Walking down Green Street, students may notice a new type of QR code placed in the window of several campus businesses. The QR code, surrounded by a black circle and with a blue K placed in its center, deems the business “Kruue approved.”

The Red Lion hosted the application’s release party April 3 after University students promoted it through social media. 

The Kruue application, which is free to download, is compatible with both iPhones and Androids. Once a student creates a personal profile, he or she is able to scan “Kruue Codes,” and could win discounts or special offers at various businesses.

“Kruue-approved businesses” at the University are The Red Lion, The Clybourne, Mia Za’s Cafe, The Beach-Sun & Spa, Wingin Out, Fat Sandwich Co., Rob Sickler Salon & Spa, Firehaus Restaurant and Bar, and The Canopy Club. 

Zach Samson, founder and CEO of Kruue, decided to create the application in the hope that college students would be aware of popular businesses in their area and said he wanted to create a type of endorsement for these businesses. He was determined to make the organization completely student-run and set out to recruit “the most influential students” on campus to serve as ambassadors to the company and get the word out about the new app.

More than 80 students, including seven division leaders who focus on specific topics such as marketing, recruitment, media and philanthropy, now serve as Kruue members at the University, said Krista Paplaczyk, Kruue team member and junior in LAS. Last month, the members collectively voted on what they thought were the most popular businesses on campus and made them “Kruue approved.”

Paplaczyk is the operations manager for the University of Illinois’ chapter. Her job entails being the overseer for all of the divisions, and ensuring that everything runs smoothly with the application. If anything needs to be done, she said, she is the one other members contact.

The benefits of Kruue made it easy to recruit new campus team members, she said. However, they were looking for a broad range of “influential” students when choosing who to invite to be a part of the Kruue team. 

“We didn’t look for the most popular or the smartest kids necessarily. We wanted the trend-setters, the students who work hard and are leaders for the rest of the U of I community,” Paplacyzk said.

Tara Hill, sophomore in ACES, is also a Kruue team member at the University and is satisfied with her decision to join the team. She said she originally was unsure of what to expect when one day she received an invitation to attend an informational meeting about Kruue with no explanation. With all of the great benefits Kruue has given her, including acquiring new business connections, she said the decision to join was worth it.

Kruue is also expanding to multiple colleges throughout the country such as Central Michigan University, Wright State University and University of Iowa. With exclusive deals to some of the most popular businesses in town, both Kruue members and Kruue users are gaining valuable rewards.

Henry Wilson, sophomore in Business, uses Kruue on his iPhone.

“Kruue is an amazing app that is easy to use, and allows students to get a taste — pun intended — of everything this campus has to offer,” Wilson wrote in an email. 

Users can also find Kruue QR codes on social media pages, including Kruue.com and Facebook. Once a Kruue Code has been scanned, it will automatically turn into a scratch off on the phone screen, which can be redeemed at any time. The application’s “Campus Newsfeed” also allows users to see daily deals being offered around campus.

Christen can be reached at [email protected].