How do you create an app that helps users discover new foods? In this extended version of the conversation from our latest issue, we chat with Alexa Andrzejewski, the CEO of Foodspotting.
"When you recommend a restaurant dish, you're asking people to commit time and money to actually trying it. So there's a risk they will get mad at you if they don't like it. We get that. That's why, instead of telling users to eat one thing from one restaurant, our Foodspotting app gives them options, and we're transparent about our process. We explain, very clearly, why Foodspotting is showing each food to them--maybe a critic they like recommended the dish, maybe the flavor profile is similar to another dish they often eat--but what to eat is totally up to them. Eventually, we may be able to offer up single recommendations. But you have to wonder if people would even trust us. Maybe, with food especially, they like to have choices."
Fast Company: Where did you get the idea for Foodspotting?
Alexa Andrzejewski: I was inspired by traveling to Japan and learning about how many interesting dishes there are out there that I didn't even know existed. I came back and I wanted to share these interesting finds with people and also find them locally, but I realized there was no way to use existing apps to search for a specific dish. So if I was looking for Japanese curry, or even a milkshake, there was no way to find the best milkshake in San Francisco. So it just seemed like such an obvious opportunity.
What's tricky about recommending food?
Food preferences are something very personal. I don't even like the same foods that the rest of the Foodspotting team likes, even though we work together and see each other the most. I think a lot of apps focus on social recommendations above everything else; with food, social is just a part of it, so it's really important to not weigh social signals too highly, rather than finding out which people actually have the same ...
[Source: Fast Company]
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