The newly released Pokemon Go app is coercing millions of gamers out of their homes and into the world as they try to catch ‘em all, and some savvy restaurateurs are using it to their advantage.
A simple in-app purchase on the game allows users to leave certain Pokemon in different geographical locations that other players can then chase, leading unfortunately, to a number of criminals luring people to secluded locations and .
However, restaurant, cafe and bar owners are now using the same principal to a less sinister end, by planting attractive Pokemon inside their eateries to coax in new customers.
As a result, Twitter is alight with Pokemon trainers snapping photos of their latest catches while enjoying a meal.
But it doesn't stop there, with businesses also advertising Pokemon GO-friendly offers as an added incentive.
Lost Heaven restaurant in Melbourne is offering gamers discounts off their meals if they succeed in catching some particularly rare Pokemon. And in Sydney, Chinese restaurant Tanghui is regularly placing lures outside of their main entrance so players lingering at their front door to catch Pokemon will be in full view of their menu.
Meanwhile in Perth, Grill’d Hillarys has had to boost their staff to accommodate a rise in patrons with a team leader telling the that they’ve been busy at unusual times of the day.
On Sunday night at 10pm, it was raining and the marina was still pretty busy,” they said, “If it was that weather on Sunday night it would usually be dead by about 7.30pm.”
The game itself works with GPS and augmented reality to super-impose Pokemon characters into real life locations as viewed through a smart phone’s camera. To catch Pokemon, users need to walk around in search of the beings in a kind of high-tech treasure hunt with busy public places like malls and parks being particularly attractive locations.
