The app uses QR codes to make it easy to order food and drinks in bars and restaurants.
Luka Brkić, a student of Faculty of Economics, Ivan Ilić with the Polytechnic of Zagreb, and Luka Cindrić, Ivan Markusi and Lara Vertlberg from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, entered the final of the App Start Contest with their DrinkApp. They say they have applied for competition because they wanted to get “feedback” for their idea, receive useful advice from mentors, and make new friendships in the world of start-ups. Their DrinkApp uses GPS technology to recognize the restaurant where the user is located and then it offers them the possibility of ordering food and drinks using a QR code, reports Poslovni.hr on October 2, 2016.
Three months after the student competition ended, the team has developed a working prototype which supports the basic functionality of the app and is looking for partners and users to help them launch their app in the Croatian market. “We came to an idea for the app when we hung out in one coffee shop. After a while, we wanted to order another drink but it was very crowded, the waiters were very busy, so he had to wait for quite a long time. We saw that there was a need to use an app such as this in restaurants and other catering establishments”, says Lara Vertlberg, one of the team members.
The app will be free for all users, and caterers who will use the app will pay a certain percentage of orders received through the app. According to Vertlberg, DrinkApp could be interesting for manufacturers and distributors of food and beverages which get a possibility for a new form of marketing and promotion. For example, certain items will be specifically identified in the app, there will be the possibility to advertise new products within the app, and also to establish specific cooperation with certain catering facilities.
“The most important thing is that the app itself recognizes in which restaurant or pub the user is, which shortens the process of ordering. In addition, within the app there is a possibility to give more accurate description and photos, which is very important for certain items such as house specialties or cocktails. Also, the app provides for several payment options”, explains Vertlberg and notes that DrinkApp is an application which should not be launched without a sufficient number of customers, namely restaurants and bars. Their target customers are large chains of cafes and restaurants, large restaurants with terraces, several floors and the like. “We believe that we have a quality product that will solve a real problem and that there really is a need for this kind of app”, concludes Vertlberg.
