New Card Brings Discounts to Campus

The West End is now offering 20 percent off all bar tabs. That is, so long as the one running up the tab owns a Pirate Card.

The Pirate Card is a business venture started by Artia Moghbel and Vishal Kumar, both SEAS '08. In all, the Pirate Card offers discounts at 20 different neighborhood businesses, ranging from restaurants to bookstores to supermarkets.

"I lived in L.A. and things were really expensive there," said Moghbel. "Now I'm in New York and things are still really expensive. Basically, I created this card out of my own personal frustration at the high prices."

Moghbel and his partner canvassed the neighborhood last spring looking for businesses that would be willing to collaborate with them on the Pirate Card. They compiled the 20 best discounts they could find and incorporated them into their business venture.

Though the participating stores receive no material compensation or profit from offering these discounts, Moghbel maintains that the publicity and increased consumer base are incentive enough.

"We help the merchants out by putting them on the Pirate Card," said Moghbel. "We also only offered discounts from one store of each type."

For instance, Domino's, which offers cardholders two large pizzas for the price of one, is the only pizza store that is on the card. "This makes sense because it gives stores the chance to really get an edge on their competition," said Moghbel.

Still, the process of compiling and securing discounts from neighborhood businesses was "really tedious," said Kumar.

"We went around for five months, three days a week, walking up and down Broadway and Amsterdam," Kumar said.

Not all stores were eager to participate. According to Kumar, India Cafe, among other nearby restaurants, decided against offering discounts to cardholders.

Though Moghbel and Kumar have not invested heavily in advertising, people are taking notice.
"I feel that it could be a very useful product," said Michael Cho, CC '07. Personally, I'm not very interested, but I know a lot of people who are."

"The card will really sell itself," claimed Moghbel. "We want to create a real word-of-mouth type of thing. Just put our product out there and watch it catch on."

Moghbel and Kumar named their creation the Pirate Card because "it kind of gives the sense that you're a pirate, that you're getting these great deals, almost like you're stealing," Moghbel said.
Though it is geared toward students, anyone can purchase a Pirate Card. The card can be used as many times as the user wants and expires Aug. 31, 2006. The Pirate Card also gives the holder discounts at Village Copier, Milano Market, Amsterdam Cafe, Nacho's, Amir's Falafel, and Morton Williams, among other neighborhood mainstays. The card costs $10 and can be purchased online at www.piratecard.com.