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We're trying to address two pain points: 1) For consumers outside of NY and SF (which seem to be covered by menupages.com), there is no searchable menu databas
by rsbrown 16y ago
We're trying to address two pain points:
1) For consumers outside of NY and SF (which seem to be covered by menupages.com), there is no searchable menu database. Since their acquisition by NY Magazine, menupages appears to have little/no growth plans.
2) For restaurateurs, we aim to solve the difficulty of getting menu content online in a conventional way by providing simple, free menu content management.
Point number 1 can be difficult to see for folks outside of the top few major metro areas, but there is honestly no other solution currently in place if you want to search for "salmon in downtown Denver".
- eru 16y agoDid you have a look at http://www.just-eat.co.uk/ http://www.just-eat.co.uk/ ? It provides a slightly similar service for the UK, although it's focussed on takeaway.
- petervandijck 16y ago1) Searchable menu database. You're trying but no succeeding in solving that problem. Check this search: http://marksmenus.com/search?page=1&query=pizza&location=10024&lat=40.7859464&lng=-73.9741874 http://marksmenus.com/search?page=1&query=pizza&loca... 2) How many restaurateurs are active users?
- rsbrown 16y agoYeah, this is a symptom of the chicken and egg problem. We've seeded our DB with menus outside of our local market (Memphis) but the data is sparse right now. Restaurateur response in Memphis has been okay: 5 paying customers at $30/month and 10-15 that are non-paying but have entered their own menus and participate in discussions. Most of the activity and content submissions have been from diners/foodies.
- petervandijck 16y agoThat's promising :)
- petervandijck 16y agoSalmon in downtown Denver? http://marksmenus.com/search?page=1&query=salmon&location=denver http://marksmenus.com/search?page=1&query=salmon&loc... This result set/results page is just not compelling at all, sorry. You need to work on making this search return something useful.
- rsbrown 16y agoDid you see the "dishes" tab? Getting the UI right on that search page has been a struggle for us. We return both "restaurants" and "dishes", but the results are split across two tabs.
- petervandijck 16y agoSplitting results over 2 tabs is not a good idea. You're hiding half of your results behind something that most people won't even notice.
- drewbuschhorn 16y agojust a tweak, but maybe weight titles more ... salmon dishes didn't appear until far down the list.
- run4yourlives 16y agoA pain point is not "We do x for y like z does for a" (especially when z is showing no growth). A pain point is the identification of the problem a specific customer has to which you can apply a solution that removes this problem. In identifying the pain point, you need to validate the entire scope from the user's perspective - their entire perspective. What I'm trying to say is that you need to be very, very clear on what benefit you are bringing to the user, what other options they have, and most importantly whether or not the "pain point" is worth their investment in finding a solution. I say the last point because I fear it may be directly applicable to you and your situation, and you even provide the evidence to support this in your comment. Ask yourself this question: Why doesn't menupages.com appear to be seizing the growth opportunity? I don't have the answer for that question, but in order to be successful, you need to confirm that the answer is not - in any way - related to the market, or lack of one. It is highly possible that getting menu content online is just not enough of a problem for enough people to be worth investing in the solution you have developed. I know I eat out a great deal, yet see no use for this particular function beyond casual knowledge. (i.e. if I couldn't find a menu, I'd probably just go to the restaurant anyway). I think, honestly, you should backtrack to the start point here and go through the process of nailing the customer identification process. It's very possible that my hunch is incorrect, but you need to find out - exactly - how if you are to be successful here. Good Luck.
- rsbrown 16y agorun4, this is exactly the kind of feedback I was looking for. I read your reply to my partner and it has already catalyzed a vibrant discussion on this end. I still believe we're onto something, but you strike right at the heart of what we need to do to make sure. Thanks.
- run4yourlives 16y agonp... I wish you guys the very best of success!