Company description
So, you’re at the restaurant with the menu in hand. It’s a massive list of appetizers, entrees, salads, soups … you get the picture. If you’re like us, you love food but you just want to know what these dishes ACTUALLY look like.
Or, you’re having a hard time deciding where you want to go eat because you're a visual person and long reviews are not your thing. We get it. DaFoodie is here to make things easier! We show you pictures of food from around town and then show you where to find it.
DaFoodie is currently only in Orlando, FL but has plans for multiple city support as of the first quarter of 2011. It was built in three months, part-time, by the founders for under $3,000.
Team
Gustavo Hernando (Founder, Frontend Developer)
Gustavo holds a Bachelor’s degree in Systems Engineering with a concentration in Databases (2004) and an Associate’s in Digital Media (2005).
In 2006 he started an internet consulting company, Seventh Degree Inc., where he has captured the attention of dozens of clients with a multi-faceted approach to web development including Disney, 7-UP and Full Sail University, where he has been responsible for the user experience design of its online learning platform for the last 6 years.
Realizing the frustration many of his small-business clients faced in growing their online businesses, he launched BusinessBrite.com in 2008 as a solution to that problem. This system features CRM, CMS, eCommerce, Analytics and Email Marketing capabilities.
Gustavo is a programmer turned designer turned webeneur who is passionate about creating, solving problems and making things simple.
Amhed Herrera (Co-Founder, Backend Developer)
Amhed has worked as a software development consultant for the past 7 years. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Systems Engineering, PUCMM (2004), has an MBA from Instituto de Empresa in Madrid, Spain (2007) and is certified in Microsoft .NET technology.
Currently he runs a software development firm in called Nextmedia, which provides custom-made software for government and commercial entities in his native country, Dominican Republic.
Chad Adams (Mobile Technologies Consultant)
Chad began his career at Redwave Interactive teaching major corporations such as Lockheed Martin, Hilton, US ARMY and Disney in the specialties of programming, web development and databases. With six years of teaching experience, he moved on to work for Cygnas for an additional six years, and developed from scratch, the ticketing and kiosk systems for all the SixFlags' theme parks. Chad revolutionized ticket sales by developing the first ever print at home ticketing solution.
He is currently CTO of Variant, llc. and specializes in iPhone/iPad, Media, and Web Application Development.
Ryan Mickley (Social Media Consultant)
Ryan Mickley graduated from the University of Florida in 2007 with a Bachelor of Science in Recreation, Parks & Tourism. With a specialty in Hospitality Management, Ryan quickly landed an executive managerial position at an exclusive private club in Vero Beach, Florida; Quail Valley Golf Club. While earning a Bachelor of Science in Internet Marketing from Full Sail University, Ryan has managed several social media accounts, most notably consulting the ChamberOfCommerce.com.
To help empower his peers and enhance their educational experience at Full Sail University, Ryan founded the Student Branding Society which is most known for its distinguished speakers series. Ryan specializes in Personal Branding, Social Media, Leadership Coaching.
Business model
Food Photo Hosting
We charge restaurants a low monthly fee to have their professional food photos on our site and feature them so they stand out above the rest.
Targeted, location-based advertising
There are 10.7 million iPhone users in the USA (AdMob) and 25 billion app downloads estimated by 2015 (Nielsen). We show the user targeted, location based ads from restaurants on our iPhone app or the website based on their browsing selections.
Value-added services
We help restaurants market their brand and connect with theirs customer with social media and reputation management services for a monthly fee. We can also offer branded mobile versions of their [mostly un-usable flash-based] sites.
3rd party affiliates revenue
OpenTable for reservations, sponsored tweets platforms and others.
Sponsored Events
We sell tickets in advance for an all-access foodie event. Throw in a DJ, photo booth, cooking techniques from local chefs, a lounge, and games along with food from some of the best restaurants their city has to offer in a down-to-earth event with a humorous tone.
Coupons & Group Deals
Online coupon circulation up by 92 percent and redemptions are up by 360 percent since 2009. We create a coupons page and make it easy for people to share them via the social networks. We charge the restaurant to be listed.
Reward program
The National Restaurant Association reports 52% of adults would patrol a restaurant with a customer reward program. We create a DaFoodie card that gives the patron a % off their meal for using it at participating restaurants. We then split that % with a food charity partner.
White labeling
We have implemented a white labeled DaFoodie for the Dominican Republic, and have received interested parties for Spain and Saudi Arabia versions of DaFoodie. We can charge a setup fee and a license for use.
Competitive advantage
Instead of deciding on the restaurant first, you decide what you want to eat first and then find where to get it. You browse the site and click on what looks good to you instead of going to a competitors site and clicking 10 times through dozens of locations or cuisine types before getting to a food photo.
The site’s interface and concept are simple: people go out to eat, take a decent picture of their meal, and upload it to the site to share with others. We leave the social networking to Facebook and Twitter and the reviews to Yelp and Urbanspoon.
There is no requirement to sign up, sign in, or fill out information beyond selecting the location and category of food and typing in the name of the dish. There are only 10 locations for a city and 10 cuisine types. We don’t plan to clutter the site with a lot of text or browsing options. The goal is to make the site very simple.
Additionally, what will set us apart is that we plan to have restaurants populate their food photo listings, since we have observed the complaints of foodies on other foodie sites that there were not enough food photos in the restaurant they were browsing.
We make it really easy for people to submit via email, Twitter, Facebook, mobile/iPhone, through the Web site, foursquare etc.
Gustavo Hernando
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