Treetops Delivery Service feeds students

By Liz Wagner
Collegian Staff
October 17, 2007

It’s a Wednesday night and that philosophy paper still isn’t finished. The dining halls are closed, but you got so wrapped up with Aristotle that you forgot to eat. All day. The leftover Chinese in the fridge is taking on that interesting hint of green that means it’s time for the trash. So what can you do?

Call Treetops and order some take-out.

The Treetops Delivery service has been in action for one year and offers pick-up and delivery to all on–campus housing. The service is available from 6:30–11:30 p.m. on Sunday and 8:30– 11:30 p.m. on Monday through Thursday. The take-out choices include salads, pizzas, French fries, mozzarella sticks, chicken tenders, wings, liter bottles of soda and cheesesteaks as some of its staple foods.

The service was an idea brought up by the Treetops staff. At the time of the take-out and delivery service’s conception, the director of food services, “challenged us to come up with innovative ways to expand food services,” says Treetops manager John Williamson. “We thought this might be an opportune time to explore delivery to students.”

The nights that were chosen for this service were based on nights the Treetops staff thought students would be more prone to call for take-out. Monday night has become a particular success due to students ordering in for Monday night football. The service isn’t offered on Fridays and Saturdays to try to promote Café Metro and the special events that might be happening on campus at those times through the University.

Student workers were hired to deliver the food. For convenience, the student deliverers bring the food right to one’s dorm room, except in North Dorms, where it is delivered to outside the complex. Two students work per shift, and when delivering away from South Campus, they utilize a golf cart for transportation.

Matt Webster, a sophomore undecided business major, is a student worker at the L-Stop.

“It’s an easy job, and interacting with the cooks is a lot of fun,” Webster said.

For safety purposes, students that order the delivery service must pay for their food using the La Salle Gold Card. However, if a student is willing to pick up the food from Treetops he can pay with cash. “We’re worried that someone might observe a cash transaction and know that there’s cash in the cart, and that puts the students’ safety at risk,” said Williamson.

Freshman business major Kevin Ross has used the delivery service four times since the beginning of the semester.

“It’s pretty good,” said Ross. “I keep going back.”

If you’re in for a long night with no end in sight for B&G or Treetops, call 215-438-6184 and order some food.

wagnere1@lasalle.edu