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[App] Ritual

by - May 26, 2016

 [Updated: Wednesday, May 25, 2016]

Ritual is a smartphone app that people can use to pre-order their meals or coffee for pick up. They recently introduced an updated reward program, which I think will please many of their frequent users. Now when you order lunch or dinner at your favorite restaurants on Ritual, you collect points that can be redeemed for $ towards free food and drinks at any partner on their network. 

Ritual members will receive 10 points per every $1 spent on regular purchases on Ritual for coffee and meals. Once, you have collected 10,000 points, you are free to redeem it for $10 towards any Ritual partners. More information on the reward program here.

Everyday Benefits

10 points per $1 on purchases
Frequent offers to earn up to 3000 points on many purchases
You can get up to 20x points on certain purchases
 Access to Ritual exclusives like secret menus, member-only events, and more


Ritual Elites

Make 8 purchases a month to unlock and maintain Ritual Elite status.
 1.5x the points on regular purchases
A dedicated concierge on stand-by to assist with your orders
Special recognition from partners and an enhanced app experience
A surprise on your birthday (1000 points)  



1000 Points

Once you've collected 10,000 points you can start redeeming them towards your favorite food at any restaurant. No fees, no strings attached. 




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 Cashless payments have become more prominent these past few years, as the world is now more digitally advanced. Personally, I have several apps downloaded on my iPhone to make life easier for myself. So, I was interested in using the app when I was first introduced to Ritual, a new mobile food ordering app. The Toronto-based app, Ritual, was launched earlier this year. The one thing that stands out about this app among their competitors is that they're catering more to the urban professionals working in the downtown core of Toronto.

The app aims to eliminate the amount of time needed to wait in lines, and to make the overall takeout process more seamless. Most young professionals (like myself, and others) have only an hour for lunch, and I am sure they do not want to spend most of their lunchtime waiting in lines. This would be where Ritual would come in handy, as ordering lunch can be done in three simple steps (as shown in the cartoon below).


Ritual allows users to conveniently pre-order and pre-pay for their food on the app. The Ritual app for iOS and Android eliminates the need to wait in lines, as customers can easily order the food from their work desk, and then simply go pick up. It's easy to use as you choose your restaurant, order the food, and pay with the app. There is no service fee, but Ritual does have a discretionary tipping option (if you want to tip the restaurant's employees). Presently, Ritual is strategically focusing on downtown Toronto, as they have partnered up with several popular restaurants within the Queen West, King West, Entertainment District, and Liberty Village areas. Some of the participating restaurants are Banh Mi Boys, Khao San Road, Fresh, P & L Burger, Mean Bao, Rose City Kitchen, Milano Coffee, Kinton Ramen, Babur, and many more. For a full list of participating restaurants, click here.

Another great thing about the app is that they sometimes offer special menu items (secret menu) with some of their partnered restaurants. These items are only offered if you order through the app. 



Additionally, the app uses location services, so it will give you a list of the closest restaurants within the vicinity of your current location. I was given the opportunity to try out the Ritual app for lunch, and one of the closest restaurants to me at the time was Banh Mi Boys. All payments are made within the Ritual app, as your credit card information are safely encrypted, so there are no need to bring out your wallet or cash.  Overall, I found the Ritual app to be user-friendly, and has well designed functions.

Ordering was super easy! I browsed through Banh Mi Boy's menu, and selected my food items. I was then taken to a screen where I customize my orders (spice level), and also had the option to add sides. I completed the transaction, and was quickly taken to the "Review" page where I was able to see the total owed, and had the option to tip as well. Once that was completed, I clicked on the "Place Order" button below, and waited for the real-time notifications to let me know when I should leave the office. The whole ordering process was quick, and my food order was ready for pick-up as soon as I arrived at the restaurant.

Banh Mi Boys



         



Milano Espresso Bar





The One That Got Away




 To get started, just download the free Ritual app on the Apple Store, or Google Play, set up your account and profile, and plug in your credit card payment information. Don't forget to turn on the phone's location services, as Ritual uses your current location to prepare orders at the right time so your order will be ready when you arrive.

Lastly, Ritual encourages all users to use social media by using the hashtag #myRitual to showcase their food. Feel free to check out all uploaded photos IG using this hashtag at https://instagram.com/explore/tags/myRitual/.

Social Media

Download: App Store
Instagram: https://instagram.com/ritual_co
Website: http://www.ritual.co/ 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ritual_co

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Disclaimer: The food provided in this post was completely subsidized by Ritual. However, all of the opinions expressed in this review are of my own.

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