Fine-Dining Apps That Are Changing the Way We Eat
Lifestyle
We live in a fast-paced, ever-changing world. But one thing that always stays the same is the need to eat and in our opinion, the need to eat well.
With so many restaurants continuously popping up all over the place, it can be difficult to figure out where to go for the best fine-dining experience; What country of origin is on trend this month? What does one choose from the reinvented menu? Where is the place to be seen these days? Even, how and when to book can be a challenge.
Fortunately, in-keeping with our tech-savvy lives, the dining industry is serving up a variety of fantastic fine-dining apps to help you with just about everything.
Here, we have a rundown of four of our favourites...
Luxury Restaurant Guide & Club
If you love dining out in the UK's finest restaurants, your smartphone should not be without the Luxury Restaurant Guide app. Its launch in 2011 made it the first ever, fully-responsive, multi-platform restaurant guide and digital membership card app and still, today, no other has quite matched up!
There’s no need to trawl the web to find the most highly rated eateries. The Luxury Restaurant Guide does all the hard work for you in an instant. Using an amalgam of rankings from respected review sites such as Michelin, AA, and the Sunday Times Top 100, as well as taking a look at restaurants with the high social sentiment, you will be presented with a selection of the absolute best dining options in your local proximity.
But, the brilliance doesn’t end there! Subscribing to the Club will give you access to rewards and invitations at the best destinations right away, as well as the ability to book direct, or online where available.
While the app is free, joining the club and enjoying its perks comes at a price. Although a reasonable one. Diners can join from as little as £10/month with no tie-ins, and enjoy savings from £15 to £97.50 per dining visit. There are also additional treats every so often, such as invitations to dine for free, champagne on arrival and menu upgrades.
If all that wasn’t enough to sell this luxury dining app to you, perhaps its contribution to charity will. The Luxury Restaurant Guide & club proudly support registered charity 'Action Against Hunger' and donate 25p per cover booked online in noted restaurants.
Dines
If you love the concept of fine-dining meets altruism, download Dines – the dining app with a conscience and loads of great discounts too. Everyone who uses this app to eat out will automatically donate a meal to a school child in need around the world, with their campaign #mealforameal.
So, how does it work? It’s straightforward enough. All you have to do it take your pick from the fantastic weekly deals offered via the app at some of London’s best restaurants, turn up, enjoy your food and when it comes to paying, tell your server you want to pay with Dines. You’ll then be given a four-digit code to tap into your phone to set up the bill on the app, which you can then pay with your preferred payment method. There’s even an option to split the amount if you’re sharing with friends!
New Amex Diner Club
If you’re already part of the Amex club, you’ve got to take advantage of the new Amex Diner Club – an incredible feature pop up in the Amex mobile app which gives the holder exclusive access to the impossible dining reservation.
Forgotten to book for a big date? Or keen to get into the hottest new restaurant in town? This app is your new best friend. American Express has leveraged its position to secure and reserve last minute or sold-out tables all around the world, and Amex promises to offer tables and or benefits you can’t secure anywhere else.
HappyCow
The vegan and vegetarian populations of the world are skyrocketing, and as a result, there are some great vegan restaurants appearing to meet demand. But when you’re out and about, how can you ensure that you’re choosing a place really worth a visit?
The HappyCow app is the answer. It’s international (covering over 180 countries) so you can search for fantastic places to enjoy a vegan meal almost anywhere in the world. You can even filter your search to find vegan food shops too!
The app is free, but in no way lacking. It comes complete with lots of nifty features that allow you to save your favourites for future reference, accesses an interactive map with restaurants you want to visit on holiday, and share it all with friends on social media.