Client Corner: Push for Pizza

Ordering pizza has become a laborious task with more choice than ever congesting delivery menus with a multitude of toppings, fillings and bases to choose from. The situation is one a group of New York and Brooklyn-based friends recently took into their own hands with the creation and development of a unique app, Push for Pizza, that simplifies the process to one tap of a button.

Requiring the usual manual demands of a normal order the first time the app is used, the tech stores all the user’s details ready for the next time they get hungry and their pangs will then be served with a push a button via the app.

With over 28,000 downloads so far the invention has been a hit and working in tandem with food service Delivery.com, the popularity is set to continue.

Below, Push for Pizza co-founder, Cyrus Summerlin (pictured above, left), explains how the idea was born, what the next steps were to put it into action and how the creators plan to take the food delivery business by storm.

Tell us what inspired the idea for the business and how it came about?

Push for Pizza was created by five dudes, Max Hellerstein (above, right) and Cyrus Summerlin, both 19 from Brooklyn; Will Haack and Graham Carling, both 20 from Manhattan; and Demitri Nava, 20, from California. We all have a passion for pizza (and quite high standards) and thought the app would be a fun idea, never expecting the amazing response that we’ve had so far. 

What were the initial steps in putting it into action and how long did it take before it became a reality?

We started working on the app in February off and on because of school and work, so it’s been about 5-6 months in the making. We were constantly testing it with friends and family to make it what it is today.

Tell us about your marketing approach and the promo video you came up with…

Adam Lisagor of Sandwich Video is the genius behind our epic promo video; he’s known as ‘the start-up video guy’ and has an amazing portfolio. We emailed him with our app idea thinking a response would be a long shot, but it turned out that he loved it. We have some fun and exciting ideas for marketing in the pipeline to kind of stay with the humorous and light-hearted theme.

Tell us about your first order and how it made you feel?

Our first order was placed about two months ago; we were ecstatic. I recall a bottle of champagne being popped as well.

What’s the most interesting/exciting thing that’s happened since the app launched?

Definitely the amazing response we’ve been getting, we couldn’t have asked for a better launch. More specifically, I think being featured on some of our favourite websites and publications has been one of the most exciting things.

Were you surprised by how well received the app has been?

We knew people loved pizza but we didn’t expect this much buzz – it’s like we’re starting a pizza ordering revolution.

Tell us about implementing the app with restaurants and their delivery services…

We use an API called order.in, and they work closely with delivery.com to provide us nationwide coverage off the bat. However, getting more pizzerias on board is our number one goal right now. I will also mention that you are not charged with a fee to use our app; we get a cut of what ordr.in makes.

And the app currently caters for two types of pizzas… tell us about plans to develop that?

Yes, only plain and pepperoni for now, but we do have plans to add more toppings, it just makes sense. What we have to do is incorporate them in a way that matches with our simplistic style.

If you were forced to choose three toppings on a pizza, what would they be?

Speaking for myself, they would be sausage, peppers and onions. None of that pineapple and sardine jazz on my slice!

What are your hopes for Push for Pizza?

The simple answer is global pizza domination. We hope to have Push for Pizza be the first thing that comes to mind when someone thinks about ordering a pizza. And hey, who’s to say we’ll stop at pizza…