apps you should know b u i l d i n g yo u r re s t a u r a n t ’s d i gi t a l i d e n t i t y
Ready, Set, App! What’s an app? App is short for application, a software program for your PC, tablet, smart phone or mp3 player, and whether you’ve just ordered your Verizon iPhone or you’ve been using smart phones for years, you need to know apps. The American Dialect Society even voted “app” as their Word of the Year for 2010!
Why bother with apps? People have downloaded nearly 10 billion apps from Apple’s iTunes Store alone. Your customers may be using apps to find your restaurant, review it, tell their friends about it, and maybe even share photos of their meal! Getting to know a few key apps will help you understand social networking -- why it’s so popular, how it works -- and give you new insight into building and managing your digital identity.
How do I download an app? It’s easy! First, determine whether your phone, tablet or mobile device is app-compatible by referring to the instruction manual or asking your service provider. Depending on your device, you can download apps from Apple’s iTunes App Store, Android’s Market or Blackberry’s App World. The vast majority are inexpensive or free. Setting up an account with iTunes, Android or Blackberry requires choosing a user name and password, as well as entering your credit card information and address. You may have already established this account when initially activating your phone or tablet. You can download apps directly to your mobile device, or download them to your computer (using iTunes and Appworld) and sync them to your device later. Search for specific apps or browse by genre or popularity. Once you find an app you want, one click will start the download.
What if I can’t find the app I’m looking for? Not all apps are available for every device. Apple’s iTunes App Store offers the largest selection of apps, which are compatible with iPhones, iPads and iPod Touch devices. But keep checking your device’s app store regularly. New apps are released every day!
What if I don’t have a smart phone? Ask to take a look at friend’s phone or tablet computer. Borrow your nephew’s iPod Touch. Or just go online. Many of the apps on the following pages have complementary websites (Yelp, TripAdvisor, OpenTable, etc.) Becoming familiar with websites like Facebook and Twitter is important, whether you use mobile apps or not.
Yelp Price: Free www.yelp.com Yelp is an online city guide that helps people find cool places to eat, shop, drink, relax and play, based on the informed opinions of a vibrant and active community of locals in the know. Yelp is the fun and easy way to find, review and talk about what's great — and not so great — in your world. Looking for a burrito joint open now? An Irish pub nearby? A gas station you can drive to before your tank hits empty? Yelp is here to help. Use Yelp to search for places to eat, shop, drink, relax and play then read reviews. - Tap quick links to find nearby bars, restaurants, cafes and more - Narrow your searches by 'hood, distance, price, and what's open now - Browse reviews to read what's great (and not so great) in your city - Add Quick Tips, photos, and draft reviews for your favorite businesses - Look up addresses and phone numbers for thousands of businesses, then call or map them from your iPhone
stuff you should know about Yelp Sharing reviews with friends is a large part of the social media experience, and Yelp is one of the leaders. And the restaurant industry has always relied heavily on word of mouth. Yelp allows users to simultaneously post their reviews to their Facebook and Twitter accounts. Have you logged in to see what’s being said about your restaurant? Remember: NEVER pose as a customer and write your own review and NEVER reply to a negative review with a negative comment. Take critiques seriously and address them professionally. It’s an opportunity to be seen as gracious and proactive by anyone trying to learn more about your business. If your restaurant isn’t listed, you can add the information yourself. It’s free! Yelp does accept advertising from local businesses, but will not delete negative reviews or reorder reviews to favor advertisers. For more info: www.yelp.com/faq
UrbanSpoon Price: Free www.urbanspoon.com Can't decide where to eat? Urbanspoon can help. SHAKE your iPhone and the Urbanspoon slot machine will pick a good restaurant for you to try. See what's NEARBY to explore your 'hood in list or map mode. See what your FRIENDS like. BROWSE a comprehensive list of restaurants. - Use GPS to find a restaurant near you - Filter by neighborhood, cuisine, or price - Search and browse local restaurants - See a list of all nearby eateries - Compare restaurant picks with your friends - Ratings and reviews from newspapers, bloggers, and fellow eaters Covers all of the United States and Canada, and large metro areas in the UK and Australia.
stuff you should know about Urbanspoon Urbanspoon gives owners and managers the opportunity to claim their restaurant listing. Claiming a listing lets you add and edit information without waiting for editor approval, as well as increase traffic to the page by activating a free 30-day ad. Claiming a listing is fast, free, and requires no obligation. To claim your restaurant, click “Is this your restaurant?” on the top of the listing. Follow the instructions to be confirmed as the restaurant's owner/manager. Once your claim goes through, you can edit restaurant information, activate your free 30-day ad, and learn about additional advertising programs and Rez and Rezbook, Urbanspoon’s reservation and table management systems. You can purchase advertising on Urbanspoon for your restaurant, as well as enhanced listings and premium ads. Most user review sites allow you the opportunity to contact users directly to address their concerns or questions. Of course, you can also contact satisfied customers to thank them for their support. Don't go overboard on the messaging, though; too many messages and it starts to become spam. To send a user a message, click on their user name to see their profile, then click Send a Message. For more info: http://www.urbanspoon.com/faq
TripAdvisor Price: Free www.tripadvisor.com iPhone Travel Apps: #1 Essential Download" - Frommers.com
- Has reached #1 free travel app in more than 20 countries
Plan and have the perfect trip with access to real traveler reviews, opinions, photos, maps, and forums that can answer even the most specific questions when you’re on the go. TripAdvisor is the world’s most trusted travel site with over 40 million reviews and opinions by travelers like you. - Browse over 40 million reviews and opinions - Write a review of any restaurant, hotel or attraction - Flip through more than 5 million traveler photos - Upload photos from your photo library - Find cheap flights all over the world - Use the Near Me Now tool to discover options near you or any address you enter - See list views and map views of travel places with locations pinned, or find places by location - Find it all fast with our simple, intuitive interface
stuff you should know about TripAdvisor January is one of the busiest months of the year for travel research with 58% more traffic expected on TripAdvisor as travelers make their 2011 plans. Similar to other user review sites, you can claim your business listing free of charge, and from $40 a month, you can take advantage of TripAdvisor's 40 million monthly visitors and the extra early-year traffic by signing up for a Business Listing. You can put your business one click or call away from millions of potential guests as they search for and book their 2011 holidays. And similar to other review sites, the mobile app replicates the bulk of information available on the official web site, just in a convenient, portable format. To claim your business listing, or create special offers for customers, visit http://www.tripadvisor.com/BusinessListings
Facebook Price: Free www.facebook.com The Facebook app makes it easy to stay connected and share information with friends. Use your phone to start a conversation with Facebook Chat, check your friends' latest photos and status updates, look up a phone number, or upload your own mobile photos to Facebook while on the go.
stuff you should know about Facebook As of 2011, there are 500,000,000 active Facebook users. Approximately one in every 13 people on earth. Half of them are logged in on any given day. 71.2% of the U.S. web audience is on Facebook. The 35+ demographic represents more than 30% of the entire user base. Basically, Facebook is the king of social media, and it’s where your business needs to be. Businesses can register for a different kind of Facebook page than the standard user profiles: Pages are for organizations, businesses, celebrities, and bands to broadcast great information in an official, public manner to people who choose to connect with them. Similar to profiles, Pages can be enhanced with applications that help the entity communicate and engage with their audiences, and capture new audiences virally through friend recommendations, News Feed stories, Facebook events, and beyond. You can create and manage a Facebook Page for your organization from your personal account. On your business page, your supporters can “LIKE” your business by clicking a button, an action that will be seen across their entire friend network. Your status updates will be added to their incoming Facebook status feed. Visit the Facebook pages of popular chains like Starbucks, Taco Bell or Olive Garden to get an idea of what a business page can look like and how it differs from a standard user page. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/help
Twitter Price: Free www.twitter.com Discover what’s happening right now, anywhere in the world with the official Twitter for iPhone app. Realtime search, Top Tweets, trending topics and maps show whats happening now everywhere and nearby. Tweet, send DMs, share photos, videos and links to your friends and the world. Don't have an account? Just sign up from the app!
stuff you should know about Twitter Twitter is an information network made up of 140-character messages called Tweets. It's a new and easy way to discover the latest news (“what’s happening”) related to subjects you care about. As of December 2010, Twitter has over 175 million users worldwide. Messages from users you choose to follow will show up on your homepage for you to read. It’s like being delivered a newspaper whose headlines you’ll always find interesting – you can discover news as it’s happening, learn more about topics that are important to you, and get the inside scoop in real time. It’s best to begin your journey by finding and following other interesting Twitter accounts. Look for businesses you love, public service accounts, people you know, celebrities, or news sources you read. Once you've followed a few people, you'll have a new page of information to read each time you log in. Click links in others' Tweets to view: photos and videos they have posted, the profiles of users mentioned in their message, or Tweets related to a hashtag (#) keyword they used. For help getting started, visit support.twitter.com/groups/31-twitter-basics Twitter also has a business hub to quickly get you up to speed on basics, including a glossary of terms, best practices and case studies. Visit business.twitter.com.
foursquare Price: Free www.foursquare.com Foursquare helps you explore the world around you. Keep up with friends, get insider tips, and unlock discounts and rewards. While on the go, you can easily tell friends where you are, share pictures, get their comments ("I'm right around the corner, I'll stop by to say hello"), and get insider tips ("order the Lobster Ravioli; it's the best dish by far."). Tons of places offer discounts and freebies to foursquare users, and you earn points and badges for doing the things you love. Have fun exploring!
stuff you should know about foursquare Foursquare is leader in location-based social networking with over 5 million registered users. It turns going out of the house into a game. Points are awarded for “checking in” at venues. Users can choose to have their check-ins posted to their accounts on Twitter, Facebook, Gowalla, etc., sharing their progress with their entire network of friends. Virtual badges are earned for meeting certain set requirements, such as checking into five different locations in a single day. If a user has checked in to a venue on more days than anyone else in the past 60 days, they will be crowned “Mayor” of that venue until someone else usurps the title by checking in more times than the previous mayor. Facebook considered buying foursquare, but instead added a very similar feature, Facebook Places, to their website and mobile apps. Adding your restaurant to foursquare is free and retail promotional materials are available. You can also extend custom special offers for customers to “unlock” via a certain number of check-ins. When you claim a venue, you're asking to become the manager of that venue on foursquare and you'll be asked to provide contact information for verification. Begin that process by visiting www.foursquare.com/businesses.
OpenTable Price: Free www.opentable.com Restaurant Reservations – Free, Instant, Confirmed. With OpenTable. you can make free restaurant reservations at more than 15,000 OpenTable-enabled restaurants in the United States, Canada, and United Kingdom. Plus, OpenTable members earn valuable Dining Rewards Points redeemable for Dining Cheques good at any OpenTable restaurant. HOW IT WORKS: Specify your dining date, desired time and party size to view available tables at nearby restaurants – listed by proximity or plotted on an interactive map. - SEARCH by restaurant name - FIND restaurants nearest to your current location & see real-time table availability - REFINE results by cuisine, price, reservation time, or points awarded - MAP results with an interactive, location-based map - SEE restaurant menus & OpenTable diner ratings and reviews - REVIEW - Quickly see recently viewed restaurants - RESERVE your table free!
stuff you should know about OpenTable More than 15,000 restaurants have joined the OpenTable Network and collectively seated more than 175 MILLION guests. If you take reservations, OpenTable has a solution to improve your operations and help fill your restaurant. OpenTable offers to assist restaurants in several ways: Save time with automated reservations Improve service with a powerful guest database Maximize efficiency with table management tools Attract repeat business with email marketing Join the network that seats 5 million diners monthly Gain more exposure from hundreds of partners For more info: www.opentable.com/info/restaurateurs.aspx
FoodSpotting Price: Free www.foodspotting.com Foodspotting is a visual guide to good food and where to find it. Instead of reviewing restaurants, you can find and share where to find your favorite dishes using photos. If you're trying to decide what to eat, you can... • See the nearest, latest and best foods around you • Find a particular food that you're craving • Look up a restaurant and see what's good there • Access guides from experts like the Travel Channel's No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain and see what's good near you
stuff you should know about Foodspotting Several social networking apps allow you to take photos with your phone and immediately upload them to any number of photo sharing sites, or even several sites at once. It’s never been more important for the food coming out of your kitchen to look consistent, professional and appetizing, because you never know when photos of your food will end up on Facebook or Twitter or Foodspotting. And once those photos are online, they may be there forever. So make every dish count! Foodspotting is not for restaurant reviews, and does not allow negative ratings. It’s meant as a resource for foodies to share favorite dishes and new discoveries. You can submit photos of your own food, and Foodspotting will be offering a way for restaurant owners to claim their business listings soon. For more information, visit www.foodspotting.com/about/faq
Zagat to Go Price: 9.99 www.zagat.com You’ll get a year’s access to fresh restaurant ratings and reviews from over 45 trusted guides; all for less than the price of 1 guide! Our exclusive offline mode lets you browse restaurants while traveling by plane, subway, or anywhere without cell reception or a data connection! As a bonus nightlife, hotels and shops are included where available. • GPS - Find nearby restaurants automatically • Advanced Search - Mix and Match by any criteria • Sort - Filter by Food, Décor, Service or Cost! • Offline Mode - Access Zagat wherever you go • Reservations - Reserve tables instantly • Recommendations - Our digital concierge tells you where to take dates, clients, friends & more • Augmented Reality (iPhone 3GS and 4 only) - See nearby restaurant ratings through your iPhone camera! • Browse photos of dishes and get tips on what dishes to order from diners like you!
stuff you should know about Zagat To Go Unlike many review-sharing apps, Zagat To Go is not free, (and unlike most apps, charges an annual fee to access proprietary content) but Zagat has such a reputation and international following that this app is still extremely popular with diners and restaurant owners. Zagat is available for Blackberry, Apple devices, Windows Mobile, Palm and Android. In February 2010, Zagat partnered with foursquare on several promotional fronts, including a weekly web video series interviewing the mayors of different restaurants. In August 2010, Zagat teamed up with Foodspotting to offer subscribers access to their thousands of food photos from within the Zagat mobile apps. If your business is Zagat-rated, you can enhance your listings on Zagat.com, including posting up to 20 photos, virtual tours, etc.
more apps you should know Epicurious
Price: Free
www.epicurious.com
Over 30,000 recipes collected from magazines including Gourmet, Bon Appetit and Self. Find new recipes for home, or new menu ideas for your restaurant, just search “recipes” at your app store. There are hundreds of dedicated recipe apps, including Epicurious, Cookbook, All Recipes, and many others.
Food Network - In The Kitchen
Price: 1.99
www.foodnetwork.com
Cook with Food Network’s Paula Deen, Bobby Flay, Guy Fieri and other chefs at your side -- it’s Food Network at your fingertips! Thousands of recipes and cool tools for shopping lists, unit converters, cooking timers and more!
Food & Wine
Price: Free
www.foodandwine.com
For readers who are passionate about food and wine and looking to be inspired by chefs and winemakers creating new taste adventures. Special digital issues feature photos for every recipe, video cooking tips and more!
Gowalla
Price: Free
www.gowalla.com
An up-and-coming geo-location check-in app, similar to foursquare.
Restaurant Nutrition
Price: Free
www.unifiedlifestyle.com
Up-to-date nutritional counts for over 115 chain restaurant menus -- over 19,000 food items -- tracking calories, carbs, protein, fat and allergens. There are several similar chain restaurant nutrition apps available for mobile devices.
Tipulator
Price: 99¢
Easily calculate restaurant tips. There are several free and low-cost tip calculator apps available for most mobile devices.
SeafoodWatch
Price: Free
www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/seafoodwatch.aspx
For the conscientious customer. Helps diners choose ocean-friendly seafood at restaurants and stores, including current recommendations for seafood and sushi along with complete information about how each item is fished or farmed.
Don’t Forget to Check Out The Big Chains...
Price: Free
Starbucks, Outback Steakhouse, Dunkin Donuts, Hardee’s... see what the well-funded, well-organized competition is doing in the world of apps. Learn from their lead!
start downloading today!