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New coupon code provides UCLA community with discounts at 12 Westwood eateries

A new coupon code provides discounts at popular Westwood Village eateries to the UCLA community. (Justin Jung/Daily Bruin senior staff)

By Elizabeth Sherwood

Oct. 21, 2020 6:09 p.m.

This post was updated Oct. 25 at 8:03 p.m.

A new coupon code will give the UCLA community discounts in at least 12 Westwood eateries.

Undergraduate Students Association Council Facilities Commission and Financial Supports Commission partnered with the Westwood Village Improvement Association to create the coupon code, “ILOVEWESTWOOD,” announced via social media on Oct 13. Customers can use the code in person or via phone.

Twelve restaurants, including Sweetfin Poke, Nick the Greek and Pinches Tacos have signed onto the initiative so far to offer discounts to UCLA students and faculty. Students can get 20% off orders at Tocaya Organica and $0.99 fish tacos from Baja California Tacos on Wednesdays.

USAC Facilities Commissioner Sachi Cooper said USAC created the coupons to make food more affordable to the UCLA community during a difficult financial time. FAC promoted the discounts on social media, designed graphics for the coupons and flyers and published ads on Twitter and Instagram.

The coupon codes will also benefit the many struggling businesses in the Village, said Cooper, a third-year geography student.

“Our pitch to businesses was, you know, this will raise awareness,” Cooper said. “You’ll be on this graphic that will be distributed to students, so they’ll see your logo, your business name, and you’ll be getting new customers that you didn’t have in the past.”

She added that although some businesses were hesitant to offer discounts because of financial strains caused by the pandemic, businesses wanted to join the project after seeing the positive results after the initial release Oct 13.

Ezequiel Medina, a manager at Enzo’s Pizzeria, said that the coupons have led to an influx of new customers, including both students and UCLA Health faculty. Customers use the discounts to order pizza deliveries and takeout. This increase in business comes at an important time for the Village, he said.

“Anything helps at this point,” Medina said.

USAC Financial Supports Commissioner Noe Garcia said FSC joined the initiative to facilitate a more free flow of capital in the Village by encouraging customers to order in person.

“A lot of these businesses prefer that one orders through them directly, rather than using any outside apps,” said Garcia, a third-year public affairs student. “These apps are very popular, but they don’t often help these small businesses in Westwood. Students ordering in person is how we can best support these businesses during this pandemic.”

Although many businesses in the Village cannot offer discounts now, many hope to do so in the future, Garcia said.

“This is a program we want to continue through the entire school year, and possibly for years in the future, so we want to keep these relationships with these businesses strong and healthy,” Garcia said.

Megan Furey, the marketing and communications manager for WVIA, said while the association has attempted to create discount codes in the past, it has not been successful until now. WVIA gave FAC and FSC a list of businesses’ contact information for the commissions to reach out to, Furey said.

Some food discounts including Skylight Gardens and Bella Pita also apply to Westwood residents, which could unify the local community, Furey added.

“People are coming together to help our businesses, they see how much they are struggling,” Furey said. “The students want to be able to get a little discount and maybe spend a little bit more to support the businesses in their community.”

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Elizabeth Sherwood | Assistant News editor
Sherwood is the 2020-2021 Assistant News Editor for the City & Crime beat. She was previously a contributor for National News and Higher Education. She is a second year political science and communications student and digital humanities minor at UCLA.
Sherwood is the 2020-2021 Assistant News Editor for the City & Crime beat. She was previously a contributor for National News and Higher Education. She is a second year political science and communications student and digital humanities minor at UCLA.
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