Technology2 min read

TikTok expands into restaurant guides with ‘Must Eat’ feature

By · Via TechCrunch · Published by Everything Blog

In short

Rolled out initially in New York City, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, the feature consolidates dining suggestions sourced from more than 40 million posts and comments. The hub splits recommendations into "Everyday Eats" for neighborhood spots and "Elevated Dining" for special occasions. Diners can filter by cuisine, price, rating, and location, while select venues feature in-app reservations handled through an OpenTable integration.

Key points

  • TikTok is actively expanding into local discovery to compete against established platform…: TikTok is actively expanding into local discovery to compete against established platforms like Yelp and Google Maps.
  • The service initially targets diners across major metropolitan hubs starting with New Yor…: The service initially targets diners across major metropolitan hubs starting with New York City, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.
  • Users can reach the hub through the search bar, the Local feed, restaurant pages, and loc…: Users can reach the hub through the search bar, the Local feed, restaurant pages, and location links pinned to videos.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

TikTok has long been a go-to place for discovering new spots, with viral videos helping local restaurants attract new customers. Now, TikTok is making it easier for users to find their next favorite restaurant with a new feature called “Must Eat.”

Introduced Wednesday, the community-driven guide highlights restaurants getting attention on the platform, bringing food recommendations from across the U.S. into one place.

The move puts TikTok in more direct competition with platforms like Yelp and Google Maps. But instead of relying mainly on search results, maps, and traditional reviews, TikTok is building on what it already does well: connecting people with restaurants through recommendations shared by other users.

“Must Eat” uses more than 40 million posts and comments to pull restaurant recommendations and curated lists together in one place. Users can browse restaurants by city and filter results by cuisine, price, rating, and location, making it easier to compare options before heading out.

The recommendations are split into two categories: “Everyday Eats,” featuring casual favorites and neighborhood go-tos, and “Elevated Dining,” highlighting restaurants for celebrations, special occasions, or a night out.

Additionally, select restaurants can be booked directly through TikTok via OpenTable.

The feature is launching first in New York City, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Users can find it through the search bar, the Local feed, restaurant pages, and location links attached to videos featuring participating restaurants.

Original source: techcrunch.com

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