OrderUp is the latest food-delivery app to hit the San Diego scene. A nationwide app, it launched in the Pacific Beach and San Diego State University communities on Aug. 17. Originally from St. Louis, market owner of OrderUp San Diego Andrew Kootman has lived in San Diego for the past eight years and has high aspirations for his new franchise. “The ultimate goal is to have all of San Diego County rolled out over the next 12 months,” Kootman said. Here’s how it works: download the app to your smart phone, create your account, then search for the foods or restaurants you’re craving. Once you’ve entered your credit card information and selected your desired food items, a driver will pick up your order and deliver it straight to your door. You can track your order on your phone, and even leave a tip. Additionally, Kootman said, “We have group ordering, which allows customers to text or email out a link to their friends and/or colleagues. “Each individual can select what they want and it filters into one cart for checkout. The days of passing around a piece of paper and a takeout menu are gone! We also have advanced ordering for those in a time crunch or just know when they want to eat.”
Current Pacific Beach restaurant offerings include; Backyard Kitchen & Tap, Bare Back Grill, Kato Sushi, Miller’s Field, Coconut Thai Bistro, Lil’ Orbits Mini Donuts, and more. Kootman says the biggest obstacle to getting OrderUp off the ground was, “Getting restaurants to give us a chance.” He explained, “We only work with restaurants that we have a partnership with… by creating these partnerships, our delivery times are significantly faster (30 minutes on average) and there is far less of a chance that the order is messed up since the orders go directly to the restaurant.” He adds, “I have created some amazing relationships with restaurant owners because of this, which makes other restaurants a lot more receptive to the idea.” Over the next three to six months, Kootman will expand operations to the La Jolla, UTC, UCSD, Kensington, Normal Heights, and North Park neighborhoods. “We also plan to expand into downtown in the next 4-8 months,” he said. More than 10,000 people have already signed up for OrderUp San Diego. For a full list of food and drink providers, or to learn more about OrderUp, visit www.orderup.com.
