The ordering application Tapingo was incorporated into Starbucks at California Lutheran University in the 2016 spring semester.

Tapingo has been part of campus since 2012 and it has brought with it a facilitation of food and beverage ordering to Cal Lutheran’s campus.

Students  can now use the app at almost every food vendor on campus, with the exception of Ullman Commons.

It allows students and faculty to order food from their favorite vendor without physically being there. It is accessed through a mobile device with all food locations displayed with their respective menus.

Users are allowed to customize according to their preferences and can expect their order within 10-20 minutes of ordering. The app will send a text when the order has been received and when it is ready for pickup.

At Starbucks, the drink and a receipt with the customer’s name on it will be waiting at the end of the counter.

For Starbucks, Tapingo has seen increases in tickets-per-hour and has turned this often busy Starbucks into a well-oiled machine, according to Clinton Oie, director of auxiliaries.

“We had a soft opening when the spring semester began so we would have time to get rid of any bugs or glitches, so that it would be ready for students coming back from break,” Oie said.

According to Oie, the staff that has worked with Tapingo has stated that they felt a helping hand since the implementation of Tapingo into the system. It is mostly used at Jamba Juice and a quick visit there can reveal an almost constant collection of four or more cups just waiting to be picked up. The same can be said about the other vendors that utilize this application. It is widely used to the point where it has almost rivaled the conventional method of ordering.

“If I need a meal on campus, you’ll almost always see me going to Jamba Juice or Starbucks since I don’t have a meal plan and it’s easy,” senior Tyler Roach said.

The Sodexo and Cal Lutheran staff, along with a majority of the Cal Lutheran campus, welcomed it. Despite the hustle and bustle of Starbucks during rush hour, it has only made making a drink order that much easier, according to Oie.

Oie said he has seen the incorporation of Tapingo into the Cal Lutheran campus over the years and has noticed only an increase in ease.

“I have seen it blossom into something that almost all the students agree makes ordering their drinks extremely easy,” Oie said.

From the student perspective, it cuts down on between-class-time by allowing a marked lack of social interaction by allowing the shy, time-crunched or slightly annoyed to pick up their order with ease.

“I can order something while I’m still in class and have it waiting for me when I get out. I don’t think there’s anything better than food waiting for you,” senior Kelsey Reed said.

Reed has been using it since she was a freshman and has had varied success with it since downloading the app. With her busy schedule, an app like Tapingo gives fast food a new meaning.

“I have classes back-to-back-to-back on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays so I have, at most, 10 minutes in between classes. Usually it’s ready, but sometimes the estimation time is off or someone else takes my food so that kind of throws off my groove,” Reed said.

These issues are due in part to the non-physical nature of ordering through Tapingo. However, the amount of time it frees for the people making and taking orders cannot go without mention.

Tapingo has become a central part of dining on campus and most likely will be around as long as Kingsmen or Regals need food, and more recently, coffee.

Connor McKinney
Staff Writer
Published February 10th, 2016