"Why waste time calling a Pizzeria when you can order in just a few taps?"

That's the burning question posed by Order Mapper. The Seattle startup just unveiled a free iPhone application that allows pizza lovers to order pies from their favorite pizza shops without the hassle of punching in the phone number and talking to the greasy dough tossers behind the counter. The app -- according to the company's Web site -- is ideal for college students and parents on the go. [Post updated with comments from Order Mapper CEO Jim Bricker]

According to VentureBeat, the Order Mapper iPhone app works in conjunction with Twilio to automatically generate a phone call to a pre-selected pizzeria. (After registering, you can enter the number of a pizzeria or choose from a list of nearby establishments).

After selecting from a limited number of toppings, customers enter their address, place the order and then wait for a confirmation. Then, within minutes, the company says "hot and delicious pizza is on the way!"

We've written in the past about some of the creative online telephony apps that are being built with Twilio's application programming interface -- including the I am Saint Nick wish list service.

Ordering pizza from the iPhone appears to be the latest innovation, though we're not quite sure what overall value there is in ordering a pizza through an iPhone app versus a direct phone call. VentureBeat's Kim-Mai Cutler also wonders: "Why do this?" Cutler writes:

This app is for the particularly lazy, the ones that don’t want to wait through a phone call or deal with customer service. Really, Order Mapper’s approach could be used in any generic, local service industry like calling a taxi.

For now, the company is focused on the food industry. It already has one pizzeria customer that has created a its own iPhone app based on the technology: Bellevue-based Topolino Pizza.

Some of the big pizza chains have already entered the mobile ordering arena, helping to validate the market. Last month, Pizza Hut said that its free iPhone app has generated $1 million in revenue for the pizza chain in about three months. (Pizza Hut now is giving a 20 percent discount to anyone who places an order through the app, possibly signaling that restaurants can cut down on employee costs by implementing the automated system).

Order Mapper has other plans beyond pizza shops. The company notes that it is exploring "pilot-programs that will bring secure, authenticated mobile transactions to industries such as Healthcare, Beauty Salons, Beverage/Breweries, Airlines and much more."

Order Mapper is led by Jim Bricker -- who has been building iPhone apps for the past two years -- and John Pitocco -- who has more than 15 years in the technology business. The company's adviser and backer is Sean Jazayeri, the former chief information officer at Avanade and former Microsoft employee.

UPDATE: I just heard back from Bricker, who said the company (with three full timers and five part timers) plans to add more pizzerias to the app in the coming weeks. It also plans to allow pizza lovers to pull up their past orders.

Bricker -- who plans to charge pizzerias $1 for every incoming pizza order after a few complimentary orders-- also took issue with the assertion that the new app is for "lazy people."

"It (is) another way for people to communicate efficiently," he said via email. "In this case, that communication results in an ordered pizza. Order Pizza cuts the time to place an order from 5 to 10 minutes on the phone to a few seconds. Not only does this save time, but it enables you to order from anywhere (without your laptop or talking on the phone during your commute home)."

John Cook is co-founder of TechFlash. Follow on Twitter @johnhcook.