Last updated January 10, 2024
It’s horrible when you eat something at a restaurant and you want to spit everything back out onto the plate. Now that technology plays such an important part in our lives we can use it to ensure we never end up at another terrible restaurant again. Check out some of these apps that will help you pick the right places from now on.
Zagat
(https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/zagat/id669821485)
Do you find it easy to trust other people when they tell you something? Normally you would look through different independent reviews to come up with your own conclusions about restaurants, but the Zagat app hopes to make things much easier for you. Instead of telling you about every restaurant around the world they will only tell you about the ones they think you should go to. This will save you time and a large number of people are already happy with the Zagat recommendations.
Yelp
(https://itunes.apple.com/en/app/yelp/id284910350)
Yelp is one of the most popular apps in circulation at the moment even though a lot of people aren’t taking advantage of it on a daily basis. It’s more like a business directory than anything else, so when you’re looking for something specific you will be able to find out the address and phone number. It’s got plenty of deals so you can save some money and you can read reviews to make sure any restaurants or bars don’t serve horrible food. Just remember to leave your own reviews too when you’ve eaten somewhere.
GrubHub
(https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/grubhub-food-delivery-takeout/id302920553)
Getting dressed up and sitting at a restaurant can be a lot of fun, but I’m sure you don’t want to go out all the time. There are some wonderful takeaway restaurants that will deliver tasty food to your front door. If you live in a decent-sized city you probably don’t know most of the best places to eat, but you will learn all about them inside the GrubHub app. If you order from specific restaurants you will even be able to see how long your meal is going to be because of a feature inside the app.
Urbanspoon
(https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/urbanspoon/id284708449)
Have you seen anyone throw a dart at a map of the world because they couldn’t decide where to go on holiday without some help? I guess you could say the Urbanspoon app is based on something similar because you have to wave your phone around like a magic wand and you will be told where to eat. This is great for anyone who is really indecisive, but it’s also cool if you just want to be surprised every now and again. You always have the option of ignoring a recommendation if you really don’t want to go somewhere.
OpenTable
(https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/opentable/id296581815)
Finding a good table at a restaurant isn’t always easy, but I hope from now on you will be able to book all the tables you need using the OpenTable app. To begin with you can explore the app to find a restaurant that serves the type of cuisine you enjoy. After you’ve found a few restaurants you can look at the reviews to see which one sounds the best. After that you just need to pick your table and you’re ready to go. There are tens of thousands to choose from in the US, Canada, and Mexico.
Don’t chance your luck
If you have eaten out at some poor restaurants in the past I’m not surprised you are scared to go out. A meal can cost quite a bit of money, so ensuring you go to a great restaurant should be your top priority. Don’t be scared to test these apps out because you’ll be surprised by how good they are.
The author of this article, Travis, is an employee at Aireus, leading providers of wireless POS systems. He is an avid tech enthusiast and participates in Arena of Destruction, a skirmish sport played with home-made robots.