Apple employees get deals not see by others

In an unusual move, Apple has partnered with regional "daily dining deals" app Pirq (free) on its first appearance in the Silicon Valley area to offer exclusive restaurant deals to Apple employees, AppleInsider reports. The site coordinated with Passport Unlimited, a long-time partner that has offered exclusive discounts to Apple employees in the past, to target the Cupertino-based workers. Discounts can range between 20 and 50 percent.

Pirq currently specializes in offering restaurant deals in the greater Seattle area that provide steep discounts for off-peak diners, and is beginning an expansion into the San Francisco area, where it will be available to the public later this year. The offers aimed at Apple employees were intended to entice restaurants in the area to sign up with the service as a "test run."

Of course the Apple employees will also benefit from the partnership, with several restaurants including Faultline Brewing Company and Cold Stone Creamery offering varying discounts. The launch will include deals from 45 restaurants around the Bay Area, including some aimed specifically at the small town of Cupertino, Apple's main headquarters (though it now has workers spread all around the region).

Pirq CEO James Sun told AppleInsider that, despite the similarity of the experience on the two platforms, the Pirq app for iOS is downloaded and used twice as often as the Android version. He said he is not sure why the discrepancy exists, but it inspired the company to choose Apple as a target market for its introduction to the Silicon Valley area.

The company, which is based near Microsoft's headquarters in Washington state, is also planning a Windows Phone version of the app and may opt to do a similar launch promotion for Microsoft employees. The iOS and Android apps launched last September. [via AppleInsider]

by MacNN Staff