Student-Run Food Delivery Service Opens for Business

“We’re building something big,” the managers of InstaBite, an on-campus delivery service, claimed in a Facebook announcement. Beginning Wednesday, Jan. 23, the student-created company delivers from Las Olas Taqueria, Lexie’s, McDonald’s and Dunkin’ Donuts to dorms each Wednesday, Friday and Saturday night.

On its launch day, InstaBite experienced technical difficulties. The company was unable to fulfill their fifty-minute delivery promise, with some orders experiencing hour-long delays due to failures in internal algorithms despite prior successful test runs. “It worked before, but on the actual day of launch, there seemed to be some sort of glitch,” lower Jack Puchalski, InstaBites' founder, said. “We had to organize everything by hand, which was a little bit difficult.”

Subsequent delivery dates have seen improved efficiency, with the longest delays being less than ten minutes.

Due to the glitch, student reactions to launch day were mixed. “I ordered once, and they didn't send a confirmation, so I ordered again. They charged me for both orders, so I'm still waiting to get my money back,” lower Sofina Tillman said. “My food came forty minutes late. By that time, it was cold... I probably won’t use the service again.”

Others were more forgiving of the delays, praising the company's customer service. “We ordered food, and it came around forty minutes late. One burrito we ordered didn’t come," prep Charlie Lavalle said. "Jack was really nice about it. He refunded the missing burrito. The food was good—what you would expect.”

Lower May Chen voiced a similar assessment and was appreciative of the convenience that InstaBite provides. “They were slightly delayed on launch day, but Jack was super nice about it,” she said. “Honestly, I think InstaBite makes ordering food a lot more convenient. Most restaurants at Exeter don’t deliver, and it’s just nice to have that option now."

Students were further impressed by the willingness of InstaBite to accept changes to orders. "The service is incredibly flexible—I had to switch my delivery location and they helped accommodate it," upper Celine Jeun said.

The company's online platform also received positive feedback. "The site was visually appealing and easy to use," lower Nahla Owens said.

InstaBite is the second major delivery business to exist on campus. Prior to the 2018-2019 school year, Swyft fulfilled a similar function; however, as the seniors who ran it graduated, the service decreased in prominence.

Puchalski stated that InstaBite was not inspired by its predecessor. “When we first started this business, we didn't really know much about what Swyft was,” he said. “It was only until a little later that we figured it out … I think [the similarities] exist because ours is a good business model—it’s something people want.”

To manage deliveries, InstaBite utilizes an algorithm, which plots a course for runners. “The program organizes orders and creates routes for our runners,” Puchalski said. “It maximizes our efficiency and gets the food to the customers as fast as possible.”

Currently, InstaBite employs students in Wentworth Hall. Aside from Puchalski, the company consists of seven other students, the majority of whom serve as runners. "The best thing about [working for InstaBite] is that a route is already pre-planned for you according to an algorithm," prep Pedro Coelho said. "You're back in your dorm in around half an hour, and you get paid twelve dollars."

As the service’s founder and driving force, Puchalski has been personally responsible for marketing, coding and hiring. “I wouldn't have been able to do this without the break that we had,” he said. “That's when I got most of this stuff done. It does take a lot of time out of the day—it's a pretty big time investment, but I'm already seeing that time investment [start] decreasing.”

Puchalski worked with the administration to legitimize his business. “We’ve spoken with the Dean of Students, the school’s [Chief Financial Officer], as well as other people working in the Finance Department, and they have approved this,” he said. “We're currently in discussions with the school lawyer to talk about some liability issues. We have to hash those out, but we have gotten approval for this business.”

The undertaking has been an opportunity for Puchalski’s personal growth. “For most part, this is just a learning process,” he said. “It's a learning experience for me. I've always been interested in business, and I feel like there’s no better way to learn about starting a business than to actually start one.”

After InstaBite’s initial popularity, similar companies began to emerge. Lowers Hassane Fiteni, Christopher Suhr and Phillip Oravitan created an Instagram page for their own service, SnapBite, named after the popular social media site Snapchat.

“I created SnapBite because I thought people wanted some food on a snow day, when people were trapped inside,” Fiteni said. “Originally, it was just a one-day thing.” Though he planned to continue with his venture, Fiteni shut down his business, not wanting to undergo the formal process of seeking approval from the Deans.

Suhr is uncertain of SnapBite’s future. “We're still pondering whether or not we should actually go through with this idea,” he said.

Parody accounts soon followed. The Ewald Dormitory Instagram page temporarily became TwitterBite, while Instagram account TikTokBites began to follow students en masse. TikTokBites advertises delivery in fifteen minutes or less, comically rivaling promises of quick delivery from SnapBite.

InstaBite welcomed competition. “I think that people have every right to start a businesses,” said Puchalski. “It's great that we can do that in this country…Regardless, our company will be focused on delivering the best service possible.”