Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Alums Offer Palatable Prices

Everyone loves to eat, and everyone loves a good deal. Savored, an online company founded by two recent Georgetown graduates, aims to offer its partners and consumers the benefits of both.

Dan Leahy (COL ’08) and Ben McKean (COL ’08) met as freshmen and soon became close friends. After graduating, both moved to New York City, where they lived together while working for separate finance companies.

“We’d get home from work and talk about creating a more efficient way for small businesses to leverage the Internet to drive customers,” Leahy, the company’s president, said.

The pair began speaking with restaurants and other small businesses to create a business plan. The result, VillageVines, was launched in 2010 and became Savored in June of 2011.

According to Leahy, the company is the equivalent of expedia.com for restaurants. It now features restaurants in 10 major cities across the United States, including Washington, D.C.

“It’s important to remember that life at a start-up is a constant evolution, and we’re growing and changing on a daily basis,” Corrie McWilliams (MSB ’08), Savored’s marketing manager, said.

McWilliams described how the quest to find a competitive advantage drove Leahy and McKean to develop a unique system. While other online companies post printable coupons on a daily basis, Savored asks its members to pay $10 to make a reservation at a partner restaurant and then gives them an automatic 30 percent discount on their final bill.

“This can equate to huge savings. We had a member share with us a recent receipt that saved her $650,” McWilliams said.

The 635 restaurants that have partnered with Savored benefit from a rush of customers during off-peak hours, according to McWilliams. The restaurants are able to choose the dates, times and party sizes for the reservations that are posted on Savored.

McKean, Savored’s CEO, said that a Georgetown class on entrepreneurship helped foster his interest in creating Savored. He added that his time playing Hoya baseball also contributed to his desire to work professionally with a close-knit team.

Correction: The article previously stated that Leahy and McKean worked for technology companies, that McWilliams was in the College and that VillageVines was started in 2009. Leahy and McKeanworked for finance companies, McWilliams graduated from the McDonough School of Business andVillageVines was started in 2010. The article has been updated to reflect these changes.

Leave a Comment
Donate to The Hoya

Your donation will support the student journalists of Georgetown University. Your contribution will allow us to purchase equipment and cover our annual website hosting costs.

More to Discover
Donate to The Hoya

Comments (0)

All The Hoya Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *