Grubhub has bought out for Tapingo and is now the go-to campus food ordering app for students.
The 2019-20 academic year will mark the first full year of operation for Grubhub at over 150 college campuses. Tapingo was highly regarded by students for its convenience and user-friendly nature.
In September 2018 Grubhub purchased Tapingo for $150 million, but it has taken until this semester for the company change to fully reach Long Beach State.
Vinny Savastano, the graphics and communications supervisor for the 49er Shops said the acquisition was as simple as eliminating the competition.
“Grubhub probably viewed Tapingo as their biggest competition,” Savastano said. “They just decided to purchase Tapingo to make it easier on themselves.”
However, according to the supervisor of the Nugget Grill & Pub, Nick Salazar, there hasn’t been a big difference in order totals.
“We have been equally busy,” Salazar said. “There hasn’t been too much of a difference in terms of popularity on the app.”
The numbers back up Salazar’s statement too.
In the first week of the fall 2019 semester, Grubhub brought in $8,017 at $7.81 per order. In comparison, Tapingo brought in $8,341 per week at $7.48 on average per order in April 2019.
Tapingo users are still able to use the app if they have it downloaded, however the name now displays Grubhub for users everywhere. For new users, downloading Grubhub is the only option.
Darren Trinh, an undeclared second-year, said he doesn’t really see the need to switch apps.
“The app is convenient with no extra charge,” Trinh said. “You can just walk across campus and skip the line, so it was pretty nice.”
Other students shared the same sentiment.
“[Tapingo] is user friendly, especially when there is limited time in-between classes,” said Ashley Koustik, a third-year communications major.
According to Savastano, the Tapingo app will not be in operation much longer. Grubhub will eventually be the only app in operation on campus.