Technology powers beachside food delivery

Australian start-up AirService provides a mobile platform for ordering and payment specifically for the hospitality industry. The company has recently partnered with the Gold Coast’s iconic Meter Maids to launch Australia’s first towel-side food ordering and delivery service.

Beachgoers order and pay for their food via the Maid to Order app, which is powered by the AirService platform. Customers then have their order delivered directly to the sand by the infamous bikini-clad Meter Maids.

Initially only available in Surfers Paradise, the aim is to roll out to other beaches in the area over time. AirService said the launch catapults local beaches ahead of other international beachside tourist hotspots because of its use of technology. Unlike food delivery services at some of the most exclusive beaches in Europe, South East Asia and the US, Maid to Order’s integrated platform removes the need to flag down a waiter or worry about cash and credit cards.

The service provides long-time local vendors with a new way to connect with their customers, offering a true premium service and convenience.

“Imagine you’re a family on the beach with children, or a single parent. If you want to order lunch, ice-creams or drinks, you don’t need to drag the kids off the beach, carrying all your gear,” AirService co-founder and CEO Dominic Bressan said.

“You just place your order and the Meter Maids will deliver it straight to you,” he said.

In addition to helping local businesses thrive, the app also provides a different direction and purpose for the Gold Coast Meter Maids, giving them a new way to relate to and serve the local community.

“The ’90s were controversial years for the Surfers Paradise Meter Maids, so too will be 2016. Trying to keep up with changing times and social attitudes, the Meter Maids decided to branch out and do something different — deliver food to the beach,” said Roberta Aitchison, owner and manager of the Meter Maids.

“We are trying to keep up with the times, and as our business is to support our community first and foremost, what better way to do this than help local restaurants keep their heads above water with the Maid to Order app and also take the Meter Maids in a new and exciting direction,” she said.