Sunday, October 25, 2009

DiningIn: A New Way To Take The Office Order


At my last office, ordering food for the group was always a task. Regardless of how much you like the company of your colleagues, there was always someone with a peanut allergy, wanted their dressing on the side or someone who was simply a pain in the butt.


Best known for its web-to-door food delivery service, DiningIn just introduced a group ordering feature. Rather than having to meticulously 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 now available in Chicago.

The company offers users an opportunity to create an event and set a delivery time at least 90 minutes in advance of an order. Hosts then choose from menus of local restaurants and national chains.

One of the exceptional 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 are currently limited, the ease and flow of this site is unbelievable. 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 situation. Visit www.Diningin.com.