Dunkin' Donuts iPhone app makes coffee more social
So, when I saw that the company launched a new "Dunkin' Run" iPhone application today, I bought the shiny new Apple product. But then I was dismayed to learn that Dunkin' is not in the San Francisco Bay Area (or really west of the Mississippi.)
Dunkin Run is basically a social game, with a payoff of coffee and baked goods. Users can start a "Dunkin' Run" from their computer, mobile device, or iPhone, and let everyone know they are hitting the road. This type of application that comes with a tangible payoff would drive membership in a variety of social networks, and would certainly keep me logged into my otherwise useless Facebook profile.
Dunkin' Run brings customers a completely new and unique social online group ordering experience and tools. To begin, "Runners" can initiate a group order on www.DunkinRun.com through their computer or mobile device, or via an iPhone application available for free download at the iTunes online store. Immediately, interactive alerts are sent to the Runner's list of friends or co-workers, telling them when a trip to Dunkin' Donuts is planned along with a personal message inviting them to place an order online. Invitees can view the Dunkin' Donuts menu to place their order, and registered users can select from their own personal list of favorites and/or previous orders. All Dunkin' Donuts core foods and beverages are presented using interactive product images to make personalizing an order both simple and fun.
All of the orders are integrated onto a single page/screen which the Runner either prints or uses their iPhone or mobile device to bring to any Dunkin' Donuts store. Dunkin' Donuts crew members will use this checklist to fulfill orders quickly and ensure order accuracy. The Runner can also use this page as a checklist to ensure that everyone in the group gets what he or she ordered.
My coffee addiction aside, this is actually a great idea and I'm surprised more takeout places and coffee shops haven't gone down this path yet. The obvious next step is a receipt generator to see who's not paying their share so you can humiliate them across your social network.
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Dave Rosenberg dishes up "Software, Interrupted" with nearly 15 years of technology and marketing experience that spans from Bell Labs to multiple start-up IPOs to open-source enterprise software companies. He is co-founder of MuleSource and currently serves as the general manager of Hardy Way. He is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure. You can contact Dave via e-mail at softwareinterrupted@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @daveofdoom. 
Eyal Rosen
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