Market Pub House is a restaurant and pub that serves drinks, burgers and wings. The owner of Market Pub House hopes to get Bear Bucks approval soon to keep up with the businesses that already accept them.

The Bear Bucks program began as a pilot at Bobo Noodlehouse and Kayak’s Coffee. Before the end of fall semester Blueberry Hill began accepting Bear Bucks, and Chill joined the program in January.

Some Loop businesses have expressed that it is difficult to be a business that is not currently accepting Bear Bucks points and are inclined to join because they may be losing customers to competitors already enrolled.

Robert Hazelwood, manager at Market Pub House, says that his restaurant may be losing business to Blueberry Hill, where Bear Bucks are accepted.

“My feelings were that if a group of 10 Wash. U. students are going out on a Wednesday night but they want go out to my restaurant and only two of them can pay on their Bear Bucks card then they have to choose a restaurant that uses that program,” Hazelwood said. “I can interpret it to mean that a group of students going out might not choose my restaurant because I am not part of this program.”

Hazelwood said that he believed all businesses on the Loop would be able to join the Bear Bucks program at the same time.

“Originally we were of the impression that Bear Bucks would be going off campus and they would be starting with the Loop…we were ready to sign up and then we discovered the program was in some sort of preliminary phase where they’re not actually expanding into any businesses that want to partake,” he said.

Still, Hazelwood says he is excited by the prospect of ultimately partaking in the program.

“I’m really looking forward to the Loop being able to accept the Bear Bucks card. It is an exciting way to coordinate student activities off campus,” he said.

Campus Card Services Manager Rachel Reinagal says that the program will be expanding as it moves out of its pilot phase.

“Basically we received several businesses wanting the Bear Bucks program last semester. Mark Pub House did contact us. We were in the pilot phase, looking at the data, so we were very careful as to who we added last semester. Now we are looking at new businesses and looking to expand the program,” she said.

Jessica Bueller, president of the Loop Special Business District, says she envisions all businesses on the Loop ultimately accepting Bear Bucks.

“Having Washington University so close to the Loop, anything we can do to connect better and to connect with Washington University students we would be in support of. If at some point in time if every business in the Loop could be in the Bear Bucks program that would be wonderful,” Bueller said.

Students are looking forward to the Bear Bucks program expanding further.

“I think it’s great…Pi and FroYo are definitely popular spots,” sophomore Sonia Boodram said.

Freshman Rishi Das agrees.

“It’s a good idea. I have campus card points and it makes sense to use them,” Das said.