Turn your computer screen into a drive-up window
Written: Mar 27 '07 (Updated Mar 28 '07)
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Ordering pizza has changed. When I was a kid, we had to look the phone number up in the phone book and call the pizza guy to place an order. Now, I can just click my finger to place an order.
Papa John's is a pizza chain which puts out a greasy pizza with a generous amount of toppings. We haven't ordered a pizza from Papa John's for about 4 years. I wanted to to to their website to see what was new on their menu and if they had any specials before I called. I guessed the website correctly on the first try: www.papajohns.com
Ordering and using their site
Login is required to do anything on their website. In addition to a login name and password they need your address and phone number.
The home page lists the specials. If you want a special, just click the picture and the website leads you though filling out the order to reflect the discount. There are drop-down boxes for picking the pizza crust and adding and subtracting toppings. There's also an area to indicate special instructions.
You can see your order before placing it by viewing the shopping cart.
Advertising
What's up with all of the sponsor advertising on the front page? You don't even need to log on to see the advertising on the front page. This is a turn-off for me. It makes Papa John's more fast-food than it already was.
Take Your Time, No Rush
Last week when I ran into a pizza joint that I've never been to before I felt pressured. I wanted to look at the menu since I've never been there before but the guy behind the counter was staring me down waiting for my order before he would make a move. Flustered, I just started naming things which ended up costing me $50 for pizza.
Papa John's website allowed me to add things to my cart and see what the total would be including tax before I placed the order.
Payment in Advance
Something I didn't like is that you have to pay for your pizza online. I felt uncomfortable putting in my credit card number on a website knowing that there would be no way for me to prove it if I never received the pizza that I was billed for. The employees won't even remember you because you were virtual. I paid online anyway, and it worked out fine.
There is also a drop-down option of paying by check or cash which I assume you would pay in person.
Email
Once your order has been placed you'll receive an email from Papa John's confirming your order. I received a confirmation in about 2 minutes.
Accuracy
I will have to assume that everything spelled out in writing has to be more accurate than ordering over the phone with three more phones ringing in the background. However, I've ordered a lot of pizza over the years from a lot of different pizza joints and I can't say that any of them have ever messed up my order.
Customer Service
I think one of the reasons that people eat out is for the service. It's part of the total package. You lose some of that when you take the customer service out of the process. Of course it's just an option, if you prefer the phone you still have that option too.
When you're online you don't have anyone to answer your questions for you. But, this is fast-food pizza. It's pretty simple, there's really not a lot to talk about.
Here's the issue that I had that I wouldn't have had if I called to order. We were trying to time the pizza order so that the pizza would be ready when we were ready to pick it up. I had no idea how long the pizza would take. Sure, approximately 15-20 minutes for the pizza to cook, but that's if they're not busy. Occasionally it does take longer. You do not know how long your pizza will take until you get the return email confirming the order. I took my chances and it worked out fine.
There is an option to name your pickup time if you order more than 2 hours in advance.
Overall
It's nice to have an additional option for ordering pizza. Some may prefer it, some may not. I can't say that it brought any value to my pizza experience. In fact, I think it took longer to order online than it does to order by phone. I really hated putting in all my personal information and credit card number online for a pizza joint that is .8 miles down the road.
Recommended:
Yes
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About the Author
Location: Nashville, TN
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