s.
Snapfinger also includes catering companies such as Gramercy Park Catering and Custom Corporate Catering.
Those restaurants and catering services are just a few establishments exclusive to Snapfinger’s online ordering system.
Snapfinger is not the only one of its kind. Grubhub is an online ordering competitor of the application, which also has its own iPhone App., although it is not nearly the size of Snapfinger.
Grubhub’s website says it serves about 10 cities, while Snapfinger’s boasts more than 1,600, with more than $2 million sold in online ordering this year.
Kim Mays, senior at Auburn and an avid iPhone user, said she has never heard of Snapfinger. One advertising method she said would reach her is if they had fliers around campus, in such places as Haley and Lowder.
“Me personally, though, I don’t know if I would use it anyways,” Mays said. “I can already easily go online and order it or call my order in.”
She said if she was to use Snapfinger, she would be looking for places such as Pizza Hut, Domino’s, Jimmy John’s and Moe’s.
Garrett said Snapfinger has plans of adding Mama Goldberg’s, Moe’s, Subway and several other venues in Auburn.