The mobile app space is booming. Experts estimate that by 2017, app downloads are expected to rise to more than 270 billion – 1.5 times the total in 2014.
You can get an app for just about anything these days. From booking air travel, hotels and dinner reservations to starting your car or turning off lights at home, smartphones have truly become an on-the-go personal concierge.
Our team has a soft spot for dining out and enjoying a good glass of wine, so lucky for us there’s an app for figuring out where to go and which varietal to should buy next. Since we’re gearing up for Spring Restaurant Week here in Arizona, we thought we’d share two of our restaurant and wine go-to apps.
Read below for our marketing commentary about why these apps are among our favorites.
Chef’s Feed If you want to be in the know about the best restaurants, dishes and chefs in your area this is the app for you. After downloading and selecting a location (Chef’s Feed currently operates in 24 cities in the U.S., U.K. and Canada), users can quickly find restaurants based on proximity, neighborhood, cuisine type and more.
While the concept might sound familiar based on other resources in the marketplace, Chef’s Feed sets itself apart because the restaurant and dish recommendations come straight from the culinary professionals; a lot more efficient than sorting through a mountain of reviews that may or may not be authentic and unbiased.
Chef profiles, featured dishes and stories, videos and networking with other users round out the app’s key features. The San Francisco-based startup is the brainchild of two former PR pros, which comes as no surprise once you dig into the content.
The app is a powerful platform allowing chefs to communicate directly with a highly engaged audience – great for all demographics Chef’s Feed may be targeting, but even better if they’re going after millennials. At its core, the app provides a unique, and by a lot of accounts, luxurious experience that is highly sought after by this generation. Plus, two out of three millennials today are considered foodies.
While Chef’s Feed isn’t operating in Phoenix at the moment, we’ve used it on vacation or when traveling for work and are highly impressed and satisfied with the recommendations. The app is free and available for iPhone and Android users.Now, we talk wine with Vivino. You are hosting a fabulous dinner party with a decadent meal and only the best wine. Only one problem. You are no sommelier, and you’re not too sure what the best wine is to serve. Have no fear, because there is an app for that, making wine selection a cinch.
Vivino is a consumer app that helps both novice and expert wine enthusiasts find new options to explore. Users can track, discover and share their wine choices, while providing ratings and recommendations for other Vivino users.
How does it work? Say you are in the grocery store and overwhelmed by the endless options available on the shelf. Simply scan a wine label with the app and read about the flavor, rankings and pricing all from your mobile device. It even narrows down choices based on personal preferences and any meals you’re preparing. Vivino also has a very useful blog for all levels of wine enthusiasts with content ranging from how to tell if wine has gone bad to how to pair wine with meals.
We’ve enjoyed using the app simply for the informative feedback and ratings it provides, but even better, it’s an affordable tool. Vivino is available in the Apple Store, Google Play and Windows Phones for free.
These are just two of our handpicked favorites, but if you need more inspiration for your next dinning experience, check out this infographic.
Do you have a favorite we should check out?
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