Burgers and fries? There’s an app for that.
As part of the second annual Gainesville Burger Week, people who download the free Gift Certificates and More app can enjoy $5 burgers and fries at 11 different restaurants this week. The event began Monday and will continue through Sunday, with TGI Fridays included for the first time this year.
In order to receive the discounted meals, people need to show the app to waiters when ordering their burgers and fries, according to Gift Certificates and More President Edward Lavagnino.
He said last year the app was redeemed more than 2,000 times at 10 Gainesville restaurants, and he’s hoping for 3,000 redemptions this year.
"We enjoy it because the big thing about deals and Gift Certificates and More is that people can go out with friends and family," Lavagnino said. "We enjoy giving people the chance to visit new places for cheaper."
Vellos Historic Brickstreet Grill kitchen manager Tyler Johnson said after participating in the event last year, he’s excited to see how many people come this year.
"We had such a large crowd come in for lunch on Monday that we realized we needed to order more ingredients for burgers and fries for the rest of the week," Johnson said.
UF finance sophomore Carolina Hammoud said she didn’t start eating burgers until her junior year of high school. Now that she’s in college, she eats at least one burger a week and plans to purchase a $5 burger from The Swamp Restaurant or Texas Roadhouse.
"I think that Gainesville Burger Week is a great way to get people to try burgers from places they’ve never been to before," the 19-year-old said. "It’s a good catch and good marketing."
