Catching a Ride

Longtime Palisadian Helps Ride-Sharing and Brick-and-Mortar Businesses Alike with New Freebird Rides App

By MICHAEL AUSHENKER | Contributing Writer

“It’s been hard but super exciting,” Kurt Brendlinger told the Palisadian-Post when asked about his latest endeavor, Freebird Rides, an application that seamlessly embeds free ride hailing into one’s restaurant plans.

The venture capitalist and longtime Pacific Palisades resident has been working around the clock to spread the word on his Uber-affiliated app, which not only saves the user money and makes his company profits, but simultaneously boosts brick-and-mortar restaurants and the sharing economy.

Here’s how it works: The app invites restaurants to cover the cost of customers’ Uber (and soon Lyft) rides to their establishments. Customers using their Freebird account automatically trigger a refund on their ride-sharing costs when settling their bill.

“It works for everybody,” Brendlinger said. “It’s a new way to market ride share. The advertiser doesn’t pay until they get the transaction. The minute the customer closes the transaction, they get paid.”

The customer gets cash back within five days. Much like a PayPal account, the money is returned to the customer’s Freebird account, where it can be transferred to his/her bank account.

Brendlinger has also found a way for his company to monetize the app.

“We charge for advertising on the app,” he said. “We charge the venue $2 [per transaction].”

Brendlinger’s venture is already off to a robust start. A sampling Palisadian places currently on the app include Kayndaves, Il Piccolo Ritrovo and Gladstones. Also on the app are Malibu Café and Malibu Wines, just north of the Palisades, as well as Water Grill, Craftsman, 1212 Santa Monica, Finn McCool’s and Ye Olde King’s Head in Santa Monica.

Brendlinger noted that there’s already 5,000 destinations in many cities on the app, including Boston. He believes his idea is not only novel, it’s crucial, explaining that it’s a particularly ideal app for bars and taverns, as these spots can make more sales from alcohol because customers won’t sweat about driving home drunk.

Brendlinger’s Freebird Rides concept dates back to during Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in 2016.

“I took my daughter to Coachella and dropped her at concert,” Brendlinger recalled. “I went to play golf. At end of the round, I was having a drink in the bar and asked the waitress where I should go for dinner. She suggested three places. I asked her what was her favorite. She said some restaurant name and I asked her why she liked that place out of the three. She said, ‘They pick me up.’

“My head turned sideways with a ‘huh.’ When I got to the car, I grabbed my friend’s arm and said, ‘Oh, my God, she just gave me a billion-dollar idea.’”

“Could I make Uber pick up customers for free?” was the question he began asking himself.

Once Brendlinger developed his app, he beta-tested in Boston and Sacramento before soft-launching it in June 2017 and—after working out some glitches—hard-launching it last fall.

Brendlinger, who also serves as chairman of NuRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc., operates his company, Santa Monica Media Corporation, on the Santa Monica/Venice border, where he staffs 24 employees. He said his team is currently working hard toward advancing Freebird to its next platform right after the summer.

“We’re launching nationally Sept. 6,” he said, citing the day when the Atlanta Falcons and Philadelphia Eagles kick off the NFL season. “We’re talking to big national brands. There’s a point system if you book through us.”

He sees big things for his idea and wants to eventually “go beyond the restaurants” to include all kinds of businesses from gyms to non-restaurant retail outlets.