While most DePauw University students must balance homework, a social life, and extracurriculars, junior Andrew Bailey and seniors Kevin Keene and Ian Good have added something else to their workload: managing a business.
Keene, Bailey and Good started Tiger Takeout, an online-based, late-night food delivery service offering food from Buffalo Wild Wings, Taco Bell and McDonald’s.
The idea of Tiger Takeout is an adaptation from delivery-service websites like GrubHub. However, nothing like it exists in Greencastle, so these three students teamed up to fill the void.
“We not only saw an opportunity in this area, but we saw a need,” said Good.
For the most part, the three entrepreneurs were self-reliant, figuring out logistics and finances by themselves. They also met with DePauw’s Vice President for Finance, Brad Kelsheimer, who gave the trio some tips and encouragement.
“[Kelsheimer] ended the conversation by telling us that if we do it right, we are sitting on a goldmine,” Good said.
Tiger Takeout’s website, ordertigertakeout.com, launched the first weekend of school on Aug. 27 and the business has already gained regular customers. Bailey says they can generally expect 10 to 15 orders on a typical night. This was planned in order to ensure a smooth start. In the next few weeks, the three hope Tiger Takeout will gain more attention on campus and orders will increase.
“We provide an option for those students that do not have cars and others who may be tempted to drive when they shouldn't,” said Good.
Keene, Good and Bailey believe Tiger Takeout is beneficial for DePauw students and everyone should take advantage of their business. “We are a convenient way to get food for a very low and reasonable price at the times of the night that just aren't convenient for most people,” said Good.
Junior Amanda Nunley is a frequent customer of Tiger Takeout. “I love Tiger Takeout because I am a huge chicken nuggets fan. Sometimes late at night, I just need my chicken nuggets, and Tiger Takeout always comes in clutch,” she said.
Tiger Takeout’s social media platforms serve as one of the most successful ways people are hearing about the business. Updates about their hours, links to the website, and occasional free giveaways can all be found on the business’s Twitter and Instagram pages. The business can be found on twitter under the handle “@dpuTigerTakeout” and Instagram at “@tigertakeoutdpu.”
“It’s slowly spreading across campus, and that’s really what’s exciting,” said Bailey.
As the business grows, DePauw students can potentially look forward to Tiger Takeout making trips to Plainfield on Sundays. “People will submit their orders, let’s say for Chipotle, by around 11:30 on Sundays and we will go pick up whatever was ordered, and have it back later that afternoon” said Bailey.
Good believes starting the business has shown him what is great about DePauw. “We saw an opportunity,” said Good. “We had all the freedom in the world to run with it and make it a reality.”
