Too much homework, snowy sidewalks and laziness may deter students from trekking to a Thayer Street restaurant and leave them longing for a delivery option instead. Starting this coming Wednesday, the founders of Brownsnacks.com hope students will turn to them for a solution.
Ben Kussin '08 said he came up with the idea for a restaurant and snack delivery service over winter break. A sophomore transfer from George Washington University, Kussin said he had yet to find a job at Brown and thought starting his own business might be a good way to keep busy.
"There are so many awesome restaurants (on College Hill), and I never understood why they didn't deliver food," Kussin said. "And my parents were kind of harassing me to do something other than school," he added.
He contacted his cousin, Chris Stout, a sophomore at Curry College in Milton, Mass., and the two began planning their business. They surveyed the Thayer Street fare, and as Kussin began negotiating contracts with restaurants, Stout, who has a web development company, designed the Web site.
As of next week, Brown students will be able to order food from Paragon, Subway, the Nice Slice or Shanghai restaurants. Prospective customers can log onto the company's Web site, create an account by providing their name, dorm, phone number and e-mail address, order from the menu of their preferred restaurant and "check out" using PayPal or pay with cash on delivery, Kussin said.
Based on deliveries Kussin made this week to test the system, he said he expects the delivery time - which includes the time between placing the online order to meeting Kussin at your door - will be 25 minutes. Most deliveries will likely be to on-campus residence halls, Kussin said, though he intends to expand to off-campus housing.
But "if it's too far way, I'm sorry, we're riding bikes," he said.
Kussin said his test runs suggest the business will be making seven or eight deliveries an hour, but he said prospective profits are not the driving force behind the venture.
"Whether I make money or not is not the be-all and end-all," Kussin said. "If I broke even I'd be happy."
Although the site also offers sodas and snacks, Kussin said these are sold by item to go along with a meal, rather than in bulk. For that reason, he said, Brownsnacks.com and the other student-run food delivery service on College Hill, Dormsnacks.com, which delivers snacks in bulk once a week, are unlikely to damage each other's business.
"I don't see any kind of competition at all," Kussin said.
Chuck Smith, owner of the Subway franchise on Waterman Street, said he is happy to be a part of Brownsnacks.com. Smith heard of Kussin's new venture from an acquaintance at Paragon, took a look at the Web site and struck up negotiations for a contract.
Kussin said contracts with the restaurants ensured that his business would not have to charge fees on top of the restaurants' prices. The final cost of a meal courtesy of Brownsnacks.com includes a 17 percent delivery charge in addition to the food cost and Rhode Island's meal and beverage tax. He added that "tips are appreciated, but not expected."
"Doing delivery through a third party is definitely worthwhile for us and it's easier for people who are studying," Smith said. "It might start out a little slowly until word gets around," he said, but he thinks the idea makes sense on College Hill.
Smith said he is unsure what impact the service will have on Subway's sales, but "if it's good for business, we're certainly interested in continuing."
Al Read, who owns Nice Slice pizza on Thayer Street, said he got involved with Brownsnacks.com not to increase business, but "more because I was interested in working with Ben to see what he could do."
If business for Brownsnacks.com booms from the outset, Kussin may be spending more time on his bike than studying or sleeping. The site offers delivery from 3 to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 3 p.m. until 12 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and, for now, Kussin is the only delivery person.
"If I have 20 orders the first night, I'd be extremely happy, and I'd also be screwed," he said.
He has, however, posted an advertisement with the University's Student Employment Office and hopes to hire other students to help out in the near future.
"Hopefully I won't be delivering every night of the week," Kussin said.
