Today we’d like to introduce you to Kellyn Reiner, Sean Laczkowski, and Thomas Moran.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I (Thomas) was previously a Marketing Director for a home services company based in Golden, CO. I needed someone to handle our social media content, and brought Kellyn on to the team. We quickly became friends. I shared with him a loose business concept I had written on a Google Doc: an app called “Chugga Chew” that would, by some unknown means, help users find local bites and experiences. We started working after-hours building and refining the concept, eventually creating a rudimentary web version of Chugachew. After a while, we realized we needed to dedicate time and energy to building an audience we could pitch the idea to in order to see if there was any real interest in the market. We started posting on social media, featuring locally-owned restaurants and mentioning the forthcoming app. We were overwhelmed by the number of people expressing interest, receiving countless comments along the lines of “This is exactly what I’ve been wanting!” and “This is just what Denver needs!” We kept building our audience for months, but as two marketing guys, we had no way to take our vision from our basic website to the mobile app we’d been dreaming about. In a crazy moment of serendipity, Lyndsey, one of the owners of a restaurant we featured, DNVR Bar, connected us with a guy named Sean. She told us he was working on a similar concept and that we should meet with him. Sean was building an app called HotSpot, focused on bars and city night life, but it had much of the same infrastructure and features that we were hoping to build into Chugachew. Sean had no marketing background, so while he had the ability to develop the app, he had no easy way to promote what he had built. Needless to say, after one or two Zoom calls, we realized it was the perfect partnership. We merged efforts and within weeks were operating as a single company. Now, Chugachew is an app on which restaurants and venues can become a HotSpot and connect with local users! Since starting, we’ve generated millions of views for locally-owned businesses and, in the short couple of months since going live with the app, we’ve gotten thousands of Denver Metro residents into locally-owned businesses. We’re growing quickly and we’re so excited to do what we can to continue supporting local business and connect people with experiences they can’t find anywhere else!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The main challenge we faced in the early days was our technical limitations. Kellyn and I had no skill or background in coding, so we were relying heavily on online tools to make even the most basic version of Chugachew online. It operated as a basic directory and lacked most of the functionality we were hoping for long term.
Sean’s challenge was the opposite: he had all the technical knowledge without the marketing and promotional background.
One ongoing challenge is that we are trying to educate business owners on the vast functionality of the app. Sean has built countless features that could be incredible additions to any local business’ marketing arsenal. For example, businesses have the ability to claim their business in the app, customize their profiles, upload offers, and even outreach to nearby users with flash deals. With thousands of users eager to discover locally-owned spots, now is an excellent time for businesses to claim their profiles and get started as Chugachew Hotspots.
As you know, we’re big fans of Chugachew. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Chugachew is an app dedicated to connecting users to locally-owned businesses, and providing those businesses with powerful analytics and insights into their markets. Chugachew is one of the first digital platforms on which locally-owned businesses don’t have to compete with the marketing budgets of billion-dollar chains. With a crystal clear goal of supporting local, our user base is equally dedicated to that philosophy and are eager to support these businesses, making marketing on the app that much more effective. We are proud of the substantial support and attention we have generated for Denver’s local businesses. In the short few months we’ve been active, we’ve generated millions of views online and thousands of visits to these restaurants.
We’d like your readers to know that Chugachew is free to use. The app has robust search functionality, enabling users to search not just by location, but also by cuisine type, specific dish, current or future deals, and much more. Users can also find happy hours, flash deals, specials, events and more. We also have the Chugachew Passport for only $5/month, which gives users permanent and reusable access to countless deals that other users can only take advantage of for a limited time. New venues and deals from locally-owned business go live every single day!
We’d like businesses to reach out to us if their interested in having their venue promoted on our social media channels, and we’d also like them to take advantage of all of the features mentioned in the Challenges/Obstacles section of this questionnaire.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
Right now, Chugachew is a dream in development. Long term, we’d love to see this app nationwide or even international. Small businesses are the backbone of the economy, and we take it as a genuine loss anytime we see a locally-owned business close its doors. One of the most beautiful things about this country is our diversity, and nowhere is that diversity easier to enjoy than in the range of restaurants across Denver or any other metroplex. We don’t want Denver to look like every other city. We don’t want anymore chains from other cities to find their way here. Sure, it’s fun being able to go to In-N-Out on occasion, but now it’s one less exciting thing to look forward to when traveling to L.A. We have a huge passion for local business, and we want to see it thrive. Our sincere ask is that users explore the app, give us feedback, and help us to continue refining our product so we can better serve local business and the folks seeking fresh experiences they can’t get in any other city!
Pricing:
- *optional* $5/month for Chugachew Passport (permanent and reusable access to deals other users can only get for a limited time).
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Chugachew.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chugachewapp/
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@chugachew
