Miami’s dining scene is no stranger to innovation, with its own host of noteworthy apps making life a little bit easier and a whole lot more interesting. Whether it’s HappyCow for finding the best plant-based and vegan-friendly restaurants, cafés and grocery stores, Share the Meal for donating money to feed those in need or Too Good to Go to help reduce food waste by purchasing surplus food from restaurants at a discounted price, we’re well-equipped when it comes to solid dining tech.
We also have EatOkra to find black-owned eateries, EatWith to book a dinner at a local’s house, Timeleft to make new friends through organized group dinners, Roaming Hunger for food trucks and festivals, and Lovvett for discounts on food that might be tossed out. These (and more) all do their part to keep us well-fed, informed, and even socially conscious. And let’s not forget reservation legends Resy and OpenTable, without which we’d be wandering from restaurant to restaurant, hoping for a miracle. This brings us to our next point.
Does Miami need yet another app? Maybe not. But maybe yes. Either way, we decided to take a little peek into what other cities are playing with and found a few trinkets that seem worth our while. Was it the idea of no longer facing that interminable-snag-a-last-minute-table line, or the dream of never again needing to violently wave down the server that really caught our attention? Maybe it was just that we don’t have these apps, and we’re the kind of people who always want what we can’t have. Who knows.
What we do know is now that they’ve slithered into our awareness, we can’t stop thinking about how great they’d be here. So here they are—the apps that might make dining out even better. Or at least that’s what we’re telling ourselves.
DINR – More access to exclusive things
We’ve all had that moment when we just NEED a last-minute reservation at that exclusive spot. Right? In Miami, securing an exclusive reservation is tough. You beg, you plead, you make promises you can’t keep, and even then, you’re not sure you’ll get a spot. Canada-based DINR gives you exclusive same-day reservations, private dinners, and invites to chef collaborations. We’ve certainly got the clout, so this would be the easiest of adoptions.
Drinker’s Edition – Find happy hours immediately
New Orleans-based Drinker’s Edition (now also in Baton Rouge and Houston) helps users find the best drink specials nearby, all searchable by proximity and popularity. No more scrolling through endless listicles. Miami loves a good happy hour, and it’s also safe to say we’d rather skip the research phase and get straight tothe center of the Tootsie Roll, so this one’s a no-brainer.
Dojo – Live your life while your table gets ready
Miami’s impatient. It’s part of our charm. So, it’s only fitting that Dojo’s tagline, “never wait in line again,” made us feel things we hadn’t in a long time. The London-based app lets you join a restaurant’s waitlist from anywhere (as long as it’s no further than 5 kilometers, aka ~3 miles away) and gives you live updates on your place in line. Think having your own personal concierge for waiting at restaurants, except no one stands in the doorway looking like a hopeful show contestant.
Tabbed – Break up with the check dance
What if paying the check wasn’t an exercise in awkwardness? Tabbed finally lets diners stop it with the Arrival-level waiter scans and just get on with their lives. They make fumbling for the wallet a thing of the past, too. The app automatically checks you in when you enter the restaurant, allows you to keep track of your tab straight in the app, adjust your tip, and settle the bill from your phone. Just open the app and boom, diner’s paid for (sadly still with your own funds).
WithLocals – Meet humans (from other places) in the wild
WithLocals is a travel marketplace that connects travelers with local hosts for personalized activities and experiences. While not a dining app, WithLocals would be a fun way for us to show visitors the city’s real, off-the-beaten-path flavor and introduce them to the unpredictable, weirdo paradise we know and love.
The truth is, we already have a lot of great apps here. So, while we’re waiting for the new kids on the block (come hither, friends), there’s no shortage of Miami apps that are already giving us exactly what we need!
