In September, three UT students founded GORT’S Grilled Cheese, a sandwich delivery service available to UT students. Now the student-run business has launched an app this month to make ordering more efficient.

Originally, students wanting sandwiches would fill out a Google Form to place their orders. Co-founder Rithwik Pattikonda said the form worked but thought an app could be more efficient. The idea to create an app was conceived a few weeks ago, he said. 

“We realized creating an app could make ordering much more efficient,” computer science freshman Pattikonda said. “The main goal of GORT’S is to provide affordable and convenient food to college students … The app would increase the convenience factor of our service many times over.”

Pattikonda said the app allows for students to complete the ordering process in less than five seconds after the initial setup, which includes entering a phone number and other details when they download the app.

“When they decide to order, they simply choose the sandwich they want and type in where they want the sandwich delivered,” Pattikonda said.

As of now, the app is only available on the Google Play store, but the GORT’S team is working on an iOS version that will become available in the coming weeks. Students who do not have access to the app can still use GORT’S GroupMe chat to access the Google Form.

Business freshman Ashwin Suresh, another co-founder, said the app brings the GORT’S team one step closer to achieving their ultimate goals.

“The app demonstrates that the food business could be entirely brought into the technology world,” Suresh said. “We plan to expand the business as a whole to West Campus which the app can help with.”

Biomedical engineering freshman Kevin Wang, who has used the app, said it not only makes the ordering process more efficient but also shows how serious GORT’S is.

“The app is extremely user-friendly and efficient,” Wang said. “It shows that GORT’S is serious about its business and wants to make the customer experience the best it can be.”

GORT’s has become more recognized among students since its founding and brand recognition has gone beyond UT as well, Pattikonda said.

“It’s pretty cool to find out that some of my friends from other universities found out about GORT’S,” Pattikonda said. “This wouldn’t be possible without our use of technology.”