AppyHour® Inc. was formally incorporated in 2019 but the original idea began under informal and unusual circumstances.

While at the University of Iowa Neil earned a scholarship for an internship abroad program in Madrid, Spain. After his first week, he and his co-workers went out for beers and upon getting the check back, he nearly fainted. He was charged $8 per beer, more than $12 at the time! On the walk home he was aggressively grabbed by the arm, pulled into an empty restaurant, and shown a menu that had the same beers for ¼ the price he was paying down the street. To add insult to injury, the restaurant also had great live flamenco music happening at the same time. Not only is this a problem for Neil, who would have loved to have known about this, but it’s a problem for these bar & restaurant operators who have no way to reach target consumers, like Neil, at the point of decision-making.

“There has to be a way for to find real-time food, drink and event specials nearby so I can extend my euros and enjoy the city… and there has to be a better way for these bar and restaurant operators to reach me with their offers at the point of decision-making.” — The “AHA” moment.

Upon returning to Iowa City, Neil teamed up with his long-time friend, Jake, to co-found the company and set out on a mission to empower local bar and restaurants with a better way to reach the right consumers, with the right offers, at the right time.