In Tampa, a recent University of South Florida graduate is turning his experience as a food‑delivery driver into a community‑focused business. Nicholas Eisengrein, who completed his degree at USF, launched the 9Yaps mobile app to connect students with local merchants offering daily discounts.
How 9Yaps works
The free app functions as a digital directory of deals across nine categories, from coupon codes and buy‑one‑get‑one offers to birthday bonuses. More than 8,000 users have downloaded the platform, and they can redeem a deal on their phone and show it to an employee at the participating business. Many promotions are available every day, encouraging repeat visits.
Local merchants on board
Approximately 100 businesses pay a monthly subscription to list their offers on 9Yaps. Eisengrein says roughly 80% of those partners are independent, family‑run operations. One early adopter, Barberitos, a restaurant located five minutes east of the USF campus, provides app users with a free side of queso to draw foot traffic.
“The 9Yaps partnership started with Nick coming in. What makes me feel really good and comfortable about him is that he wants the platform to grow just as much as we wanted to grow. We feel connected,” said Barberitos Creative Director Cole Loren.
Community over expansion
Eisengrein emphasizes personal relationships. Nearly every partnership began with an in‑person visit, and he prefers nurturing local ties rather than expanding rapidly to other cities. “I like to prioritize our community rather than building the company, so I can go all the way out to Orlando or other states, but I really love talking with those local businesses and students,” he explained.
Merchant partners echo that sentiment. “It feels like you are holding hands with someone, and you’re kind of both growing. You’re in the same garden with each other. You’re growing the same plants, and if everything is growing, then you are both succeeding,” Loren added.
Impact on students and the local economy
By aggregating discounts in one place, 9Yaps helps students stretch limited budgets while driving traffic to small businesses that might otherwise struggle to reach the campus market. The app’s growth demonstrates how technology can reinforce neighborhood commerce without sacrificing the personal connections that define Tampa’s downtown and surrounding districts.
As the platform continues to add partners, Eisengrein hopes the model can be replicated at other colleges while retaining its focus on face‑to‑face relationships and local economic vitality.
Original reporting: Tampa Bay Florida News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
