There’s a new way for Ohio State students to save a late-night trip to the grocery store.
Flush Grub, an online snack delivery service, launched last month on OSU’s campus. The company website allows customers to browse, place orders and pay online, then sit back and wait for their snacks to come knocking at their door.
Founders Taif Mukhdomi and Nick Lemoine, had been talking about starting a business since they were both in the Sigma Chi Fraternity at OSU. They had heard of snack delivery services from friends that attended the University of Wisconsin and Stanford University and wondered why OSU didn’t have a similar service.
“I wanted to start out at a place that I was really familiar with,” Mukhdomi said. “We wanted to start at our alma mater.”
Flush Grub offers a wide variety of corner store items – from snacks, candy and ice cream to amenities like condoms and beer pong necessities. Customers can visit the website, add items to their cart, then check out with a Visa or MasterCard. They do not accept cash transactions, however they are looking into accepting BuckIDs.
“It’s been on our to-do list since day one,” Lemoine said.
BuckID merchants are charged a 4 percent commission on sales, according to the BuckID website.
Even though BuckID use is common among first-year students, they have still received good feedback.
Molly Gerken, a first-year in pre-business, has used the service four times in the month that the company has been up and running.
“It’s really quick,” Gerken said, “and they have a really good selection.”
Gerken said she heard about Flush Grub on Facebook and decided to try it out when her order from The PAD took longer than she expected.
“The PAD is always so backed up,” Gerken said.
The owners said Gerken is one of their frequent customers.
Flush Grub does not have a delivery charge but requires a minimum order of $8.99 and guarantees its bike delivery staff will get the order to customers within 20 minutes.
The service will deliver goods in the OSU campus area between Lane and W. 9th avenues, and from Cannon Drive to Summit Street. It is operational between Sunday and Thursday, from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m.
A bag of Pop Secret popcorn is listed as $.99, a box of Pizza Rolls as $2.99, a 32 oz. Gatorade as $1.99 and a single Trojan condom as $.99
Lemoine and Mukhdomi based the pricing of their stock on prices at Kroger, other nearby convenience stores and online delivery websites at other universities.
“Some stuff is costly,” Gerken said, “but mostly what I order is fine.”
Gerken said she mostly orders Ben and Jerry’s ice cream, which is priced at $5.99
Mukhdomi lives in Chicago and studies at Chicago Medical School, and Lemoine lives in Columbus working in commercial real estate.
The two hope to expand their company to larger cities but want to see how it does at OSU first.
“We want our customers to know that we’re flexible,” Mukhdomi said.
The company has a suggestion box on its website where people can give their ideas for products the company could potentially stock.
“We’re willing to do anything that our customers need,” Lemoine said.