Listen to this articleBelow is our recent interview with Carson Goodale, CEO at FanFood:
Q: Could you provide our readers with a brief introduction to FanFood?
A: FanFood is a concession ordering app for live events including sports games, concerts, golf games, music festivals etc. Fans can order their favorite concession food right from their seats and receive their orders via either express pick-up or in-seat delivery. Concessionnaires can easily receive, manage and fulfill orders from the tablets that FanFood provides, while sending in-app notifications or announcing promo codes in real time during the event.
FanFood makes the experience better for both fans and concessionnaires. Fans can skip the concession lines and not miss a single moment on the field, while concessionnaires can streamline their operations with higher efficiency. Venue can also utilize the data and insights FanFood provides about their fans to further improve the fan experience, build a loyal fan base, and increase their revenue.
Since using FanFood, our partner venues have seen a higher percentage of returning fans, tripled the order size per person, and increased their concession revenue by up to 20%.
Recommended: Q: Can you give us insights into your features?
A: We have three app interfaces for fans, concessionnaires and runners respectively. All of which are extremely intuitive to use and are designed to require minimal training. We understand that our users come from all walks of life and have very different prior experience with mobile ordering platforms, therefore we’ve made the user flow as easy as possible.
When you open the FanFood app for fans, you can choose your venue (which is recommended based on geographical proximity) and whether you want express pick-up or in-seat delivery. Fans can browse all the menu options on their phones, add their orders to the cart, and choose which pick-up window they prefer (if they choose the express pick-up option). Fans can also see the estimated wait time, which is typically under 10 minutes. After placing the order, they will be notified when their order is prepared and ready for pickup. They can also receive in-app notifications when promo codes are offered at any time during the game.
Concessionnaires will interact with the app on the tablets that FanFood provides. From there they can receive order notifications whenever an order is submitted, and manage the entire workflow from there. When the food is ready, concessionnaires can notify the fans from the tablet and mark the order as fulfilled. They can also announce promo codes and chat with fans within the app. All transactions and order data are neatly tabulated and visualized, which can be analyzed post-event to gain more insights about the behaviors and preferences of the fans.
Runners are present at venues that offer delivery options. Venues that choose to do so can either find runners on their own or use FanFood’s staffing support. On the runner app, runners can see which pick-up stand has orders coming out and make their way over in time to grab the food. They can, of course, see the section and seat number of each order and deliver the food to the fans accordingly.
Q: Why FanFood? What makes you the best choice?
A: We designed our product specifically for fans and concessionnaires at live events. Our insights and understanding of this particular context and these particular user groups leads to our seamless and easy-to-use features that deliver the best fan experience. At FanFood, we’re fans at heart. Our mission is to create the ultimate fan experience that’s all about the action, the excitement and the fun, rather than inconveniences or endless wait. Since we are highly focused on our mission and who we are serving, we take it upon ourselves to serve this group of people better than anyone else.
Not only are we committed to bring fans the best experience possible, we also aim to boost sales and efficiency for concessionnaires. Therefore we are really building a win-win scenario where both the fans and concessionnaire benefit from an efficient and user-friendly tech solution.
Q: Why is now the time for a technology solution like FanFood
A: There are huge opportunities now to revolutionize the live event experience through technology. This is the result of two phenomena: 1. consumers are demanding an easier tech solution and 2. venues are increasingly aware of the need to digitize.
Mobile ordering solutions are already prevalent in the restaurant scene with household names like Postmates, Grubhub etc., but concession mobile ordering is still a blue ocean. However, fans are already expecting the same level of convenience at a live event venue. We understand their demands, and we are helping venues to deliver the convenience and speed their fans expect.
At the same time, many venues are also actively seeking tech solutions to digitize. For example, Mercedes-Benz Stadium made news this year by switching to all cashless transactions from ticketing to food and beverage sales. The good news is that the shift in consumer purchasing behavior has already created the perfect environment for a change like this: over half of all Americans carry cash less than half of the time they are out, according to CNBC. We are seeing all the right signs for a platform like FanFood to emerge, and our partners and user data have corroborated that. According to a survey conducted by FanFood, 74% of the fans wanted a concession ordering app at sports games. There is an obvious need, and FanFood is here to address that.
Recommended: Q: What are your plans for the future?
A: We plan to become the household brand for concession ordering at any live event venue: be it sports stadiums, concert venues, golf courses and even theaters, FanFood is the app to go to for ordering any food and beverages. In the future we can explore other options such as selling merchandise on our platform as well besides food items, or expanding to mobile ordering at cafeterias with our high school and college partners. One thing is certain: once we establish strong partnerships and our brand, the opportunities for us are limitless.
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