Deals4Meals, a South Orange-based website that will allow students to order food online 24/7, is set to make its debut by early October.
The site, www.deals4mealsonline.com, was created by Seton Hall alum Kenneth Cucchia, who graduated in 2010 with degrees in marketing and business management, as well as a certificate in entrepreneurship.
Cucchia said he expects the site to be successful because it brings together social media, a rating and review system and an ordering system.
"We took some great concepts and meshed them together," Cucchia said.
The site currently has eight clients in the South Orange area, including Haru, Above, Village Pizzeria, the University Sub Shop, the Eden Gourmet deli, Blue Ocean, Café Arugula and La Vera Pizza, according to Cucchia.
He said he hopes to add another six or seven restaurants in the area by the time the site officially launches.
Cucchia said being a student at Seton Hall helped him to come up with the idea for the site.
"I was just sitting on my couch one day with my roommates, and we were trying to figure out where to go to order some cheap food," Cucchia said. "I Google'd it and it took me forever to find a list of places to order from in South Orange, and that's pretty much where the idea came from."
Cucchia added that his site allows users to search through the use of one or multiple categories, such as 24/7, sushi, or healthy.
Cucchia said he wants to expand his site quickly. He is hoping to make it nationwide and have the site branch off into separate states.
He said the site offers advantages to all involved. Deals4meals offers advertising for food and beverage services and allows them to receive internet orders.
The site makes ordering food more convenient for people which makes Cucchia feel he has a distinct advantage over competitors.
However, he added that he wanted to remain entrenched in the communities of South Orange and Seton Hall.
His business is currently a member of the South Orange Chamber of Commerce. His 15 employees are all either attending or graduated students from Seton Hall including Gary Iannarone, who is the company's director of finance and Matthew Bryant, who is a current student at the Hall and is working as the company's public relations specialist.
Cucchia also said he credits his professors with helping him to bring his idea to fruition. "I knew I had a good idea, but I didn't know how to go about creating a business," he said, adding that his professors has supported him and guided him even when his first ideas "weren't very good."
Cucchia added he felt the company's relative youth and newness, gives him an advantage over his competitors, because his company can offer restaurants expertise on advertising in the internet and social media era.
"It's like teaching your mom learn to use Facebook…and since that is inherent to [our generation,] this is an invaluable service to restaurants," Cucchia said.
To keep the Seton Hall community involved, Cucchia said he also set up a table on freshman move in day, offering $5 off the first order for students who provided an e-mail address.
Students can friend Deals4MealsOnline on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Deals4MealsOnline, or follow the company on Twitter @Deals4Meals.
Caitlin Carroll can be reached at caitlin.carroll@student.shu.edu
