UF students are among the first in the state to have access to a new app that makes dining out cheaper.
The app, TasteBud, which launched in mid-August, gives discounts of up to 50 percent off for select off-campus restaurants. The discounts change throughout the day based on time, supply and demand.
The app links to a Visa card and, after paying, refunds the discounted amount back to the card, said Catherine Rakkar, the sales and marketing representative for TasteBud. Discounts on the app can only be used with Visa cards.
By the end of Spring semester, she said, UF students will be able to use more types of cards to pay.
TasteBud is also available at the University of Texas at Austin, Texas Agricultural and Mechanical University, the University of Missouri and Oregon State University.
“We look for schools with a close sense of community,” Rakkar said. “This is why we chose UF.”
TasteBud’s discounts apply across the menu, she said. Students can also invite friends to eat and get a larger discount through the app’s “party mode.”
“We feel that college students want the freedom of choice, which they have with our app,” Rakkar said.
Michelle Ospina, a UF industrial and systems engineering sophomore, uses the app’s give $5, get $5 program where a person can get a $5 credit by referring the app to a friend.
“Since I’m an RA, I have given it to a few of my residents, and I’ve gotten money,” the 19-year-old said. “I got free Chipotle yesterday.”
Places you can use TasteBud
- Bento Cafe
- Crane Ramen
- The Copper Monkey
- The Social at Midtown
- Domino’s Pizza
- Mi Apa Latin Cafe of Gainesville
