The game’s about to start and you’ve just made yourself reasonably comfortable. The only thing missing is a box of hot chips and a beverage — perhaps alcoholic in nature. Do you stand up again and take your chances with all manner of footy-crazed creature in the seats beside you, send a mate on an errand of greasy sustenance retrieval, or whip out your phone and place an order?
Melbourne’s Etihad Stadium trialled an app-powered ordering service during the Melbourne Victory / Adelaide United soccer match on Friday, according to the Herald Sun. While the results of the trial are yet to surface, the benefits of being able to acquire nutritionally questionable goods from the comfort of one’s seat are easy to recognise… unless every game you attend is viewed from the warmth of a corporate box, in which case, we all hate you.
The app driving the show is Mastercard’s QkR, available on both Google Play and the App Store. The plan is for users to be able to browse a list of consumables available at the stadium and, with a few taps, submit their requests. While the service will come at no additional cost, the Herald Sun mentions that a credit card surcharge is involved.
The AFL season is over for this year, but being an Essendon supporter, I’m sure I’ll get around to watching a home game at Etihad next year and when I do, I’ll be keen to give this service a try. This, of course, is all dependent on how dodgy the reception is — I can’t remember ever having a good run at Etihad (or the MCG for that matter).
Did you attend the match on Friday and trial the service? Let us know in the comments.
Image: IK’s World Trip / Flickr, licensed under Creative Commons 2.0