New 'Eat on Time' app allows you to pre-order from Westfield Sydney's food precinct, CBD Sydney (21 Aug 2014)

Cnr Market & Castlereagh Street, Sydney NSW 2000

http://www.westfield.com.au/food

No time to queue

“Developed by Westfield Labs and currently piloting at Westfield San Francisco, Westfield Sydney is the first Australian centre to trial the app. The progressive web ordering system allows diners to pre-order and pay for their food purchases, then skip the queue when they pick up orders from 16 retailers in Westfield Sydney’s food precinct.”

Thanks to Westfield for inviting me to trial their free app ‘Eat on Time’ available for Westfield Sydney Food Precinct as a paid sponsored post. If you hate queuing, and who doesn't, then you can now preorder your meal to avoid queuing from 16 retailers located on Level 5 and 6 of Westfield Sydney. I initially tried to order via the website as I prefer to view menus on a large screen. I thought I ordered it correctly but never got an text message confirmation so when I turned up to Jones the Grocer there was unfortunately no sign of my order. Important lesson learnt, if you don’t receive an text message confirmation of your order then it hasn’t gone through. I might have done something incorrectly when trying to order or gremlins were at play that day.

My second attempt was then to use the app on my iPhone while at Jones the Grocer. This allowed me to see the process in action. Once I ordered I received a text message confirming my order and an estimate time for collection — hooray! I noticed the kitchen started preparing my burger and fries so everything looked promising. As the order was being finalised in the kitchen I received another text message saying my order was ready. It arrived at the pick up point about 1 minute before the estimated time. I ordered the Jones Burger and Fries ($22) which arrived well-packaged for takeaway, cooked to order and was a yummy and enjoyable. If you know what you want for lunch then the app will definitely save you time for those eateries which have long queues and dishes that take a bit of time to prepare.

How to Eat on Time:
1. Download Eat on Time from the App Store, or access it online via
https://www.westfield.com.au/food
2. Register with name, email address and securely store credit card details
3. Browse the full menu from 16 food retailers at Westfield Sydney
4. Order and pay securely
5. Receive a text message once food is ready
6. Jump straight to the counter for collection, VIP-style

Eat On Time restaurants include:
1. Mero Mero
2. Sassy’s Red
3. Thairiffic
4. Jones the Grocer
5. Din Tai Fung
6. Snag Stand
7. Sky Phoenix
8. Chat Thai
9. Becasse Bakery
10. Cod & Co
11. Charlie & Co
12. Streets of Saigon
13. Spuds n Crepes
14. Janus
15. Chinta Ria…Mood for Love
16. Dergah Grill

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Saves queuing time, You can choose a pickup time, Well-designed app and website with good quality dish pictures

CONS: You'll still need to find a table once you collect your order 

MUST TRY: Jones Burger and Chips

VERDICT: For those who know what they want for lunch it will be a useful app to preorder to save time queuing, waiting and paying

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Jones the Grocer Pick Up Point

Jones Burger and Chips: Premium 100% Australian wagyu patty, bacon, melted Swiss cheese, truffle mayonnaise, pickles, yellow mustard, caramelised onions, house made bun, rustic chips ($22)

Big rustic chips

My preferred area of eating which has lots of natural light

Website version — found it easy to navigate and view the menu

Mobile app version — nice design and helpful photos of the menu

Choose a pick up time very helpful

Text message confirmation of order

Text message confirmation of pick up ready

Order confirmation emailed

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