Startups

Rooam, that app for paying your bar tab, is now live in DC

Pay via Rooam at ChurchKey, Hawk 'n' Dove, Public Bar and more.

Still waiting for the check? Don't, with Rooam. (Photo by Flickr user Sam Howzit, used under a Creative Commons license)

The first time I went to Hawk ‘n’ Dove in Capitol Hill was also the first time I did an Irish car bomb. It was my 23rd birthday and the bartender challenged me to it — I lost, obviously.
Should I ever wish to relive that night, though, I’ll now be able to pay my bar tab directly from my phone with D.C.-born Rooam.
Download
We originally profiled Rooam and its cofounder Junaid Shams back in April. At the time, the app was still in beta, and Shams had just raised $1.2 million in seed funding. Now Rooam is live for iOS and Android, and users can pay via the app at around 12 D.C. bars, according to the company.
Recall — Rooam does three things. It allows users to pay bar tabs at participating bars via their mobile phones, it makes it easy to see which bars are having events and it features a way for partiers to find out where their friends are (privacy settings allowing).
Rooam is free to download, though the company makes money by charging users a $1 fee on each bill paid through the app (no matter how large or small). From the bar side the tech is completely free.
Watch the app’s promo video below.

In April, Shams told Technical.ly he’d love to expand Rooam beyond D.C., but is focused on growing buy-in from app users and bars here in his hometown first. Going out this weekend? Go ahead and Rooam.

Correction: An earlier version of this story stated that Rooam is available for use at Bar Deco and Barrel. It is not, and the story has been updated. (12/1/2016, 3:55 p.m.)

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