Introduction to Business creates food courier service

The Introduction to Business class intends to use the idea of supply and demand, the fundamental basis for business, by fulfilling the demands of the students at Saratoga High have for off-campus foods by creating a “food courier service.”

In order to help fund the various trips and guest speakers for the class, which is in its first year, senior Blake Paisley decided to help the class institute the service that provides off campus foods for all students and faculty, charging a service fee of $2 per order.

“I came up with [the idea] because I have a freshman brother, and his friends always ask me to get them food from off-campus, but I always tell them, ‘No.’ I just thought that there was a need here and that we could help fulfill it with something,” said Paisley.

For approximately a month, the completely student-run business will offer their services every Tuesday and Thursday. They offer from select restaurants, such as In-N-Out, Taco Bell and Chipotle. On Mondays and Wednesdays the participating students from the Introduction to Business class will have sign-up sheets out on the quad where students can make their orders.

“On our first day, we only got six orders, but I think that’s only because the announcements were not on due to AP testing, so we didn’t get to do much in terms of advertising,” said sophomore Steven Lee, who is also in the class. “We had a bake sale earlier, and I think it was fairly successful, so we decided to try again.”

Despite the fact that some restaurants are located almost 20 minutes away, Paisley is confident that students will get their orders on time.
“We’re going to call [the restaurants] beforehand so [the order] will be ready for us to pick up and pay for when we get there,” said Paisley. “We’ll hand them out during lunch, so [students] will have about ten minutes [to eat].

However, every new idea does have its faults. The first week they began, customers complained about the lateness of the food arrival as well as
mistakes made ordering foods.

“I ordered a burrito with guacamole and steak, but instead I got a burrito with chicken and no guacamole,” said sophomore Christy Pack. “I was kind of disappointed.”

The mistakes made as well as the low number of orders have not dampened the spirits of the Introduction to Business students, and they intend to try to raise as much money for their class as possible.

“I’m not worried about the lack of orders we have been getting,” said Lee. “It was only the first day, and we’re hoping for the best.”