HelpMeOrder Foodie App Makes Toronto Debut

Restaurant menus can be tiresome to navigate when customers are met with pages of options. Instead of flipping through a menu, a new app promises it can help foodies find what they’re looking for.

HelpMeOrder is a consumer-based app where users can read meal reviews and post dish recommendations along with photos of what they’re eating.

The app for indecisive eaters was launched in Toronto last week after a year-long run in St. John’s, NL. The company graduated from Atlantic Canada’s startup accelerator Propel ICT in late 2016.

Co-founders Peter Francis and Mina Michail chose Toronto for HelpMeOrder’s latest launch not only for the city’s diversity and population, but also because it’s where the pair grew up. Francis said there are many existing restaurant apps that will tell you places to go in different cities, but won’t highlight the best dishes to eat.

“We want to help you find delicious looking recommendations before you dine out, to help you discover where to go and share what you’re having,” he said.

The app helps users differentiate between restaurants and the meals they make by offering reviews for specific plates, giving restaurant goers an idea of a kitchen’s best dish and hidden food gems. On the landing page, users can scroll through a feed of meal recommendations curated by Facebook friends and local reviewers, and save dishes they are interested in trying to different lists.

Francis also explained that while photo-sharing sites like Instagram are great for looking at mouth-watering meals, it falls short when it comes to helping users dine out.

“Instagram doesn’t connect the dots between a photo, a restaurant, a meal and your friends,” said Francis. “HelpMeOrder allows you to become a local food critic, and share your photos and reviews within your network.”

HelpMeOrder currently features 250,000 plates in restaurants across North America. The free dish ratings app is available for download on iOS and Android devices.