Today we’d like to introduce you to Norman and Susan Clausen.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Norman and Susan. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
We have a couple good friends from South Africa and every time they’d visit, we would always frequent the same restaurant. About a year and a half ago, we headed to dinner and were shocked and disappointed to discover that our favorite restaurant had permanently closed. Despite having numerous dining options at our fingertips, we felt lost. This got us thinking about ways that we could help local “mom and pop” restaurants stay in business. This is how Freevo was born.
The four of us went from friends to business partners and we got to work developing a mobile app that would drive targeted consumers into restaurants and coffee shops when they needed it the most. We were able to partner with Restaurant Depot and since the hard launch of Freevo this past July, we have helped pair consumers with 150+ great local restaurants, generating well over $10,000 in revenue for our stores.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The development and launch of Freevo has not been a smooth road, but we learn something new everyday and that keeps us motivated. We initially thought that it would be difficult to get stores onboard but were pleasantly surprised in that area of the business.
The biggest struggle that we have faced since the launch, has been helping consumers understand the purpose behind the app. Our stores give away free food and drinks to Freevo consumers with the expectation that those consumers will bring friends and/or purchase additional items to support the store. We assumed that there would be a small percentage of consumers who would just take the freebie but unfortunately, it turned out to be a much larger percentage than we anticipated.
Because of this challenge, we found ourselves on a mission to educate consumers. This helped a bit but we still needed a way to generate even more revenue for our local restaurants and coffee shops. From there the app went through several phases of development and at the start of 2018, we launched a major update to the app which now guarantees that our stores will profit from every Freevo consumer.
Our consumers still love the platform because there are so many mouthwatering deals to take advantage of. The average person only frequents four restaurants on a regular basis, but because the Restaurants on our platform give away free food and drinks to Freevo customers, it has given people a real incentive to branch out!
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Freevo – what should we know?
Freevo is a membership-based mobile app designed to attract consumers to local businesses by offering free food and beverage items. The membership opens the door to a world of unlimited mouth-watering deals. All food and drinks offered on the app are free upon redemption (subject to a minimum purchase at our stores’ discretion).
Freevo members gain access to a user-friendly mobile app that is perfect for satisfying a coffee craving, grabbing a meal with friends, finding a late night snack, etc. Food options range from a huge plate of deep-dish nachos, to gourmet burgers, pizza, sushi, desserts, and more. Drink options include coffees, lattes, cappuccinos, teas and several specialty drinks such as smoothies, juices, and even mango lassi. The app uses GPS to present members with a variety of choices within their immediate vicinity, so no matter where someone is in Chicago, there are Freevo offers nearby.
Our business model is very different than other apps designed for the restaurant industry. Not only do we drive foot traffic into our stores, but we don’t charge our stores and arm and a leg to be featured on our platform. We have eliminated any risks involved with trying something new; we don’t take any percentages from the overall food sales or make our stores sign contracts. We recently began offering stores a free trial period in order to prove to them that they will be profitable. We truly want to be a benefit to local “mom and pop” restaurants and coffee shops.
Our app stands out from the rest because there are no sneaky gimmicks, advertising, in-app purchases, or exaggerated discounts. We simply want to connect customers with local restaurants by promoting great deals.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
We root for the underdog, we want to see unique local businesses thrive! Maintaining the drive to help support our community will always be a characteristic that is important to our success.
Pricing:
- Freevo membership is normally $20/year
Contact Info:
- Website: www.freevo-app.com
- Phone: 312-789-5407
- Email: info@freevo-app.com
- Instagram: @freevo_app
- Facebook: @freevo
- Twitter: @FreevoApp
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