CJ Guion | Editor – In – Chief

Have you ever been craving food from Cookout, but didn’t have a ride to get there? A new business by the name of PackRiderz started three weeks ago with the hopes of serving students on and off campus who live relatively close to campus.

Umair Iftikhar, the owner of the business said that the purpose of starting his business was that he wanted to help out students without cars that had no access to public transportation after a certain time of the night.

“Many students who don’t have cars have to rely on friends or roommates to take them places most of the time, and I wanted to give students a convenient way to get food at night when they are studying or just sitting around in the room.” Iftikhar said.

Students have the option of ordering food from McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Bojangles, and Cookout. More options will be added to the service once the website is up and running in a week or two.

PackRiderz is a relatively inexpensive option for students as they only pay for the cost of their food with an additional delivery fee of $2.50. Students have the option of paying by cash or credit card. Iftikhar said that the business was all about convenience for students.

One thing that Iftikhar wanted to stress about the billing options is a reassurance of security. Students pay for the food when it is delivered to their dorm or their desired pickup location on campus. PackRiderz uses an application for the iphone which allows students to scan their credit card. They sign the receipt just as they would at any other store and will receive an email confirmation of their order with the total price included.

Right now, the company’s target audience is NC State students, but in the future he hopes to expand service to other universities in the surrounding area. Most of the marketing for the company has consisted of fliers and the utilization of social media networks.

The delivery service operates 7 days a week from 6PM – 1AM. In the future the company will operate 24/7 in all conditions. Students can order by phone, email, or text. The company will respond with the same method of communication that the order was received.

Iftikhar said that the company has been off to a good start and hopes that the business will grow in the coming weeks. “I look forward to serving the NC State community.”