One of the ways the coronavirus has impacted daily life is how people eat. Instead of sitting down at a favorite restaurant, some have taken to ordering food online and picking it up. It supports local establishments while still respecting the need for social distancing and safety.
Faculty, staff and students can apply the same ideas while on campus by ordering food from ISU Dining's GET app. The mobile app, free in Apple and Google Play stores, allows anyone to order from select ISU Dining locations, use contactless payment and skip the line. For those working on campus, there is a desktop version of the app available.
"Between July 30 and Aug. 14, we had almost 2,100 new GET accounts created," assistant director of engagement in ISU Dining Karen Rodekamp said. "We take great care to make sure the user experience is good so they keep coming back."
There are more than 5,000 active users of the app in August.
The app
ISU Dining has been using the app for about four years, expanding its reach across campus as it renovated facilities.
"Initially, there were just one or two locations, so as we renovated we planned ahead so we could use GET," Rodekamp said. "It doesn't make sense to have an app you can only use at a couple of locations."
ISU Dining worked over the summer to expand the app’s reach, which now includes:
- West Side Market, University Drive Community Center
- East Side Market, Maple-Willow-Larch commons
- Memorial Union Market, Memorial Union
- Hawthorn Market, Frederiksen Court Community Center
- Clyde's, University Drive Community Center
- Heaping Plato, The Hub
- The Roasterie, The Hub
- Lance & Ellie's, Memorial Union
- MU Food Court, Memorial Union
- Get & Go, Union Drive Marketplace and Conversations
"The Get and Go locations that we made available this year are really taking off," Rodekamp said. "It gives the students an alternate way to use a dining center swipe in a portable fashion."
An additional feature coming soon will make grocery shopping easier.
"Hawthorn, MU Market and West Side Market also will have items that are considered grocery items," ISU Dining assistant director of information systems Mary Schott said. "We will have a store set up so you can order groceries from those locations."
How GET works
After downloading the GET app, users set up an account.
"It is not linked to your Net-ID and password, so you have to create an account using your university credentials," Schott said. "That is your ISU ID number, your last name, your university email address and a phone number."
That information is validated with ISU Dining's system, and an account is created and verified. Faculty and staff will see their charge plan if they are signed up for one, or a credit card can be added. Students will see their meal plan, Dining Dollars and Cy Cash accounts. Then it is time to determine where and what to eat.
The app allows contactless entry into dining centers and payment by displaying a barcode, which eliminates the need to remember or handle an ISUCard. Users also can check balances and past orders.
Staff charge plan
The staff charge plan, which can be used through GET or by itself, is valid at any ISU Dining location and includes a flat $11 entry at any dining center, less than the $13.65 walk-in rate. Dining centers are all-you-care-to-dine with no taxes or tipping.
To sign up for the plan, which comes with no obligation to use, log in to AccessPlus, select the "Employee" tab, choose "Dining Charge Plan" from the menu on the left and follow the instructions.
