Quinnipiac University students will now have an easy way to enjoy food from their favorite restaurants – without leaving their dorms.

Silver Spoon Delivery, which was founded by Quinnipiac graduate student William Scully, is a service that delivers food from a variety of local restaurants to homes. Participating restaurants include Chili’s, Aunt Chilada’s, Dunkin’ Donuts and Subway, among many others.

Silver Spoon also delivers flowers and groceries, including products from Flowers & Gift Baskets on Whitney Avenue and Niki’s Convenience Store.

Scully, who was born and raised in Morris County, New Jersey, graduated from Quinnipiac University’s undergraduate program in Film, Video and Interactive Media in May 2012.  He is currently working towards his MBA at Quinnipiac, which he began during his senior year.

 “I knew going into business school that I wanted to work for myself when I got out, and I figured an MBA is a great tool to have when running a business,” Scully said.

Scully got the idea for Silver Spoon after he started working as a delivery driver for Meadowbrook Wine and Spirits in 2011.

After talking with his boss, Scully realized his interest in small business and was able to apply what he had learned with his job to beginning his own business.

“There are business models like Silver Spoon all over the country, so seeing the success of other firms was all the motivation we needed to get this going,” Scully said. “We teamed up and pooled our resources and knowledge to create Silver Spoon.”

Silver Spoon Delivery offers online ordering, which includes a list of menus of available restaurants and stores within a selected zip code. The items and prices are listed on their website, with options to schedule a delivery up to one month in advance. The minimum price to order is $15 from any restaurant, which can be paid in cash or credit card. The total amount for the order will be shown on the website before purchasing.

 “Ordering couldn’t be easier,” Scully said.  “You go onto our website and tell us where you want the food delivered.  You’ll see what restaurants you can order from, and order what you want, exactly how you want it cooked.”

Silver Spoon has an agreement with each of the restaurants for their drivers to pick up the food when it’s ready, who will then bring it to the customer. However, the process for getting restaurants to participate was initially challenging.

“When my partner and I started pitching the idea to restaurants, many simply turned us away without even an introduction,” Scully said. “They were hesitant to the business model because another man had tried this in Hamden about five years ago, and that failed.  Luckily, I know a number of restaurant owners from when I was the business manager at WQAQ, QU’s radio station.”

After approaching more than 50 restaurants in Hamden, Scully was able to get 13 participating restaurants.

Silver Spoon Delivery currently delivers to Hamden, Cheshire and North Haven and will be expanding to Wallingford and other surrounding towns later this year. Scully said that Quinnipiac currently only represents a small portion of the business, but they are hoping to do business with more students.

Their operating hours are between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m., seven days a week. However, the hours of the selected restaurant may differ, which will be available on the website as well.

Scully said that going to school full time and running a business can be difficult at times, but is very rewarding.

“I can’t wait to graduate, so I can focus on the business and expand it,” he said. “This is my first ‘real’ experience running/managing a business, so there is a learning curve to a lot of the elements.”

For current students who  are thinking of having their own business in the future, Scully said that energy and adaptability are the keys to success.

“Be ready to roll with the punches,” he said. “Things don’t always go the way you want or expect them to. The business hinges on your ability to adapt to a changing situation.”

 Silver Spoon Delivery can be reached by phone at 1-855-55-DELIVER (1-855-553-3548) or at http://www.silverspoondelivery.net.