Between lab write-ups and final essays, UC Berkeley senior Rachel Lee said she does not always have time to scavenge for food.

But fitting an evening meal into her busy schedule has not been a problem since the launching three weeks ago of CampusMunch, a student-run delivery service that brings dishes from popular local eateries to the doorsteps or study sites of students.

"It's nice not to have to worry about dinner," said Lee, who lives on the Southside of campus and has ordered pizza from The Cheeseboard Collective in North Berkeley.

Longtime friends and UC Berkeley seniors Stephen Liu and Eric Hsiao established the service, which operates Sundays through Thursdays from 7 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., in hopes of serving the "busy student" demographic.

"This kind of business eases their day," Hsiao said.

Customers order from one of the eight restaurants offered at campusmunch.com, choose a time slot to receive their order and pay a $2.25 to $2.75 delivery fee on top of the price of the food.

Most of the participating restaurants-which include Sufficient Grounds, La Burrita and several establishments in the Durant Food Court-are already within walking distance for many students.

However, Liu said the service is useful despite the proximity of the customer base because many students cannot afford to waste the time it would take to make the trip to and from the restaurant.

"It's really good when I'm studying and I don't have time to go-or when I'm just feeling lazy," said sophomore Wenting Xi, who said her Pad See-ew Chicken from Thai Basil Cuisine was warm when it arrived.

Hsiao and Liu said they were undaunted by potential competition from Nude Sushi and Mrs. Munchies-two late-night delivery services that have been serving the area for several years.

"We're hoping to go for a different crowd," Liu said.

Nude Sushi's owner Chris Yun said that although his sales have not yet been affected by CampusMunch, he sees potential competition.

"We are anticipating that there will be a drop in sales," Yun said.

Dylan Fiesel, the creator of Mrs. Munchies, which serves cookies and brownies until 2 a.m., predicted his business would not suffer because "delivery is the only similarity going on."

While restaurants do not receive extra money in the exchange, they supported the service, Hsiao said.

"We're happy to help someone who is trying to help other people," said Mateo Schoch, an employee at Sufficient Grounds.

Jamie Rene, the night manager of La Burrita, said the service picks up six or seven burritos on some days and none on others.

Hsiao and Liu said that while they are optimistic about including more restaurants in the future, they are focused on managing existing partnerships.

"For any new business, things start slow," Hsiao said. He claims that tracking the service's growth, each night is busier than the last.

Tuhin Roy, a freshman living in Unit 1, said he and his floormates were "really excited" as they waited for their Cheeseboard pizza. He expects CampusMunch will be successful once it is well established.

"There are a lot of lazy students here," he said.

Tags: CAMPUS MUNCH