Franklin Tap - Deal of the Day at Groupon

We just got word that the popular coupon website, Groupon (getyourgroupon.com), is featuring Franklin Tap (320 S. Franklin) as its deal for Wednesday, February 18^th. The deal is a $50 gift certificate for $20. We doubt you can use the gift certificate for golden tee, but think about it this way…you could use the $30 you save to play.

If you’re not familiar with Groupon, it’s based on a fantastic idea…the idea of collective buying power. Since launching in November of last year, Groupon has saved Chicagoan’s over $100K. Moral of the story…they must be doing something right!

Manny’s Deli, one of Sloopin’s favorite places, is one of the many businesses that has taken advantage of Groupon’s popularity:

Manny's Coffee Shop & Deli, a Chicago institution, recently agreed to offer a $15 gift certificate for only $5 through Groupon if at least 35 people signed up for the discount. The offer far exceeded expectations, bringing Manny's a total of 500 customers. "On the date of our feature, Manny's was the talk of the East Bank Club!" says Manny's owner Ken Raskin. "It was a pleasure working with Groupon, and we'll definitely work with them again. The only complaints came from those who didn't visit the site in time to buy their Groupon!"

The Class Action Lawsuit Against Groupon

We're big fans of Groupon. We've recently purchased 5 Groupons to one of our favorite spots in the Sloop, Panozzo's. The gift certificate said that it expires in one year, but it sounds like this expiration date is against Illinois law.

Edelson McGuire, LLC, a law firm in Chicago, has filed a class action lawsuit against Groupon:

Now a North Side man is suing Groupon — the company behind the wildly popular website offering daily deals at everything from eateries to retail outlets — alleging the discounted gift certificates he purchased to a local florist weren’t quite the deal he thought they were.

Specifically, Daniel Keeler purchased three $40 gift certificates, each valued at $80, for Grow Flower Shop in the NBC Tower, but when he attempted to redeem them earlier this year, he was told he’d have to pony up $20 for each of the three arrangements he wanted to send, according to the lawsuit filed in Cook County Circuit Court.

The suit not only alleges breach of contract, but accuses the company of violating Illinois law by offering non-food gift certificates with expiration periods shorter than five years.

One of Groupon's main Chicago competitors, YouSwoop, was also sued, but it appears that they've acted a little quicker to come to a settlement. It will be interesting to see how this turns out for Groupon.

For the law junkies, the Consumer Protection law in Illinois states:

On or after January 1, 2008, no person shall sell a gift certificate that is
subject to: (1) an expiration date earlier than 5 years after the date of
issuance; or (2) a post-purchase fee.

We definitely were not familiar with this law, but glad we know now. We actually had a similar issue with a restaurants.com gift certificate that we tried to use at Savoy Bar & Grill in the Essex Inn (800 S. Michigan Ave). It didn't expire but somehow they wouldn't honor the gift certificate.

Sloopin's No-Brainer of the Day: Today's Groupon at Panozzo's

For us, today's Groupon at Panozzo's is a no-brainer for anyone living in the Sloop. Essentially it's $20 of food for $10. This can't be used on groceries, but that shouldn't deter you from getting this Groupon. Believe us, it's easy to find $20 worth of scrumptious Italian food from the deli.


(Hat Tip: Colie!)

Groupon has Manny's Today!

We love Manny's (1141 S. Jefferson), the famous Jewish Deli, however it's a little pricey. If this is a concern for you, today is your lucky day. Groupon has a deal for Manny's where you pay $11 and get $22.

Over 1,500 people have already signed up and there is a limited quantity, so hurry up and get your groupon!

Groupon Today: $20 for Beer, Meat and Cheese at Villains

We're big fans of Villain's Bar & Grill (629 S. Clark) and that's why we were excited to wake up this morning, check email and see today's Groupon promotion. For $20 you get to sample Beer, Meat and Cheese:

While fresh, local foods get a lot of hype, vampires and Abe Vigoda know that
eating aged and fermented foods can lead to immortality and enhanced eyebrow
dexterity. For $20, today's Groupon lets you taste a triumvirate of
well-aged cheeses, meats, and craft beers at Villain's Bar & Grill in
Printer's Row (a $47 value).

Act quick it ends today!

Groupon Side Deal Today for Bongo Room

We know people love Bongo Room (1152 S. Wabash Ave.), so here is your chance to save some cash via Groupon today.

For the Deal Lovers...Groupon has Zapatista Today

Check out Groupon today, they have $40 of food at Zapatista for $20.

And if you go get the Fajitas...yum!

Save Money at Gioco & Opera

We know it's tax day and hopefully you're getting money back instead of owing the federal or state governments. With this in mind, we thought it would be appropriate to let Sloopers know that there are two ways of saving money at two popular South Loop restaurants.

First, Groupon has a $50 gift certificate for $25 for Gioco.

Second, we heard from numerous people that KDK restaurants (who run Gioco, Opera, Red Light and Marche) will be giving $50 gift certificates to anyone who buys a entree tonight at one of their restaurants. This is a tax day promotion and only will be offered tonight.

So there you have it...save money in the South Loop on tax day.

(Hat Tip: ND, BW, PF!)

Business Opportunities at Sloopin: Advertising and Marketing

One of our goals at Sloopin is to be a resource for the South Loop and that definitely includes the businesses around the neighborhood as well. If you're a restaurant, bar, boutique, gym, real estate developer...well anyone...we can help.

Our site continues to grow and we offer a highly targeted, engaged, relevant audience that is sure to help your business. We currently get over 22,000 page views per month and like we said... we're growing.

We've already worked with Lakeshore Analytics, Groupon.com, Buddy Guy's Legends, Chef Luciano and Ford Fiesta to help promote their businesses.

We can review your restaurant, profile your business or post a banner somewhere on our site.

Contact us at sloopin@gmail.com for more details.

The Mud Wars Controversy

Monkey Bar which had many broken rungs
which prevented participants from completing obstacle

This past weekend, many many many people made their way to Northerly Island (including us) for Mud Wars, a 5K billed as "Chicago's Mud Run".  We took some pictures in our weekly, Shots Around the Sloop post.  While we made the most of the experience, it was clear that something wasn't right about the operation.  The blog, Subject to Change, has a detailed post outlining most of the precarious issues.  Their intro starts to sum it up:

Six thousand people in Chicago got scammed this past weekend and the big question being asked is: What will be done about it? 

Mud Wars – which billed itself as “Chicago’s Mud Run” and took place on July 28, 2012 on Chicago’s Northerly Island – deceived participants on such a high level that people are now talking of lawsuits against the owner of Biz Events, Joe Bizzieri. 

The complaints are plenty (see below) and answers are elusive. Within 24 hours of the event, the organizer’s website has been taken down, its Facebook page wiped of all negative comments and complaints, and the owner either refusing to answer his phone or having it disconnected altogether.

The rest of the post has a detailed list of the issues many participants raised.  If you would prefer more first person accounts read the comments or this yelp thread.  The Tribune also had an article on the topic and mentioned that deal sites like Groupon and Living Social are offering refunds for people who registered for the event via their services.

We can attest to many of the observations and totally understand the dissatisfaction.

We actually had a decent time...but from the sounds of it, there won't be one next year to attend.

(Hat tip: DP!)

Groupon Alert: Weather Mark Tavern

Here is the link....enjoy!

One more observation about this. That picture of the filet might be one of the most appetizing shots I've ever seen. Do I think I can get a perfectly cooked steak like that at Weather Mark Tavern? Doubtful. Regardless, it's making me hungry.