People in Ipswich are being invited to sign up for an innovative app which enables customers to set up a pre-paid “tab” ahead of a night out

The Gr8NiteOut app has been developed by a pub licensee in south London and was discovered by a group of Ipswich Town fans during a trip to the club’s ELF Cup match against Crystal Palace earlier this month.

They are now helping to spread the word about the app, which enables payments to be made to participating pubs via Paypal, with a £50 bar tab available to the first person in the town to get their favourite pub or bar to sign up.

All you need to do is encourage your local pub to sign up and as soon as they’ve done so, contact Gr8NiteOut on social media with your name and details of the pub you signed up or email info@gr8niteout.com.

Sheila Gaughan, licensee of The Prince George in Thornton Heath, London, developed the service to help build revenue

“The driving force for me has been to design and create an app that benefits both publicans and their consumers,” she said. “Having worked in the industry for a long time and now owning my own pub, I know how to attract and retain customers.

“I also know how to extract money into the till, but it started to dawn on me that we could increase our revenue streams considerably if we could find a 100% safe and reliable way of tapping into the pockets of those that may want to share a great night out without having to be physically present or within a hundred miles of the pub.”

She added: “The reason that this app is flying is due to its simplicity and safety. The transaction is between PayPal and the pub. Just two steps in the transaction. The publican also gets the money in the till before any pints are poured or meals are served. It really is a win-win situation.”

Other benefits for publicans who sign up to Gr8NiteOut include the ability to collect and use valuable customer data to drive repeat business.

In addition to the local prize, customers in Ipswich who encourage their pub to sign up to Gr8NiteOut will also be entered into a wider competition, with the chance of winning a £250 bar tab and £750 cash. The winner will also become the face of Gr8NiteOut, featuring on the app, website and promotional material.