The Super Bowl is right around the corner, bringing with it a mass of more than one million people enjoying their Sunday at Super Bowl Central in downtown Phoenix. Vendors and activities will span from food to transportation services and most will provide a form of gratuity for their service and hard work.

We live in a mostly plastic world with very few people carrying more than $20 in actual cash at a time. Instead of being caught in the uncomfortable situation where you would like to tip but don’t have any cash or wasting time in the congested streets of downtown Phoenix trying to find an ATM, you can tip straight from your smartphone. This is where a new app Bravo, founded by Hector and Maria Rodriguez-Luna, comes in. Bravo is a simple app used to rate and tip a service professional by locating them with your GPS service. This allows you to safely, discretely and quickly transfer gratuity directly over to service professionals.
The founders of Bravo were born and raised in Puerto Rico, but planted roots in Scottsdale just over a decade ago. The couple traveled the world together, and on a trip to Southern Utah found themselves in an awkwardly frustrating situation of being rendered completely cashless and wanting to tip their housekeepers, bellhops and valets for stellar service. With the nearest ATM being nearly an hour away from their wilderness retreat, the idea for Bravo was born.

Bravo, the latest mobile-based cashless tipping application, is the fastest, most convenient way to show gratitude to service professionals from any smartphone device. Designed and cultivated in Phoenix, Bravo offers a smart gratuity solution for a fast-paced, mobile-driven consumer base. The app allows users the opportunity to rate their service experiences on a five-star scale and simply, safely and discretely provide gratuity in whatever dollar amount desired. Bravo also provides security and peace of mind for service industry professionals with the ability to avoid the need to carry large sums of cash, a method to better budget earnings, and the opportunity to build clientele based upon star-ratings and reviews.

How it Works

1.    Set up profile with Facebook or create account with email and password.

2.     You can choose whether you want to set your account up to give tips or receive them.

3.    It will then ask to enable location services.

4.    If nothing is in the area you can reload or scan the service professional’s QR code or enter their Bravo code.

5.    Once located, the service professional’s picture and name will appear. The customer may choose any amount to send to the intended recipient and the gratuity will be instantly transferred into the service professional’s personal bank account.

Bravo will be front and center with several participating area partners. Fifteen locations of Desert Parking and Integrity Valet stands, including those at O.H.S.O., Joyride Taco House, Clever Koi and all three locations of The Vig will be taking advantage of the newly launched app. Additionally, early adopters of the app, including golf cart transporters Old Town Shuttle, Bunny Rides and Quick Silver Transportation will be rolling through the streets of Old Town Scottsdale, ready to accept gratuity from travelers’ smartphone devices. Ladies looking to get their nails done ahead of the big game in Glendale can also visit the Polish Room Nails and Spa, which has already rolled out the app to its customers. In the next few weeks, American Valet stands at Fogo de Chao, Restoration Hardware and Capital Grill will be added to the list of actively participating partners.

For those hesitant to provide bank account or credit card information via smartphone, Bravo users’ phone data is encrypted and the application has a security PIN. Non-sensitive personal information (name, e-mail, phone number) is not stored in the device, but rather scrambled and stored in different encrypted servers. Sensitive data (credit card, debit card, etc.) is not stored at Bravo servers but rather immediately sent to PayPal’s affiliate, Braintree, which generates a one-time-use token per transaction, providing zero chance for hacking or theft of any type.

Users may download the free app from the App Store for iPhone and Google Play for Android Devices. Service professionals may also register for BRAVO’s free service by downloading the app, or clicking here.