Grub Club offers discounted food

Seniors Robert Demaree and David Cavise said they created the Bloomington Grub Club because they have always been interested in business and bringing great values to customers.

The card offers its customers about $70 worth of food at Bloomington restaurants.

“We started putting the business model together last spring,” Demaree said. “We worked on our sales pitch so the first card could be ready for the fall semester. We’ve heard nothing but positive feedback from customers and participating restaurants.”

The back of the card lists the participating restaurants with a corresponding scratch-off square. When customers redeem their food, the restaurant is scratched-off, according to the Grub Club website.

“The great thing is that this sends customers to restaurants they might not have gone to previously,” Cavise said.

Cavise said he faced no trouble when searching for restaurants to participate because it brings them customers that might not have visited the restaurant otherwise.

Brianna Smith is an IU senior who uses the Grub Club card.

“It’s great because my friends got one also so we can go out and try new places together,” she said. “Bloomington is such an original town. This is a chance to get out and try new stuff.”

All the participating restaurants are in Bloomington and are considered to be Bloomington staples such as Mother Bear’s and the Runcible Spoon, Demaree said.
“We’re really community-oriented,” he said.

So far, about 200 Grub Club cards have been sold, Demaree said.

The Grub Club member card can be purchased for $20 at www.bloomingtongrubclub.com or at Black’s Mercantile on Seventh and Walnut streets.

“The greatest marketing for us has been from customer feedback,” he said. “There’s so much positive feedback.”

Cavise said the team is currently working on a weekly e-mail blast to Grub Club members that will include even more exclusive offers to Bloomington businesses.

In looking into the future, the pair is thinking about taking the Grub Club to other schools. However, they still plan on continuing the Grub Club post-graduation.

“We’ll definitely stay in Bloomington,” he said.