09/09/2014
Zo-mEy-to, Zo-mA-to.
A review.
Filipinos love to eat, our traditions are intricately interwoven with what we put in our bellies and serve to our loved ones. Our nation's capital - Manila, is a food-obsessed city. Denizens are always on the lookout for the newest food trends and where to satisfy their cravings. That is why I think Zomato plays a crucial and essential role in the Metro's food scene.
Sure there are several sites one can go to for restaurant and menu information, there are gazillions of food blogs, several other interfaces that offer lists of Manila's eateries complete with prices and photos. But what Zomato offers is a completely different experience - a more interactive, dynamic and fuss-free solution to the age-old million-dollar question, "Where do I eat out today?"
Here for me are my favorite aspects of Zomato. First, I love how user-friendly (or in other words idiot-proof) their format is. Even if one isn't as techie savvy, they will be able to operate this simple app and navigate themselves to the resto they desire. Not sure what place you're looking for exactly? Zomato's search browser enumerates several categories from Dine Out, Delivery to Buffet options (and more!) I also really appreciate Zomato's location-accurate system that helps you find dining destinations right in the neighborhood of where you're at, right then and there. Explore their collections for what's trending or for specific groupings of restaurants that might be of interest to you at the moment. Everything is a click away and once you pick the restaurant you want, read about other people's experiences there via Zomato's review and rate options. You'll know what to expect, or more importantly, what to avoid. Love the review? Appreciate the reviewer? Zomato has formed a mighty foodie community that exchanges likes and comments and advice with each other, all bonded by their love for all things gustatory. Follow your favorite foodies and read about their latest dining adventure.
Zomato really is all that. But if I could have a wishlist of what I would greatly love to see from them, it would be these: If they could feature the newest restos and have posts about them even during pre-opening, to alert people of what's to come. Sort of an insider, exclusive scoop of the newest and hottest. Zomato can also have a tick option for the favorite dish ordered by their subscribers for each restaurant or maybe even the worst, so it automatically appears when we check out the review. It would also be fab if Zomato users could flash their phone app at participating eateries for seasonal promos and discounts or even have special collab's for meetup's, food tastings or events. Lastly, if users could have like a log-in/log-out function (ala Foursquare), they could be able to identify the places that get the most visits from co-Zomato fans.
The possibilities are endless and it just leaves me excited for what Zomato has got up its sleeve for it's followers. One thing's for sure it'll be a delicious ride.