Foursquare keeps on expanding into new spaces: the service that originally started as a simple check in platform has since added badges, discounts, and a recommendation engine. Now the company has announced a partnership with SinglePlatform to bring menus from 250,000 restaurants in major US cities to the service. That means the happy-go-lucky social network is now competing directly with companies like Yelp, MenuPages, and Zagat, except it has an entire database of user check-ins to (theoretically) provide spot-on recommendations. The menus complement the "Explore" recommendations that Foursquare added to its web offering last week. You can find the menus now on Foursquare's mobile and desktop websites, and the company says updates to the mobile apps are coming soon.
Foursquare now has 250,000 restaurant menus
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This is a great feature for users but I can see it causing confusion when a restaurant changes their menu and Foursquare users are disappointed to find that the dish they went to a restaurant for is no longer offered.
Posted on Jan 18, 2012 | 8:44 PM EST reply Recommend (1) Flag actions
“Menu subject to change without notice” is found on almost all restaurant menus nowdays, I would have to assume most people know that the restaurant doesn’t tell you when it changes. They’ll have to expect the same thing when it comes to Fourquare.
Posted on Jan 18, 2012 | 9:40 PM EST reply Recommend (1) Flag actions
@albooher — We (disclosure: I am a SinglePlatform’er) work directly with the local businesses to ensure the the menus are as up-to-date as possible. Additionally, if the restaurant doesn’t notify us that there’s an update or error, users are able to notify us via a feedback loop that we’ve developed. This feedback loop should be available shortly on Foursquare — but you can check it out now at The New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/restaurants/1002207991469/nobu/details.html — click Menu and scroll down). We’re definitely not perfect but we’re working extremely hard to make everyone’s (user / local business) lives significantly better. We appreciate any / all feedback / suggestions / guidance you may have — tweet me @kennyherman
Posted on Jan 19, 2012 | 6:21 PM EST reply Recommend Flag actions
This is good news. I’m glad to see Foursquare actually getting useful features.
I used foursquare for a couple months, then started wandering why I was wasting my time with it. The gamification aspect of sharing your shopping/eating out habits with foursquare got boring pretty quick. Being “mayor” of a location was novel, but ultimately didn’t really reward regular users AT ALL
Offering useful services to its users would definitely give its users more reason to use the app. I’d prolly reinstall the app.
Posted on Jan 19, 2012 | 12:27 AM EST reply Recommend (1) Flag actions
I’ve gone through 2 bouts of using Foursquare for several months each time. Both times I stopped using it because I just didn’t see the value in it, this might get me to reinstall it on my phone.
Posted on Jan 19, 2012 | 12:41 AM EST reply Recommend Flag actions
Add in the ability to order and you’ve got a deal. Apps like silvrspoon aren’t spreading fast enough and I want to be able to check into a restaurant, sit down, order from my phone, then pay the bill with as little human interaction as possible.
Posted on Jan 19, 2012 | 12:43 AM EST reply Recommend Flag actions
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