Special Report: IM Starving

Are you tired of long lines at your favorite pizza parlor or being put on hold when you want a burrito to go? Now, there's a tech friendly way to avoid this hunger hassle. Place your order right over your cell phone or send an instant message from your desk!

Keith Nowak came up with the idea during his junior year at Boston University.

"I was chatting online with some of my friends late night, and I got hungry and decided to order pizza, but I was put on hold for a good five or six minutes," said Keith Nowak, the founder of IMdining. "I realized there is a better way to do this."

It’s called IMdining. So when UR starving, you can just send your order through AOL's Instant Messenger.

"To order is a simple as chatting with your friends through IM," Nowak said.

Nowak brought his idea to restaurants in the Boston area, and so far, at least 12 have signed on.

Joe Connolly, a Boston University student, says he IMs his order in at least twice a week.

"It's really simple [and] really convenient," Connolly said.

Here's how it works: you add a restaurant's screen name to your buddy list, then send an instant message from your computer or your cell phone. The restaurant immediately responds, a menu pops up and you click on the food you want. Next, choose pick up or delivery, the restaurant confirms, and you're good to go! When it's time for pick up…

"I ordered my food online," Connolly said.

No waiting, no lines, no hassle! Steve Herrera also uses IMdining from his PC.

"If I'm already at my computer, it's just easy to bring up another window and send off my order," Herrera said.

He says he loves this way to order food without the frustration.

"The convenience is really the key," Herrera said. "It took all of about a minute or two."

If you're on the go, no worries, just IM from your cell phone! Type the restaurant's screen name into AOL instant messenger, send a message and you are ready to order!

"I could send them a message from wherever I am to get food," Connolly said.

And it's not only convenient for the customer. At this busy pizza shop, employees say IMdining is a big help when business is buzzing.

"You can chat with three, four, five, six, maybe ten people at the same time," Antoine Aidamuni, of Sicilias Pizzeria in Allston, said. "The phone can't hold that many lines."

The system is automated so there is never a busy signal and no waiting. It also remembers your name and address for future orders. So whether you're on the go or stuck at your computer, the next time UR starving, get instant results with IMdining.

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