Scoutmob

Scoutmob gets 5 stars from me, as a consumer, because it’s free. Thus there are no obligations and you can be as spontaneous as you want to be. What I like most about Scoutmob is it’s helped me to explore and try out (and review) restaurants in this city that I otherwise wouldn’t have.
Granted, most of these restaurants probably average around a 3 to 3.5 star rating on Unilocal.These aren’t popular 4 or 5 star restaurants that have an established customer base. Some of these restaurants are on their last legs, trying to do whatever they can to survive. They’re the ones trying to drum up new business and increase revenue for themselves. And they’re willing to take a hit while they’re at it.
The Atlanta Business Chronicle reported Fritti in Inman Park (one of the best restaurants to ever offer a Scoutmob deal IMO) lost $ 30,000 per month for the 3 months they honored Scoutmob deals (
).
Some restaurants, after realizing how cash they were bleeding, stopped honoring Scoutmob discounts well before the agreed-​upon expiration date. This happened to me on at least two occasions. One was at The Real Chow Baby on Ponce De Leon (
). The restaurant posted a sheet of paper at each entrance explaining to customers they were no longer honoring Scoutmob deals. When I asked a manager why, she said it was because they were losing too much money.
A popular restaurant on Buford Highway made a similar move a while ago. While I can sympathize with the business owner’s point of view, I think it’s wrong to stop honoring a discount before the posted expiration date. The business owners should know beforehand what they’re getting themselves into and perhaps it’s part of Scoutmob’s responsibility to its clients to make sure they’re aware.
I’ve claimed deals at restaurants using a few different incarnations: (1) iPhone app, (2) text, and (3) printed-​out email. If you get a deal texted to your phone, it comes with a special four-​digit alphanumeric code that the business owner marks off a list.
After using many Scoutmob deals, it’s interesting to see how various restaurants handle the discount, both physically and broken out on the receipt. Morelli’s in Edgewood actually had a print-​out next to the register with a list of all the text codes. Little Azio had a book as well. Pretty diligent. Many restaurants didn’t even know what to do with the text codes. Some restaurants applied discounts to each food item on the bill. Others deducted a flat amount from the after-​tax-​and-​gratuity total.
One restaurant, which I shall leave unnamed because I don’t want to get anyone in trouble, got confused when I presented to them an emailed Scoutmob deal printed on paper. The deal was good for 50% off up to a maximum discount of $ 20. The manager read this as a $ 20 discount, so our $ 24.95 meal for two was discounted to $ 4.95. Holy crap. Needless to say, I left a big tip.
App-​wise, the manager at one restaurant had to come to the table and physically «use» the deal on the phone. A server at another restaurant *took* the phone away on the tray with receipt and credit card all the way back into the kitchen. Thankfully no additional long-​distance charges or texts showed up on that month’s phone bill. As for the app, it’s convenient because you can pull it up anywhere and see what’s in the area.
While Scoutmob saves you 50%, it’s only up to a certain dollar amount. It saves you money, but don’t expect huge discounts to your total bill. A full meal for two at most restaurants, with Scoutmob deal applied, still costs what a reasonably priced standard meal would. Always tip on the full, non-​discounted amount of the bill. Scoutmob’s discount is less effective the more diners you have. It seems to work best for 1 or 2 diners.
Finally, Scoutmob parties. I went to one of these. It was just like a Unilocal event except you had to pay to get in. In this case, it was $ 20 per person. Well-​known Atlanta food vendors were present, there was live music, and some free swag. A t-​shirt and two drink tickets were also included. It wasn’t worth it. Nothing against Scoutmob, but Unilocal events are way more fun.

I can’t count the number of amazing places I’ve found from Scoutmob. So many new loves around Atlanta I would have never perused had it not been for the scouting. I love their witty wordings, the recommendations are generally on point, and they do it in a fun way. I love that they fully support local businesses in every way, and I love that they’re nothing like Groupon. Then, there’s their people, all of whom I adore. My MINI now proudly adorns a Scoutmob sticker with pride and honor.

I can’t tell if the novelty of using the app has worn off or if they aren’t signing on new deals that interest me. It could be a combination of both. Either way, I haven’t been Scoutmobbing it like I used to. The other day I almost deleted the app because I needed more space on my phone. It was spared. Earlier this year that wouldn’t have been something I would have even considered.
There have been a few emails where I couldn’t even figure out what the business sold. For example, the deal for Social House said you get half off admission to a time machine. At no point in the email did they explain what you really get. They mentioned pancakes, so I assume this is a restaurant… or maybe it really is a time machine. I realize they’re trying to be cute, but just get to the point.

Scoutmob, oh how I love thee, let me count the ways…
1) You are free.
2) You are free.
3) You give me a great discount on places I wanted to go anyway
4) You don’t expire in a week, or even a month, you give me so much time to use that good deal
And of course, you have introduced me to so many places I love: Bakeshop, Parish, Candi’s for Bkfst, Old Crow Grill, and the list goes on…
Oh Scoutmob, if you were a mustached man, I would marry you.

Scoutmob is perfect! It doesn’t cost anything, it features businesses all around the metro area, and it’s really easy to use.
Unfortunately, there’s not a blackberry app, and there’s not one in the works. Sure, I can just email the deal to my gmail account, and then search my gmail when it’s time to pick a spot to eat or a boutique to check out, but that also means that I have to email the deal to myself each day, unlike you lucky droid and iPhone users that just have all the available deals listed for months at a time. On the flip side, I can email it to all my email addresses (thanks, work, for giving me a new one just because of my middle initial), and therefore can take advantage of the deal more than once at places I frequent. But I think I’d rather have the app on my phone. Guess I’ll just get a droid in 19 months and update my review then.
#Yelp365 — ⁵⁴⁄₃₆₅
PS, Thanks for the review idea, David K!

Of all the wonderful things that my iPhone did, Scoutmob had to be pretty much #1. It’s one of the only reasons I look back on my iPhone days with a pang of sorrow — why did I ever sell my iPhone?!
Scoutmob is AMAZING. 50% or more off of fantastic local restaurants? NO money required up front?! I’m a sucker for things like Groupon, Living Social, Woot!, etc… but I very rarely have the money for the deals at the exact time I need it. Scoutmob is great because there’s nothing to buy up front.
Every restaurant I tried via Scoutmob was amazing. Not all of them were necessarily worth the pre-​Scoutmob price, but they were all really, really good. It’s a great way to dine on the cheap (ish).
If you have an iPhone or other app-​capable phone, go download the Scoutmob app. RIGHT NOW. You’ll be so so so glad you did.

Simple and easy to use. In a world where discounts and buying in bulk does me wonders, I’m always looking for next best Living Social and Groupon deals.
Then, Scoutmob came into my life. It was similar to any of the other ones I have used before, but wait, it’s peacock accessory distinguished it from the rest (a little thing I learned from The Pick Up Artist)… no paper coupons needed!!! Madness!
But oh so accessible and ingenious at the same time because in my world, it’s way more likely I’d be carrying my cellphone around with me than a printer or a printed coupon. Who needs to deal with that extra baggage anyways? My skinny pants barely have enough room to fit my legs, let alone an extra slip of paper.
A+ for taking an already great concept a step further.

It’s not just about the great deals that cost you nothing to get anymore. Oh no. Scoutmob has taken it up a notch by adding wi-​fi hotspots for FREE around the city. Sure, most people have these new-​fangled smart phones now, but for those of us who rely on free wi-​fi to become the duke/​duchess of a business these days, Scoutmob is here to save the day.
Of course, the main thing is all the deals. If you’re not signed up, you have to be crazy. Most of the deals are for quite a bit off and the business offerings aren’t crap usually. It’s a great team who also takes time to add in interviews with local celebs, showcase new businesses in town, and engage with the readers of the site. It’s true customer care without feeling like you’re being cared for. Love it!
Wearin’ my ‘stache with pride, y’all.

I am all about the deal, plus I like their clean layout, how they write on the pix, and they highlight cool stuff like the Wren’s Nest and the Goat Farm music fest.
Thank you for helping me save ducats and discover cool new places!
Cheers~

Saving me major bucks at some awesome new restaurants and a few favorite standbys? Scoutmob was already bookmarked to receive a five star review, but then they had a 50% off deal at Cook’s Warehouse. Yes, THE Cook’s Warehouse, as in the specialty store that sends even the most basic home cooks into unitasker delight (you’ll understand the unitasker comment if you’re an Alton Brown fan). Ooo, and the coupon for the East Atlanta Beer Fest. And Joel. And the free Streatery hotdog. And the… well, you get the idea.
Since I received my first Scoutmob coupon via email, I’ve watched the variety of offers they, well, offer get better and more diverse. In fact, receiving my daily Scoutmob coupon is usually the highlight of my morning.
And one trick: if there’s a particularly good deal, pick up one via text and another via email!

What’s not to love?
A great company and an even better service. Scoutmob gets me out to some of Atlanta’s best bars, restaurants, coffee shops, stores and festivals, usually for half price or better.
I use a lot of the text messages because I don’t have an iPhone… yet!
The e-​mails are very cool too. they read like a local magazine with an awesome deal inside. Sold!

I’m such a fan of Scoutmob. I’ve saved lots of money and tried lots of new restaurants with their help.
Every day, they’ve got a new deal, usually 50% off some awesome place, with few restrictions (one venue even allowed me the discount on a souvenir cookbook!), and the deals are usually good for three months. So if you even think you might want to go there, get the deal today for free and hold onto it.
You can give them a phone number to text (they’re still working on sending to Google Voice numbers, but almost all carriers are supported), or an email address to send it to. You’ll get a short message with an explanation of the discount, and a code like ‘89a2’ that your server will type into their system to give you the hookup.
And what does the local business get? Well, lots of potential customers, for one thing. One business owner I talked to said he’s gotten over 1500 people to sign up for a 50%-off deal, and I’m sure that the numbers were higher for the 100% off (one free hot dog) campaign that another business owner did.
But it’s more than just «potential customers». Since Scoutmob is an Atlanta thing, tourists won’t have heard of it, so the folks who use Scoutmob are going to be locals with enough interest in good food that they use extra leisure time to find and redeem deals. (And they’ll tell their local friends about the bargain they got.)
Where’s that fifth star, then? I found a minor hitch that annoyed me last night. I presented a Scoutmob code; the server entered it into the system and came back to say «Since the burger was already discounted, you didn’t get 50% off the burger — do you still want to use the coupon tonight?» I decided to save it for later. And then she came back to say «Bad news — once we entered it into the system, you can’t get it back.» It would be useful to allow the local business to undo a coupon code here and there. Granted, the restaurant pays per redeemed offer, so there’s potential for cheating, but an undo allotment of a few percent would have avoided making me feel foolish.
Hell yes, I pick nits. This is Unilocal,not group therapy.