New Deal Startup Aims to Boost Lincoln Park Nightlife

By Andy Ambrosius

The new local startup Audum Live is gaining traction on the North Side, boosting small business in Lincoln Park while offering up deep discounts to partiers all over the city.

It works like this—Those looking to make plans for a Chicago Cubs game or Fourth of July Weekend log onto Audum Live, type in their zip codes and find local hotspots participating. 

From there, bar goers can cash in on deals such as 30 percent off their bar tabs by paying a small fee, like $6.

Now less than a year old, the online deal website is the brainchild of Chicago resident and co-founder Mike Tatarowicz, 28. His goal was to promote local businesses and rebrand the online deal scene, he says.

“It’s been one of our biggest challenges to differentiate ourselves from the Groupon train, but there are a few key differences,” Tatarowicz said. “… If a Groupon deal comes out today for $20 for $40 at Joe’s Crab Shack, they would keep $10 of that $20 you pay to Groupon and send Joe’s Crab Shack the rest. Right off the bat, the earning potential for (local businesses) is better.”

That’s combined with promoting certain events like sports games or holidays rather than having a six-month window to use the deal. Tatarowicz says Audum Live is like an event promoter geared toward area businesses.

“If you’re a corner bar ... and your Hawks traffic kind of sucks, what we would do is run an offer that we’d market around the games, making it only valid on the days the Hawks play,” Tatarowicz said. “It’s more of an event promoter twist on the general idea of online offers.”

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And right now the site is all about promoting Fourth of July. 

Deals in Lincoln Park include 30 percent off your tab at Glascott's in exchange for a $5 fee;  $5 for two cover fees at Tonic Room; and $25 off your tab at State when you pay $7. Other offers are also available.

Users buy the deal online and then show their servers a voucher via their smartphones. 

“It’s very easy to do,” Tatarowicz said. “And it gives specific businesses attention by trying to drive traffic there during the week. It’s really a very simple process.”