EatFlash

Problem Statement  

How might we provide diners with flexible options to pay their bill and share their experiences without waiting after dining at a restaurant.

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Problem Background  

Despite the shuttering of many restaurants during the pandemic, “eating out” (as we call it colloquially) is still very popular, particularly among diners between the ages of 20 and 40. In fact, when we conducted our user research, over 80% of respondents had eaten at a restaurant within the last 7 days and only 3% of respondents had not eaten at a restaurant in the last 3 weeks. Moreover, 80% of respondents reported eating at a restaurant more than 2 times a month. 

Some of the main driving forces that contribute to diners eating out are the convenience as well as being able to socialize. 57% of our users that were surveyed reported eating out for convenience, while even more (67%) reported that they enjoyed the social aspect of eating in a restaurant. 

We found that the problem with dining with friends, though, is the inconvenience of paying the bill after the meal is finished and the lack of motivation to rate or review the restaurant. 

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Research Insights

Using LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram networks, we were able to survey 32 respondents and interview 8 people about their habits when dining in restaurants as well as priorities when managing a restaurant. 

User Pain Points

Of the users that we interviewed, 6 provided information about the experience of dining in restaurants, while 2 provided insight into the experience of managing or owning a restaurant. We found both to be pivotal in our ability to create a product that serves both our buyer (restaurant owner/manager) and our user (diners). 

Supporting Data

Through our interviews and survey data, we discovered that eating out is incredibly common among people between the ages of 20 and 40, with almost all respondents dining in a restaurant at least once a month. 

One of the themes that was consistent across diners, regardless of the frequency with which they ate out, was the emphasis on convenience. In our user interviews, we identified that a pain point associated with inconvenience is the wait for the check at the end of a meal and the hassle of paying as a group. We found that although quality of the food was the biggest determining factor in diner sentiment, diners were far less likely to walk away feeling positive if the check took a long time to pay or it was difficult to split flexibly. Notably, 100% of restaurant owners/managers believe it is important for both diners and waitstaff to walk away from a meal with a positive feeling. 

Finally, we found that even among our most avid restaurant goers (the 50% of respondents that eat at a restaurant 5 or more times a month), it was rare that users took the time to review or rate restaurants publicly. During our user interviews, 100% of diners explained that they would be more likely to leave a review if it were easy to do so before leaving the restaurant.