LivingSocial Takes Midtown Manhattan with Instant Deals and $1 Lunch

WASHINGTON, June 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Going out for a bite in The Big Apple will be a lot easier to swallow when LivingSocial bestows $1 lunch offers in Midtown Manhattan this week to introduce LivingSocial Instant Deals, a breakthrough in local commerce enabling consumers to find immediate deals at restaurants and attractions within a 0.5-mile radius via the LivingSocial mobile application.  

Beginning Wednesday, June 8, deal seekers in Midtown Manhattan need only a smartphone with the LivingSocial app, or a computer, and a free LivingSocial account to partake in Instant Deals. On launch day, members can log in to the app, or go online to www.livingsocial.com/instant, select Instant Deals and feast their eyes on $1 lunch item offers served up by some of Midtown Manhattan's hottest food haunts.  

The dollar deals will go fast, so it's best to be locked and loaded to lasso the best bargain:

• Step One: Download the latest version of the LivingSocial mobile application(1) to your iPhone or Android device. When the app opens, click on Instant Deals. Or, visit the LivingSocial Instant Deals website and select "New York City" as your city.
• Step Two: Select something tasty from the list of available Instant Deals within 0.5 miles of your current locale, and pay just one single American dollar per voucher.
• Step Three: Walk a block or so and display your freshly-purchased Instant Deals voucher on your mobile device when you're ready to check out.

LivingSocial $1 lunch vouchers will be available for purchase beginning at 6:00 a.m. ET and will be available for redemption from 11:00 a.m. ET to 2:00 p.m. ET(2) on Wednesday, June 8, only. But, LivingSocial Instant Deals will continue to surprise and delight those who live or visit Manhattan long after the dollar lunch day is done.

"New York City is like no other city in America. Its residents, and the city itself, move at a fast pace," said Tim O'Shaughnessy, CEO and co-founder of LivingSocial. "LivingSocial Instant Deals will make it easier for Manhattanites and visitors to find a great value, fast, so they can spend more time living and less time looking for food, fun and cool services."

Name-dropping (and a dollar!) will get you in (almost) everywhere in Midtown on $1 lunch day. Here are just a few establishments that will offer faire for spare change on June 8:

• La Mangeoire | 1008 2nd Avenue | 10022
• Prime Burger | 5 East 51st Street | 10022
• The Original SoupMan | 259 W 55th Street | 10019
• And many more midtown eateries

This event marks the second LivingSocial Instant Deals rollout. In April 2011, LivingSocial Instant Deals was introduced to Washington, D.C., where more than 27,000 $1 lunch Instant Deals vouchers were sold.

LivingSocial Instant Deals revolutionizes the way merchants market their businesses and consumers discover the best experiences in their neighborhood. Local merchants work with LivingSocial's team of on-the-ground local commerce experts to craft deals and optimize traffic through their doors. Unlike LivingSocial daily deals, which are live for 24 hours, Instant Deals are live for a short period of time, providing increased opportunity for businesses to enhance their customer base.

LivingSocial plans to roll-out Instant Deals in more U.S. locations soon. For a full list of LivingSocial cities or to subscribe, go to livingsocial.com. Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/livingsocial, or join us on Facebook at facebook.com/livingsocial.

About LivingSocial

LivingSocial adds surprise to every calendar with handpicked daily deals you can share with friends. Members enjoy at least 50 percent off on the coolest, local experiences. Local business owners get an easy and cost effective marketing tool to attract new, loyal customers. In 2010, one of the fastest growing companies in the space expanded with LivingSocial Escapes offering a "vacation in a box" for easy weekend trips at great value. Based in Washington, D.C., the international brand has saved nearly 30 million subscribers more than half a billion dollars in more than 260 markets worldwide.

SOURCE LivingSocial