The app LineLeap has taken advantage of the reopening of venues this past year and has spread to businesses near the University of Arizona.
LineLeap is an app that gives customers perks such as line-skip passes, cover, event tickets and more when attending local bars, clubs and venues.
This platform has just surpassed over 200,000 users and has spread to 59 different cities and 200 different venues, including popular local bars such as Gentle Ben’s Brewing Company, No Anchovies and Dirtbags.
Tito Morales, a student studying physiology and Spanish, is the lead marketing ambassador for LineLeap in these locations. Morales is responsible for promoting line skip passes and encouraging those waiting in line to purchase a pass.
“LineLeap is like your Disney fast past but for bars. So if there’s a really long line at one of the bars you want to go to, you can download our app, make an account and buy a pass,” Morales said.
The passes generally start at a rate of $10. Although, as venues get busier and crowd numbers increase, pass rates can rise up to $50 as seen in April 2021 when Rob Gronkowski visited Gentle Ben’s. Based on the line length, the businesses work out the logistics and raise the price of line-skip passes to reduce wait times and control the crowd, according to Morales.
“I think it’s great for businesses,” Morales said. “Being professional, making good connections, talking to people and getting in a good experience is super imperative for building good businesses and building good relationships with people.”
On Tuesday nights and Saturday afternoons, Morales said they see their highest sales at Gentle Ben’s. Line wait times can be seen at up to over an hour long and customers are eager to skip the tedious wait.
Chance Sasser works as security and a doorman at Gentle Ben’s. He works Tuesday Pitcher Nights and Saturday Deck Day, the busiest days of the week, and has seen how LineLeap works.
“I think it’s useful for sure because if you don’t want to wait in the line, then you can skip the line,” Sasser said. “Is it fair? Maybe not so much because, you know, if you have more money than you can pay to skip the line compared to people who don’t have as much money which, you know, doesn’t seem right but then again, everything’s driven by money.”
Quinn McElvain, a junior studying sustainable built environments and Spanish, has not personally used the application but has experience with seeing others use the feature and how it works at popular businesses.
“The issue with LineLeap is that the service is coming at the expense of other customers’ wait time, so if you don’t use the service, you now have to wait even longer because the bars have to let the people who are using LineLeap in first,” McElvain said.
McElvain said he has waited up to an hour in line at Gentle Bens before and by the time he made it to the front, he had to wait an additional 20 minutes to allow the bouncers to let in individuals from the LineLeap line.
“I think LineLeap is one of those things where it might be nice if you use it, but if you don’t use it then it actually makes things worse,” McElvain said. “Most people either don’t have the extra money to spend on skipping lines or choose not to because they’d rather spend their money elsewhere, so it’s a huge advantage to those who are willing to pay that extra fee.”
Sarah Chugg, a marketing student, has used the app LineLeap and describes her experience with it as generally positive.
“It is nice when there is a big event or it’s a busy weekend,” Chugg said. “I get to cut people in line and get into the bar faster.”
Although Chugg has purchased line skip passes before, she does not like to use them often because of the price.
“At the time it usually seems like a really great idea but afterwards, I end up paying $20 for a 15-minute wait,” Chugg said.
As LineLeap continues to grow in popularity, Tucson should expect to feature more venues on the app in the future.
For more information on how to use LineLeap, visit their website or download the app.
Follow Abbie Kosoc on Twitter
