Tapingo, the new app that allows students to order menu items online before picking them up in person, has presented pronunciation problems around campus.
“To-pay-and-go,” one student said quickly. “Topay-andgo.” “Topayn-go.” “Ta-payngo.” “Tapingo.” “Get it?! Because you pay, and then you go!”
A more popular pronunciation of this new marvel is “Tap-‘n-go,” or a shortened, “tap and go.” Because, similarly to the above, you “tap”, and then you “go”. Other spoken solutions include “Ta-pang-o”, or, of course, “Tapanga”.
Upon further investigation, a tweet from the Lousiana State University Student Union prompts the question of pronunciation to Tapingo itself, to which representatives responded, “It was born as ‘tapingo,’ but it’s 50/50 here in the office. We’ll let you decide [smiley-face emoji].” It appears that even Tapingo’s corporate staff cannot agree on a name—a split in nomenclature. Ah, the freedom.
But, at what cost? Clearly, Tapingo has formed a house divided. UR student employees have been heard arguing the pronunciation in hushed tones that have escalated to disruption.
One Connections employee reportedly stormed out, refusing to distribute orders to customers who came in asking for their “Tap-ang-o” breakfast sandwich. When the same employee was asked to talk in more detail about the “‘Tap-ang-o’ breakfast sandwich” incident, he declined to respond.
Those customers had to resort to asking the people behind the counter to hand them the sandwich, adding a much dreaded step to the consumer experience.
Whether it’s a play on tapping and going, paying and going, or some mixture of the two, I think we can expect students for years to come to grapple with this distinction.
Open forums hosted by UR Dining Services will be tasked with choosing a side, perhaps with dire consequences.
McAdams is a member of the class of 2017.
