Eat Well, Meet Well.
Connect people through one of life’s most universal experiences—dining.
Estimated 8 min read
Eat with me
Overview
Eat with Me is the perfect way to discover amazing local restaurants while making meaningful connections.
Whether you’re new to town or just want to expand your social circle, ‘Eat with Me’ helps you easily create or join tables, turning solo dining into a shared experience. Say goodbye to eating alone and hello to building friendships, one meal at a time.
Solution
Eat with me provides a seamless way for individuals to discover local restaurants and connect with others by creating shared dining experiences.
By allowing users to “create a table” and invite others to join, the platform fosters meaningful social interactions, making it easy to meet new people over a meal. Whether you’re new to the area, looking to expand your social circle, or simply want to avoid eating alone, this app turns every meal into an opportunity to build connections.
Competitive Analysis
There's no in-between.
The competitive analysis for “Eat with Me” identifies both direct and indirect competitors in the dining and social networking space. Direct competitors include Eatwith and Feastly, which focus on social dining experiences but lack features like restaurant discovery and user-generated events. Indirect competitors like Yelp and OpenTable dominate restaurant searches and reservations but do not facilitate social interactions.
The app’s unique value proposition combines restaurant discovery with social dining experiences, targeting social eaters and newcomers seeking connections. Market opportunities exist for fostering social interactions around local dining, but threats from established platforms could pose challenges. By addressing these aspects, “Eat with Me” aims to carve out a unique niche in the market.
User Interviews
Before embarking on the design process, I wanted to ensure that the challenges faced were genuinely felt by potential users. To that end, I conducted a survey with 80 individuals to gather insights into their behaviors regarding making new friends and social dining experiences. Additionally, I deepened my understanding by interviewing 10 diverse participants, including students and professionals, to capture a wide range of perspectives.
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How often do you dine out at local restaurants?
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How do you enjoy meeting new people and making new friends?
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How comfortable are you using apps to discover and book dining experiences?
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What motivates you to try new dining experiences? (Curiosity about new cuisines, Trying highly recommended places, Socializing and meeting new people, Unique or special events, Exploring local culture and traditions, Variety and change from routine, Looking for new favorites)
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How important is social interaction to you when dining out?
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How often do you participate in social events or group activities?
Some of the key questions from the interviews include:
Main Insights
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41.2% people dine out at local restaurants multiple times a week.
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Out of 35 people, 14 enjoy meeting new people and making new friends a lot.
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More than 60% of people are comfortable using an app to discover and book dining experiences.
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43.1% people care about social interaction when dining out.
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26.5% people participate in social events a few times a month; 17.6% once a month and 41.2% few times a year.
Opportunity
How might we connect users through shared dining experiences to help them discover local restaurants and make new friends?
Ideating Solutions
"FInd people"
In brainstorming potential solutions, I envisioned a “Find people” feature that connects users with ideal restaurants and new friends for dining.
Eventually, this concept evolved into a design where users can effortlessly switch between two pages: “Find Food” and “Find People.” This functionality simplifies the process of deciding (1) who to meet, (2) where to meet, and (3) what to eat, providing users with enhanced inspiration to plan their next exciting meal experience.
Ideating Solutions
"Create Table"
As I brainstormed potential solutions, I envisioned a feature that allows users to create their own dining tables by selecting a restaurant they want to try. This idea evolved into a dynamic tool where users can set up their dining plan details, including the time, participants, and who’s already in the group. This feature not only streamlines the planning process but also encourages social interaction, making it easier for users to connect and enjoy meals together in a fun and organized way.
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Interactions :
2 Major Improvements !
User Safety
Based on feedback, I realized that safety is a top priority for users when dining. To enhance safety, I am redesigning the app to include a verification process where users will complete face scanning and upload a government-issued ID for authenticity checks. This new verification flow aims to create a secure environment, fostering trust as users connect and meet new friends through dining experiences.
Share your dining adventures!
On this page, users can post their thoughts, photos, and reviews of the meals, allowing them to relive those memorable moments and inspire others. Stay connected with new friends they meet through dining experiences, fostering ongoing conversations and friendships. Whether it’s a favorite dish or a fun night out, their contributions help create a vibrant, engaged community where food lovers can share.
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The latest Designs : Meet Eat With Me
Lessons Learned
What I’d do differently next time.
1. Make every decision trying to create the most incredible user experience.
“Eat with Me” prioritize creating the best possible user experience in every decision we make. Initially, my focus was on designing an aesthetically pleasing interface. However, I realized that the invitation and table creation process must be incredibly easy in a dining-social-based app like ours. From the very first interaction, the experience needs to be seamless to encourage users to share their experiences with friends.
2. I recognized the importance of thoroughly understanding the problem space and existing solutions. While I surveyed over 80 individuals and conducted one-on-one interviews with 10, I wish I had dedicated more time to researching competitors early on. This insight could have accelerated the definition of our social-based dining scheduling service and helped me identify gaps and opportunities more effectively from the outset.
3. Think from the restaurants’ side. While designing an app for dining experiences, I realized it’s important to consider the restaurant side too. I should have focused on their processes, such as reservations, dining rules, and promotions. By incorporating these aspects into the app, we can create a smoother experience for users and strengthen partnerships with restaurants. This will ultimately enhance satisfaction for everyone involved.
Thanks For Reading :)
Problem
Join a Table, Share a Story
In today’s busy world, making new friends can be challenging, especially for individuals who are new to an area or simply looking to expand their social circles. Dining alone often feels isolating, and opportunities to meet new people can be limited. Many people seek meaningful connections but struggle to find casual, low-pressure ways to engage with others.
This creates a gap in the social landscape, where shared dining experiences could foster friendships and community bonding.