DiningIn: Evite with Group Food Orders
In my last workplace, ordering food for the group was always a dreaded task. Regardless of how much you enjoy the company of your colleagues, there's always someone with a nut allergy, someone who wants their dressing on the side and someone who is quite simply, a pain in the butt. Best known for its web-to-door food delivery service, DiningIn just launched a group ordering feature. Rather than having to painstakingly record your staff's food preferences, users create an Evite-like invitation and give others carte blanche to fuss over their orders.
DiningIn's guest service is available in Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Philadelphia and Denver. The company offers users a chance to create an event and set a delivery time at least 90 minutes in advance of an order. Hosts then choose menus from local restaurants and national chains including California Pizza Kitchen and The Cheesecake Factory. One of the unique features of the site includes the ability to set a spending limit on a per guest basis or a "guests pay" option on individual meals. After the parameters of the event have been set, guest receive their invitations with the terms of payment built directly into the invite.
Although the dining selections for this service are currently limited, the convenience and flow of this site is phenomenal. In addition to the group ordering feature, DiningIn offers users online catering, a la carte orders and a meal concierge dial-in service for corporate customers. While companies like GrubHub and Foodler offer similar delivery services, only DiningIn allows users to avoid the order-by-committee scenario. To test the service visit Diningin.com.
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I've never heard of this! Sounds like a helpful service! Anyone know when the service will expand to other cities?
If you are looking for differnt options for arranging office meals, try Vmeals.com. We specialize in group orders. You can either place an order for the group or send out an email with a menu link to each attendee and let them pick what they want. We've been the corporate catering solution for years in Boston, Dallas, Houston, Philadelphia, NJ, Baltimore, DC, Chicago, Richmond, Raleigh, Charlotte, Atlanta, Orlando, Houston, Austin, and more.We'd love for you to check us out.
Sweet! Thanks for the post! I'm forwarding this onto my bf (another young professional) who works for a large accounting firm, and takes turns with his co-workers running out to get lunch. This will be a god-send for him! Hooray for new technology!
I loathe going out with large groups to dine, especially women! (sorry gals, some of you get awfully cheap when it's time to tip!) I turn down invites now but a few years ago was asked to go to a birthday dinner for a friend for a mere $75 each. Add my husband and a gift and I'm spending more for the friend's birthday than my own husbands! Ah, no.
When I've been "forced" to attend a large dining party and have been financially challenged, I go to the waiter away from the table and ask if I can put all my items on a separate check. I do this especially if I'm at a party of people I don't know very well. The wait staff will do this for one or two people but not the entire table. The outcome otherwise is usually the people that drink the expensive scotch leave ahead of time and don't put in enough $.
Another option is to go to a restaurant that serves large groups "family style" and can offer a fixed price. I pay cash for my drinks as I order them, so there are no surprises when the bill comes.
But usually, I avoid large parties like the plague and prefer to celebrate with the person another time in a more intimate setting.