en.Wedoany.com Reported - Restaurant recommendation app Zest recently opened its services to the public, allowing users to track their dining-out history by linking credit cards and receive personalized recommendations. Since its launch in November 2024, the app has secured $1.8 million in pre-seed funding from Alexis Ohanian of 776 Fund and Steve Jang of Kindred Ventures, attracting over 100,000 visits within weeks of going live.
Zest's uniqueness lies in its recommendations being based on real spending data. When users link their credit cards to the app, Zest imports transaction records through financial services company Plaid, whose services are trusted by banks and other fintech and budgeting apps. The app only extracts dining-related data and creates a personal eating map, excluding casual fast food or fast-casual restaurants to reduce clutter. As the app learns where and what users eat, the recommendation feature intelligently adjusts. Users can also follow friends or curated profiles of experts for dining suggestions in their city or while traveling.
The app's concept is built on co-founder Mario Gomez-Hall's understanding of how social networks operate. He previously founded music recommendation platform Cymbal, and both companies aim to connect people with similar tastes. Gomez-Hall says Zest presents authentic and interesting places through verified dining spending, rather than social media-style Michelin-star check-ins; the app can showcase the neighborhood spots users frequent because the system recognizes spending frequency and amounts.
This idea is not entirely new. Venmo similarly leverages people's desire to share shopping and dining locations, turning spending into a social network. In the earlier internet era, startup Blippy attempted to turn purchase records into a recommendation network. The problem with Blippy and similar apps was that they stopped at data sharing without building a network that deepens understanding of user interests over time. Additionally, consumer attitudes toward data sharing have improved as they see its value in services like "Find My Friends" and Snap Map.
"Actually, it's more about those 'holes in the wall' you frequent—the taco joints you love and trust," says Gomez-Hall. "We can show these because we see the frequency and spending." Gomez-Hall previously served as design lead at social calendar app Saturn, which was acquired by Snap last year. Zest's technical co-founder Alex Moller brings experience from Apple and other tech companies to the new project.
Beyond recommendations, Zest integrates over 80 million reviews from various online sources, ranging from high-end recommendations like the Michelin Guide to popular reviews on Reddit. The app plans to launch a user notes feature this month, allowing free-form information such as reservation methods and recommended dishes for locations; it will also introduce a "Fresh Picks" feature, similar to Spotify's "Discover Weekly" playlist, focusing on recommending new restaurants across the city. Gomez-Hall says the team's long-term goal is to expand from restaurants to other city hotspots. The company name "Zest" hints at food but more so at "zest for life" and exploration, with potential future additions like shopping features.
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