Saint Joseph's University has deployed mobile ordering from Transact, providing students with the “Hawk Hill 2 Go” app. The initiative provides a mobile ordering service that gives students the ability to order from any of the stations in the university's on campus Campion Food Court.

According to a report from The Hawk Newspaper, students can pay using their Declining Balance, or DB for short. The mobile app, which launched this summer prior to the start of the academic year, is being spearheaded by SJU Dining Services.

Declining balance funds can be used at three different on-campus dining locations, two of which are currently available on the Transact mobile ordering app. Only a newly added sushi concept this year is yet to be added to the mobile ordering app.

“All you have to do is download the app, and you can place an order ahead of time and pick it up in the food court,” said Kathleen Sinnott, Director of Conferences and Auxiliary Operations at SJU, in a statement to The Hawk. “The app takes credit cards, meal exchanges, dining dollars and Hawk Cash.”

Initial planning for the mobile ordering solution began in March with the goal for live deployment in time for the start of this academic year.

“Having the ability to order ahead and have the meal ready is designed to save our students’ valuable time in their busy schedules and also still be able to enjoy their favorite meals,” said Nick Ventrola, resident district manager from Aramark in a statement to The Hawk.

Mobile ordering is also providing an added layer of safety precaution amid the pandemic and social distancing requirements.

“We want to ensure our students know they are our priority,” added Ventrola. “We want them to remain safe, and of course, we want to make sure they can always get their Hawk Wrap!”

To bring the mobile ordering launch to fruition, SJU and Transact included the university's Administrative Services department, Office of Information and Technology (IT), and food-service provider Aramark in the implementation process. As of Sept. 27, the app has been downloaded 369 times.

Other area universities to implement mobile ordering from Transact include the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Scranton. The Transact Mobile Ordering app is free to download and is available from both the App Store and Google Play store.