DoorDash’s Zesty App Uses AI to Find New Restaurants
▼ Summary
– DoorDash has launched a new AI-powered social discovery app called Zesty, initially available in the San Francisco Bay Area and New York.
– The app uses an AI chatbot to provide personalized restaurant recommendations based on user prompts, aggregating information from sources like DoorDash, Google Maps, and TikTok.
– Zesty functions as a social network where users can share, save, and discover restaurant content, following others and learning from their tastes.
– This launch represents DoorDash’s strategic expansion beyond food delivery into social discovery and in-person dining services.
– The app is positioned as a tool for users who want a dedicated social platform for restaurant discovery, though it competes with existing methods like general search engines or AI chatbots.
Finding a great new restaurant often feels like a chore, requiring you to sift through endless reviews, compare menus, and scroll through social media feeds. DoorDash is tackling this problem head-on with a new social discovery app called Zesty, which uses artificial intelligence to deliver personalized dining recommendations. Initially launching in the San Francisco Bay Area and New York, Zesty represents a strategic expansion for the company beyond its core food delivery business and into the social and local discovery space.
The app is designed to streamline the entire search process. After signing in with their existing DoorDash account, users can interact with an AI chatbot that provides suggestions based on specific, conversational prompts. Instead of generic searches, people can ask for things like “a low-key dinner in Williamsburg that’s actually good for introverts” or use suggested prompts such as “brunch spots good for groups.” According to DoorDash co-founder Andy Fang, the technology pulls and curates information from a wide array of sources including DoorDash’s own data, Google Maps, and social platforms like TikTok to generate its suggestions.
A key feature of Zesty is its ability to learn individual preferences over time, refining its recommendations based on what a user likes or dislikes. When someone finds a promising suggestion, they can save it for later or share it directly with friends. The app also incorporates classic social networking functions, allowing users to post photos and comments about their visits, discover content from other people, and follow others who share their culinary interests.
A DoorDash spokesperson emphasized that the company is continually exploring new ways to connect people with their communities, describing Zesty as a pilot project aimed at simplifying the discovery of local restaurants, coffee shops, and bars. The app’s launch follows other recent initiatives from DoorDash to diversify its services, such as adding features for making restaurant reservations and earning in-store rewards.
While some consumers may prefer using established tools like Google or general AI assistants such as ChatGPT for restaurant discovery, Zesty is positioned for those who want a dedicated, social experience centered entirely on finding and sharing new places to eat. Its success will depend on how well it can build an engaged community and deliver uniquely valuable, personalized insights that broader platforms cannot.
(Source: TechCrunch)
