Flavor

Flavor was created when I got tired of spending a lot of time deciding where to eat with friends, family and on dates. I jokingly said I wanted to create an app that allowed me to just push a button to make the decision for me. That was the light bulb moment and I immediately went to my friend Corey who I knew would be the perfect person to partner with to make this a reality. We’re doing something about the problem most people just accept and deal with.

The Problem (our experience)

Every time Corey or I go out to eat with our friends or family, we experience how much research and effort it takes to find a place everyone is happy with. We must also navigate different dietary or allergic restrictions people have when picking a place. To get everyone happy with the selection can be an art form, whether you try a new spot or just go to a tried and true place you have been before.

The ways we find places to eat have been the same for a long time. Not much has changed with the information you are given or the amount of tapping around on your phone that needs to take place. Everyone going out needs to look up the menus of the places you suggest to add their opinion. We all have a story about these struggles. We are creating an app that solves all these problems.

We believe it should be as simple as touching a few buttons on your phone. You should be able to get instant recommendations no matter how many people are eating with you.

Opportunity

After working at a Data Research company for a few years, I started to see a way to resolve the problem. To enable people to be matched with food they will enjoy, and tell them how much they will enjoy it, we need data from the restaurants that has never been collected before. Using Optical Character Recognition (with human error-checking)and a staff of researchers it is possible to obtain this data and utilize it. As a former employee of one of the largest data collection companies in the US, I understand the challenges and rewards of this kind of project.

Every year processing power and adoption of technology becomes more widespread. Most restaurants are using a digital POS and provide menus on a website or Facebook. Orders placed for food are done electronically, and most companies that service the restaurant industry use electronic records. This will enable the restaurants to easily keep their information up to date. We may also collect data over the phone or in person depending on the needs of each restaurant.

How Flavor Started

While working a full-time job, I researched the idea for Flavor by talking to chefs, restaurants, programmers and other experts. I’ve found it is possible to do this. I then searched for a co-founder whose skills would fill the gaps I see necessary to be a successful start up.

Corey Zaharis was the perfect fit and joined as co-founder, bringing his computer skills, writing, and organizational abilities.

“I just feel like the idea is too good to not do it. There isn’t an app or service out there that does this and it would be amazing to create it and see people use it.” – Corey

What Is Flavor?

Flavor provides instant recommendations on what to eat locally based on the users tastes and preferences. It also enables users to sort and filter by almost anything imaginable while finding places to eat everyone in the group will love.

How easy is it really? You create an account, then answer three questions about food, and pick a few of your favorite dishes. Next you’ll select some food items you’ve had and didn’t like. Lastly, you’ll select any allergies, food sensitivities or diets you’re on. You’re now ready to get recommendations! The more you go out to eat or order take out, the more accurate your recommendations will become.

Flavor also makes it easy to find your friends by linking accounts to get group recommendations.

Path to Become Self-Sustaining

Restaurants already have thin margins and Covid-19 has made things more difficult. We will give free advertising to eligible independently owned restaurants for the first year to help them get more customers and come back stronger. Restaurants that don’t qualify for free advertising still get our low monthly pricing if they decide to upgrade to a premium advertising package (basic listings in the app are free for all restaurants).

Monthly advertising costs start as low as $200 per month. When compared to traditional online advertising, they are paying about $4 per click or 1000 views. Restaurants can easily spend over $1000 per month on advertising online, so our options should be very appealing.

Our consistent monthly fee and data we provide each month makes it easy to pay for cost. The data we share with restaurants who advertise allows them to see exactly how many people saw their items, matched to items, viewed their items, went to the restaurant, reviewed their items, left feedback and much more.

Feel free to reach out to us with any questions or if you want more detailed information about something. We hope you will join us in making this a reality.