By Elaine Cashy
Managing Editor
Nothing beats biting into a cheesy pizza bagel, sipping on an Oreo milkshake and winding down a weekend night out with friends in the Bandersnatch.
However, Denison Enterprises has found a way to match that thrill of hearing your designated Cards Against Humanity phrase called, a glorious alert to pick up whatever snack awaits at the Bandersnatch counter: The Bandersnatch App.
All students have to do to order their favorite Bandersnatch treat is create an account at www.denisonbandersnatch.com and place their order. When the food is made, students will receive a text to pick up their food.
Nick Costa ’16, a computer science major, mathematics and German minor from Salem, Ohio, and Claire Van Fossen ’16, a mathematics major, computer science minor from Upper Arlington, Ohio both worked to create the Bandersnatch App, a process that began in the beginning of the 2014 fall semester, after Sara Vincent ’16, the founder of Denison Enterprises, contacted the pair to help create the Bandersnatch App.
When discussing the complicated process that he and Van Fossen went through in creating the app, Costa admits, “As with many other projects, our first fifty-ish ideas didn’t quite pan out and ended up in the trash.
We were eventually put in touch with Aaron Fuleki, who is an employee of Information Technology Services. He’s super awesome and an absolute wealth of knowledge. He was able to help mentor us, and guide us in the right direction.”
Although students will benefit from the ease of ordering with the app, Costa says, “the main goal of the app is to digitize the ordering process of the Bandersnatch, create a record keeping system, and ultimately allow the management of the Snatch to make statistically informed business decisions.”
Van Fossen and Costa are working to help the Bandersnatch improve their fiscal responsibility through the app.
“Previously, the Bandersnatch had no records of any of its transactions. Essentially they were losing thousands of dollars and didn’t even know it. Claire and I have been simultaneously working on creating a database to store all the transactions of the Bandersnatch. Every transaction that occurs at the Bandersnatch now goes through our app,” Costa said.
Alex Curran-Cararelli ‘18 thinks the app is a good idea, but has heard of some issues still to be worked out with the app: “I think it could be really useful if used effectively on both ends of purchaser and provider.”
Denison Enterprises has plans, working with Van Fossen and Costa, to release the Apple and Android apps at the beginning of next semester. The apps are ready; the organization is just waiting on Google Play and App Stores.
Photo Courtesy of Denison Enterprises