If you’re like me, the worst part about going to a baseball game — other than watching your team lose — is having to deal with lines at the concession stands. You end up missing at least half an inning wandering throughout the ballpark trying to find the stand you want. And once you do, you inevitably find yourself behind the one person who somehow doesn’t know whether he wants a hot dog or popcorn, and has waited until he gets to the very front of the line before beginning to contemplate this oh-so-important decision.
Anyway, no more of that — at least for this week, if you happen to be in San Francisco and plan to attend one of the many games that the home field Giants will play against the Colorado Rockies, the St. Louis Cardinals, or the Oakland A’s. Starting Monday, May 14 and extending through Sunday, “Uber for odd jobs” startup Exec will have some of its people in the stands of AT&T Park, ready and waiting to pick up and deliver food goods for fans too lazy or too enthralled with the game to do it themselves. All those users have to do is open up the Exec app, tell it what they want and where they’re sitting, and an exec assistant will be dispatched to fetch that food for them.
But before you start placing orders, be sure to read the fine print: deliveries in the ballpark will still carry the usual $25/hour fare as other Exec tasks, and there’s a minimum 45-minute charge. In other words, you’ll be spending a minimum of $18.75 no matter what you order, so you better make it worth it. Order yourself some Orlando’s BBQ, maybe a Crazy Crab sandwich, and make sure to get some Gilroy’s garlic fries. Oh, and stock up on beer.
The AT&T Park campaign is the latest stunt by the Exec team to test out different scenarios and use cases, and to get users more familiar with the app. According to founder Justin Kan, the biggest hurdle isn’t getting downloads and installs of the new app — it’s getting those who have downloaded to use Exec for the first time. So educating users on practical applications of the app, and showing them how easy it is to use, will be tantamount to the future success of the service.
Last month, Exec allowed users to rent time and chat with various startup founders, with the proceeds going to charity. And it began a program in March through which companies can buy credits for their employees to use the service.