LineLeap: The University’s Greatest Asset

As most people know one of the largest aspects of the social life at The University of Minnesota include the nightlife, and for most upperclassmen a large part of that experience includes going out to the bars and drinking with their friends. Some of the more popular hangout spots for the older students include on-campus bars such as Sally’s Saloon, The Kollege Klub, Blarney’s, and Stub and Herb’s. In addition to the on-campus bars, there are also some off-campus bars that have become quite popular in the area as well and those bars include Cowboy Jack’s, Brother’s Bar and Grill, and Plum’s. Given the large student population at the university, it has become inevitable that at some point the bars do not have the space necessary to accommodate the large number of students who would like to be there, and excessively long lines are a result of that inability to satiate that existing and increasing demand. 

With that being said, bars have run into the issue of excessively long lines outside of their doors. It has become a difficult situation to navigate, making people wait as they increasingly become more and more impatient due to the line not moving. Also, the bars cannot dismiss paying customers to satiate the desires of those waiting outside, and as it continues to get colder and colder outside, customers will more than likely be less inclined to wait as long to get inside. Additionally, once a happy hour starts, people will probably end up staying significantly longer than if there was no happy hour at the time. So how do bars find a solution? What is it they can do to keep their impatient customers at bay long enough to get them inside?

The mobile app LineLeap has helped to resolve that issue. Lineleap allows customers to pay a fee that can range anywhere from five to forty five dollars, depending on the demand, and pass through the line. LineLeap has managed to become the saving grace for the customers who typically do not like waiting in line and simply want to get inside and start socializing. The appeal of LineLeap extends past the ability to skip an egregiously long line, but sometimes they offer merchandise to paying customers as well. Some of the merchandise that they have handed out this year include Truly crewnecks, beanies, and hawaiian-style shirts as well. Surely, the trendy merchandise in addition to the service that they are offering would be very appealing to the college students. This is an excellent way in which LineLeap is able to not only attract potential customers but keep the ones that they already have.

I am interested in seeing if at any point LineLeap will start a rewards program, or have something other than the clothing they offer. While it is no secret that choosing to purchase a LineLeap pass prior to going out is an added cost, I wonder if they will add any additional incentive to keep their customers consistent. While I imagine that once it starts snowing and it gets really cold, LineLeap will receive an abundance of business since not only will people be impatient, but they will be cold as well. However, what is to happen once it gets warmer again? Will enough people still feel the need to pay to get inside if it is not nearly as cold out? I believe it is imperative that an added incentive is included so that people are consistently relying on the service, that way they can continue to accumulate a profit. 

As a business, I find LineLeap to be very interesting, mostly because to my knowledge everything is conducted via a mobile app. Which makes the entire process less complicated and more convenient for their customers. It would seem to make the most sense for someone to purchase a LineLeap in advance that way they could purchase their ticket at a significantly lower price than what it may be valued at later in the night. All in all, I find the business to be very interesting to analyze and I’m curious to see what adjustments they have to make later in the year to either acclimate or accommodate what it is their customers desire later on.