We were able to get a look at the new Pirq app update, which is focused on bringing beauty to the free restaurant discount app. In addition to making the app look a bit more slick, Pirq also worked on bringing restaurant information directly into the app itself in a Yelp-like fashion, and finally, the company wanted to make it even easier to go through the process of finding a restaurant to eat at, to redeeming the free deal (no pre-printed coupons or pre-payments are needed, unlike apps like Groupon or LivingSocial.)

The tour of the app begins with the magazine philosophy. In order to get users to tap on a restaurant deal, a magazine approach is used. Big, polished, glossy images of delicious food, all from the restaurants. The app even pulls in featured menu items that are popular at the different restaurants. Read on for all the details.

To encourage app loyalty, Pirq rewards frequent users with better savings. New users will be able see the bigger discounts, but they're locked. Another piece of the Pirq loyalty puzzle that you can feel good about is that, with each use, you help feed the needy. So the more money you save, the more lives you help. Pirq is on track for the month of May to donating 1,000 meals to people in need in the city of Seattle alone through the United Way. Pirq wants to hit 25,000 meals per month.

Over the next few months, Pirq will also allow you to connect with Facebook, allowing you to share your Pirq stats, showing how many deals you've redeemed, and how many meals your activity has donated. In addition, new community features will appear with your profile. This would allow you to do things like recommend your favorite restaurants to be a part of Pirq, and you'll end up being the recommender, and other users will be able to add their own support to your recommendation. If you submit a restaurant that ends up on Pirq, that person will get additional value and perks out of the restaurant.

You'll also have a digital punch card built in to the app as well. As you frequent your favorite Pirq spots, you'll have your loyalty card automatically tracked for free.

Other things like community leaderboards and gamification will end up encouraging users to continue to save money through using the Pirq app, and creating community by bubbling savvy users to the top of their local area lists. Users will also have the ability to publicize their Pirq deals within the app, which means that your friends are able to see what places you like to eat, and where the best deals are.

Going forward, Pirq just launched in San Francisco, becoming the official deal app for Apple employees, and the company will soon launch deals in Portland, Oregon as well. Credit cards will soon be incorporated into the app as well, allowing you to pay your tab directly from the app as well, without needing to take your wallet out. The first partner here will be Bank of America VISA.

The new Pirq update is now available on the Apple App Store.