Hooked, an app specifically designed to target college-aged students and help them decide where to eat on a budget, recently made its debut in Oxford.
Hooked offers instant discounts from restaurants around town and on campus.
According to the Hooked website, deals are based on location. There are over 20 participating restaurants in Oxford, ranging from Locals Restaurant & Bar to Firehouse Subs.
Each offer lasts from one to three hours, allowing users to save from $1 to $12 per deal. The app is regularly updating with new offers as the old ones expire.
Luke Faulconer, junior managerial finance major, is responsible for bringing the app to Ole Miss after a friend at Michigan State told him of its widespread popularity on campus.
“After hearing my friend talk about it, I looked into it and saw that we didn’t have Hooked here in Oxford,” Faulconer said. “I reached out to them and a year later it launched here.”
Faulconer was hired as the market manager for Hooked in Oxford. He started work in November and spent winter break pitching the idea to local restaurants.
Restaurants benefit from the app because it offers a new angle of exposure among the college community and the discounts drive more traffic through their doors.
Faulconer said Hooked is looking to expand its market in Oxford. Three interns have been assigned to aid Faulconer and his endeavor in growing the company in the college town.
Sophomore integrated marketing communications major Johnna Jordan recently discovered the app after hearing about it from a friend.
“My parents are always getting on to me for spending too much money,” Jordan said. “Hooked offers a solution to eating out on a budget that is as easy as touching a button.”
Faulconer understands the helpfulness of the app from the perspective of a college student.
“It helps kids decide where to eat, which is a problem my roommates and I face everyday,” Faulconer said. “It solves that issue while saving good money at the same time.”
Hooked is now being used on 23 different college campuses across the country.
