By Erin Kelly, News Staff
College students are notorious for having little to no extra cash in their wallets, and what they do have must be spent strategically.
In order to help students save money and find low-priced food and drink specials, Tyler Smith, a senior finance major at Northeastern, founded Brewspy.com.
The site embraces the “financially struggling” college student mentality and features deals and discounts at bars and restaurants throughout Boston, aiming to connect people with options they can afford.
“[Brewspy.com] creates one spot you can go to find great offers from bars and find out where everybody is going,” Smith said. “Our main goal is to make the nightlife easier for our demographic. My friends think the biggest struggle is finding out what’s going on [at night] and who will be there.”
Smith said he was enjoying 10-cent wings in Allston one night when he realized he never would have known about the discounted price had he not spontaneously encountered that specific bar. He went on to compile a database of all the good deals in Boston for himself, and eventually for his friends. After realizing how valuable this information was to college students, Smith persuaded a few friends to join his team and put his compilations online, creating Brewspy.com.
Operating under the motto “Time for fun not funds,” the website features specials at bars and vendors near campus like Conor Larkins and Symphony 8. The deals, including half-priced appetizers and $3 beers, are listed day-by-day on the homepage. Announcements such as trivia nights and theme nights are also posted on the site.
Though the site has been live and operating since 2009, it has just recently gained popularity and was featured on BostInnovation, a Boston technology blog, in December. Smith held a launch party for Brewspy in November and said he has received a lot of positive feedback about the site from other Northeastern students.
“When we started, the end or main goal was to be able to have bars sign in [on the site] and put up their own deals themselves,” Smith said. “Right now, bars are still sending specials to our e-mail address and we upload the information. But within the next couple of weeks, bars will be able to sign in and put up specials and then promote these specials throughout the site.”
Matthew Pian, a former Northeastern student and bartender at Conor Larkins, said he thinks the site is a great idea and is entering a market currently unexplored.
“The idea of a pre-check-in is something no one else is doing yet,” Pian said. “We hope Brewspy increases awareness of Conor’s to freshman and sophomores. They don’t have to be scared of Conor’s, they can come eat here and have a good time before 7 p.m.”
Matthew Osofian, a senior dual major in marketing and entrepreneurship, said Brewspy is filling a void in the college student market.
“I really dig [the website] because it’s funny, organized well and tells students exactly what they need to know to get $3 drafts or $5 margaritas,” he said. “Brewspy is a great example of Northeastern’s entrepreneurs and business-minded people.”
Although affordable drinks and eating options are a main component of the site, Smith said the next step of Brewspy is to help people figure out where their friends are going just by visiting the site.
“We’re developing a Facebook application so you can tell your friends where you’ll be that night,” he said. “If you see someone is going to Our House, you can click a ‘Me Too’ tab.”
Once multiple people confirm they are attending a specific venue, a group is formed and visitors to the site can see where their friends and others will be heading that night.
This Facebook app will help eliminate annoying back-and-forth communication via text, Smith said.
Specifically for college students, Brewspy features BrewU, a component that highlights bars and restaurants near different universities throughout Boston. By clicking on a particular university on the BrewU page, viewers can see what’s happening in close proximity of the school they attend.
“Obviously, our biggest demographic is college students and young professionals with less disposable income,” he said. “So we want to help college kids find deals around their school.”
Smith said he has big plans for Brewspy in the future, including continuing to promote events, assisting bars and vendors with their social media campaigns, as well as offering web design help for venues that want to increase their online presence.
Smith also hopes to create partnerships with bars and marketing companies. Starting next week, Brewspy and Conor Larkins will give away one free lunch each week.
A gift card for Conor Larkins will be hidden on campus each week, and a picture of the hidden card will be uploaded to Brewspy’s Facebook and Twitter pages, giving students the chance to try to figure out where the card may be, Smith said. Whoever discovers the card can go to Conor’s and redeem it for a free lunch.
“We’re trying to get a buzz around Brewspy,” Smith said. “It’s not just drinking beer, it’s saving money overall.”
