Zazzdeals.com

About three years ago, Zach Rubin found himself thinking back to how his mom used to save him money by clipping him coupons to his favorite restaurants.

Then inspiration struck, and Rubin realized he could bring the same money-saving strategy to students across the campus.

After three years of preparation, Rubin and junior government and politics major Kyle Adams launched ZazzDeals.com, a site that allows students to access special deals and coupons from local businesses on and off the campus. The site went live last week with offers from 19 vendors, including ChiDogO’s and the University Shop.

“We came up with this idea for students to save money around campus by using coupons, without carrying bulky coupon books,” Adams said.

Rubin, who graduated last May, met Adams at a fraternity rush event when Rubin was a sophomore and Adams was a freshman. At the time, Adams was living off-campus and experiencing the strains of a tight college budget.

“I didn’t have a meal plan, so a lot of my money went to food,” Adams said.

Thus the two came up with the idea for what Adams refers to as the “modernization of the coupon book.” After self-teaching himself on web design, Rubin created a user-friendly interface to allow students to browse efficiently.

“It’s easy to use and you can use it on your phone. It’s quick to register, too,” site beta tester Chris Williams said.

Rubin and Adams also started a philanthropy contest in which every student who joins Zazz Deals will receive a small donation. While the current site only features offers for students at this university, the creators are looking to expand.

“As a short-term goal, we’re looking to have 5,000 students sign up,” Adams said. “As a long-term goal, we’re looking to expand to other schools nearby.”

David Cheng, owner of Pho D’Lite, says he has already seen more customers after joining with Zazz Deals.

“I think that it will bring more business,” Cheng said. “Students are already coming with Zazz Deals coupons.”

Freshman engineering major Daniel Levine said he may check out the site but will probably not be a frequent user.

“I would most likely use it for necessities only,” he said.

However, Rebekah Raible, a freshman enrolled in letters and sciences, said she was excited by the opportunity Zazz Deals provides her to save more money.

“The site would be very helpful,” she said. “Any discount, for anything, would be good.”

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