Foodspotting (Part of OpenTable)

Foodspotting pioneered a visual-first approach to food discovery, centering its platform on specific dishes rather than general restaurant reviews. The company was founded in 2009 by Alexa Andrzejewski, Ted Grubb, and Soraya Darabi. The inspiration came from Andrzejewski's travels in Japan, where she found it difficult to locate specific dishes she had enjoyed once she returned to the United States. This personal pain point fueled the creation of a mobile and web application that allowed users to find, share, and rate individual food items through photos.

Andrzejewski, with a background in user experience design at Adaptive Path, served as the CEO, while Grubb, a software engineer, acted as CTO. The concept was validated at a Startup Weekend event in 2010, which attracted their first angel investor. The platform operated as a visual guide, enabling users to see what was good at a restaurant through a gallery of user-submitted photos, effectively creating a picture menu. Users could follow friends, expert spotters, and specific dishes to personalize their discovery experience. This focus on visual, dish-level recommendations differentiated it from incumbent review sites like Yelp.

The company secured $4.55 million in funding over two rounds from investors including Blue Run Ventures, Felicis Ventures, and 500 Startups. Its business model initially focused on scaling its user base. Later, it piloted a rewards program where restaurants could pay to promote their dishes to the app's community, aiming to attract food-seekers rather than just deal-seekers. By January 2013, the community had cataloged over three million dishes. Recognizing the synergistic value, restaurant reservation leader OpenTable acquired Foodspotting on its third birthday for approximately $10 million in cash. The acquisition was a strategic move for OpenTable to integrate Foodspotting's visual content and social sharing expertise, enriching its own platform by helping diners visually decide where to eat. The Foodspotting site and apps were planned to continue operating as a standalone service post-acquisition. Keywords: Foodspotting, OpenTable, dish discovery, food photo app, Alexa Andrzejewski, Ted Grubb, Soraya Darabi, visual food guide, mobile food app, restaurant dish rating, food tech, startup acquisition, venture capital, Blue Run Ventures, 500 Startups, social food sharing, dish recommendation, food discovery platform