(Feastfox Image)

Restaurants emerging from lockdowns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic could find diners lured back out by a new startup in Seattle. Feastfox is a smart restaurant recommendation engine that helps users figure out where to eat based on personal preferences.

With an eye toward empowering independent establishments, Feastfox integrates data from review sites and other restaurant platforms to surface dine-out options for a variety of meal types and occasions.

Stuart Murless, left, and Daniel Petz of Feastfox. (Feastfox Photos)

The company, which is serving the Seattle area to start, was founded by CEO Daniel PetzStuart Murless, the head of business operations, and Endre Varga, head of development.

The launch comes as King County has moved to a modified “Phase 1” of reopening certain businesses. Planned as a paid subscription service for diners, Feastfox is waiving its subscription fee through Aug. 31 to encourage users to support local businesses.

“We want to help them compete in the marketplace by making it easier for local diners to find them,” said Petz, who spent two years as a strategy and operations manager with Groupon. “This starts with surfacing the ‘objective truth’ for diners, which is why we do not accept any compensation from restaurants to be displayed.”

(Feastfox Image)

Feastfox gets no payment from the restaurants it recommends. Petz called current platforms such as Yelp “pay to play,” and said that they ultimately fail both diners and restaurant operators.

“You could be the perfect spot for someone, but if you got outbid, the odds are against your restaurant showing up,” he said. “Add the spread of fake reviews and there is no trust anymore.”

Restaurant recommendations are based on a number of factors, including: how well they fit a user’s personal taste profile; how well they’re rated across review sites; whether they fit a specific occasion such as date night or family dinner; performance on relevant lists such as Eater’s “top pizza spots in Ballard;” and practical factors such as hours and services such as outdoor dining or curbside pickup.

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Murless, who has a background in investment banking and restaurant ownership, said users who visit a restaurant will get a prompt to input feedback on their experience so that Feastfox is always learning and improving. Restaurants can be saved and lists of favorites can be created for different occasions. Negative reactions will cause Feastfox to not surface that restaurant again.

“Restaurants have done their best to adapt to new formats mandated by COVID-19 measures. As they begin to reopen and adjust their offerings, diners need help to find reliable information,” Petz said. “We believe that the speed of our platform, ease-of-use and quality of recommendations we give drastically outperform existing participants in the restaurant tech space.”

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