10 seconds: the Foodsy guarantee!

10 seconds: the Foodsy guarantee!

Tired of queueing up for coffee and sandwiches? With the Foodsy app, you can order your food and drink online and collect it from a pick-up point. Foodsy guarantees that you'll never have to wait for more than ten seconds!

The best ideas are often born of frustration. This was certainly the case for Sam Eerdmans, founder of Foodsy, who commuted with the train between Utrecht and Leiden during his studies. 'When I would arrive at the station, there was often a long queue at the bakery. I frequently couldn't get any food as I needed to get my next train. It was really frustrating.'

While still a student, Sam devised the idea of Foodsy, which allows passengers to order and pay for food via an app. Every participating shop has a pick-up point where you can collect your order, with the guarantee that you'll never have to wait longer than ten seconds.

Schiphol Plaza

Foodsy initially ran in individual train stations, but a pilot scheme was launched on Schiphol Plaza in October with nine shops participating. Sam thinks Schiphol is the perfect location. 'It has an international customer base, a range of target segments and illustrious brands. In addition to air, rail and bus passengers, we also serve the people who work there.' The pilot will last for six months. 'To prepare orders for collection in ten seconds will require an extensive trial period. It demands optimum logistics, especially during the morning and evening rush hours.'

Gap in the market

Substantial research into this concept confirmed a gap in the market. Nearly a quarter of passengers would like to buy food or drink at stations or airports, but they often go without as they are in too much of a rush or don't want to stand in long lines. Foodsy takes care of this. 'The research showed that if they could pick up their order straight away, they would buy it.'

Research also showed that people don't like to skip queues: 'skip the line' facilities may sound good, but people often feel bad about using them. 'This was an important factor to take into account. To get around the problem, we introduced a separate pick-up point, so customers don't feel like they're jumping the queue.'

Trends

Sam believes there is great demand for Foodsy among air, train and bus passengers. 'We expect substantial growth in the years to come. Air and rail passenger numbers are on the rise, with ProRail expecting 45% more train passengers by 2030.'

He predicts that eventually, a single app will serve all passengers at Schiphol. 'The app would work both landside and airside and would link to all digital products, such as your boarding pass. After all, there is growing demand for digital travel and ordering facilities and I hope Foodsy can help to satisfy this demand at Schiphol.'

Get your discount for Foodsy!

Employees of all companies at Schiphol are entitled to a discount on all their Foodsy orders. To get it, you must create an account with your work e-mail address (the app will check whether your e-mail extension is included in the list of businesses at Schiphol) and enter the code AMSKORTING for a 20% discount at participating shops.

Berend Koudijs

Community Employee
Schiphol Real Estate
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