20 Reasons Why UrbanBacon Works

Have you ever poured your heart into something?  Got lost in the process?  Forgot you’re actually working?  To me, that’s UrbanBacon.  I love restaurants.  I love going out.  I love friends.  It makes my world go around…

Today, the most unbelievable thing happened.  I was slogging through a mundane day, barely holding my eyes open.  Then I received a phone call.  It was Nicolas Carretero from Guido’s Pizzeria and Tapas who we recently interviewed (Check out the interview here).

I picked up the phone “This is Phil.”  Nicolas responded “Hey Phil, how ya doing?”  I thought to myself…well, I could tell him how incredibly slow my day has been.  How much I despise training and the corporate world (my day job).  But I went with a standard “Great, what’s up?”

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UrbanBacon Featured by St. Louis Frugal Living Examiner

Recently UrbanBacon was featured by Tere Scott in St. Louis Frugal Living Examiner…which is freaking awesome!  You can check out the article here.

We want to personally thank Tere for writing the article.  Keep doing what you do, and we will keep rocking local St. Louis Restaurant Deals! :D

HELP WANTED: What Should We Name Our Followers?


WE NEED YOUR HELP PEEPS!

Everyday we are working to provide more value to our users.  Currently the UB Team is working on adding a new follower feature.  The feature will allow  people to “follow” their favorite restaurant.  Once following a restaurant, you will receive an email notification when they post a new deal.  Nothing long and outlandish, just a quick reminder that your favorite restaurant is offering a new deal!  You will also be given the option to “unfollow” restaurants in your user profile.

Our Dilemma:

We are SICK of the word “followers.”  Therefore, we need your help dreaming up a new name for UB Users!  Some current suggestions (seriously in all seriousness dudes):

Bacon-nators

Dominators

Patrons

Supporters

Fans (sorry FB, you gave it up lol)

Ok, none of these are 100% set in stone or even half way serious.  That is why we are calling on you guys.  Can you help us dream up a new name for our awesome UB users? PLEASE LEAVE YOUR SUGGESTIONS BELOW!

photo credit

Our Story: Why We Built UrbanBacon

I see restaurants join Twitter everyday, and that’s incredible news.  Then it happens…that new restaurant begins tweeting nothing but specials.  Their entire feed becomes a rotating spam bomb of happy hours and ½ off appetizers.  No engagement.  No personality. Just spam.

Tons of people have expressed this problem to me.  They hate when restaurants only tweet specials, they even unfollow them.  I agree.  People join Twitter to talk and meet people, not to be bombarded with advertising.  Is your restaurant making this deadly mistake?

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UrbHub and UrbanBacon are Teaming Up!

Recently a shiny brand new site sprung up called UrbHub.com.  It’s a rockin niche site that encourages users to talk about what’s happening in their city.  I think it’s a great concept that we also encourage on this site.  So naturally you can understand why UrbHub and UrbanBacon make great partners.

A few weeks ago I had the privilege of meeting the founder, Brad Hogan, at Park Avenue Coffee in St. Louis.  He is a really cool guy that shares similar ambitions and ideas.  Right now we are working on collaborating UrbanBacon with UrbHub.  It’s going to be sweet!  Here are some ideas we are tossing around:

  • Comments will flow back and forth between sites.
  • UrbHub will feature an “UrbanBacon Powered” deal of the day
  • Allow restaurants to also upload deals to UrbHub

Right now nothing is 100% set in stone.  Brad and I both agree integrating the sites will provide more value for our users.  In the end, it’s all about providing you guys with more value.  I will keep you posted on our progress.  Right now, get over to UrbHub.com and start talking!

-Phil Novara

What’s Better Than Free Advertising? New Design April 18, 2010

Totally pumped!  Our new design will roll out this week on April 18th, 2010.  Here is what you can expect:

Our Basic Platform is Now FREE

We are opening the floodgates and offering our basic package for free!  What does that mean?  Any restaurant can join UrbanBacon and start posting happy hours, food specials, and venues.  We want you guys (local restaurants) to see how fun and easy it is to use UrbanBacon.

Friendlier Design

We have added more white space to the site and moved things so they are eye level.  Now it’s easier to sign up, post deals, and understand how UrbanBacon works.  These are big changes our old design did not accomplish.

Better Search

The best way to use UrbanBacon is to search for deals.  Search your city, date, and see what’s restaurants/bars are offering.  We have changed search parameters and will continue to add search features as the site develops.  That means it’s easier to find deals in St Louis or Chicago.

What’s Next?

We are freaking pumped for this new design.  Right now we are focused on getting restaurants/bars active and posting deals.  We need your help to spread the word, please tell your friends.  If you know a restaurant owner, tell them to check it out.  Every little bit helps to create awareness.  Last, we want to personally thank all of our followers and supporters thus far.  You guys freaking rock!  Thank You.

Our New Design Coming Soon!

GET EXCITED! We are currently working on revamping our current design.  Basically cleaning things out and making the site tidier.  We want to provide a simple design for our users while making the best use of white space.  So far, it looks flippin’ awesome!

As we work to make things better, please tell your friends.  Have them join us at UrbanBacon.  Start commenting on deals and give us feedback.  Every bit of feedback helps make UrbanBacon a better service for both restaurants and people.  We are humbled and thankful for your help!