Word of…app?
Voodies promises to enhance Madison’s food scene
By: James O’Toole
One of the best parts about living in Madison is the great diversity of food offerings from countless different cuisines. However, it can be intimidating at first to seek out the restaurant with the best cheese curds, check out the newest food cart on State St. or connect with the owners and chefs who keep Madison’s food scene fresh.
Those who are interested in their local food offerings need to look no further than Voodies, a service built from the ground up by fellow students, which seeks to meaningfully connect users with cuisine. The simplest way to think of the app is to imagine if Tik Tok met Yelp. All the convenient ways to discover and connect on Tik Tok are combined with Yelp’s vast collection of restaurant information.
The idea for Voodies was born when two high school friends, George and London, in their junior year of college became tired of the appetizing pictures on restaurant websites not always matching the final product. That’s one thing Voodies hopes to solve: provide a more authentic look into the dishes and atmosphere of local food establishments.
They were inspired by the drive of entrepreneurship. From just an idea, a company was created with suddenly dozens working toward the launch of a valuable service.
Their biggest goal was focusing on building community. Users can discover local restaurants through their tailored home page. A click on the profile opens useful information, like the restaurant’s location, hours, contact info and reviews from other users. Businesses can post to their own account, to highlight new menu items, specials, or events taking place.
Imagine a user “comes within a 10 mile radius of a coffee shop, they would get a little notification saying hey, ‘have you tried out this coffee shop? They're offering free croissants for anyone that buys a coffee.’,” London Anderson, CEO and co-founder of Voodies said.
With the Voodies Connect feature, users will receive personalized promotions from food establishments in their area. This helps Voodies users discover new offerings near them, and provides business owners with a greater outreach than they would have currently.
These features give community members a greater level of access to their favorite eateries that they haven’t before. On Tik Tok, it’s hard to stay local enough, as the algorithm will collect content from all over the world. Yelp on the other hand, can be cumbersome to navigate and frankly distant from the actual ‘feel’ of the restaurant.
With Voodies, both these problems are solved. Users can stay local and more meaningfully connect with those in their community. You can follow restaurants and other users to stay up to date with the latest happenings in your area. This makes it super easy to see what your friends and favorite establishments are up to.
Charlotte Relac, a senior at the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, and part of Voodies’ marketing team, explains how community is the cornerstone for the app.
“Voodies is a way to showcase your opinion, make friends and start mini communities,” Relac said.
Personalization is a key feature of the Voodies app. Relac explained how users’ profiles can be customized to present them with the most relevant information for their tastes. For example, those with dietary restrictions or interests in specific cuisines can ensure they see the content with offerings that best suits these tastes.
This can be especially beneficial for those who might have a hard time finding food that fits their diet, like those who are gluten free. Not all restaurants advertise gluten free offerings on Yelp or on their website. With Voodies, gluten free offerings can be selected to show up more frequently on a user’s home page.
Building communities in this way, by bringing similar people together, is a key benefit of Voodies. Even for those looking to find a local food reviewer or connect with someone to try the newest vegan restaurant, Voodies can help.
“I want to normalize food reviews, and I think it'd be really fun to see what my friends and family are eating,” London Anderson said.
The app also takes advantage of the power of the internet to reach across the nation. The Voodies Trending page will highlight all the hot new recipes and spots to try, sourced by the creativity of millions of people.
Being a startup, Voodies has been busy spreading the word on their March launch. The best way to work out bugs and refine the user experience is to bring on people who can test the app. Charlotte explained that the company has been blown away by the initial interest in getting the app up and running.
“We were trying to do just 500 [testers] but we were kind of trekking along, then we're like, oh, we've already surpassed 500, let’s get to 1000, let's get to 2000. It’s inspiring seeing how much everyone really cares about this,” Relac said.
All the buzz around the launch of the app has been seen all around the country. The Voodies team extends from coast to coast, and early users have encapsulated that same diversity. Although the Voodies reach is nationwide, one of its most useful features is its local focus.
Something that makes Madison unique is all the locally owned and operated establishments around the city. Relac explained how she and her roommates like to check out a new local place every Friday to expand their horizons.
“Everyone knows the basic restaurants to go to like Cento, or Lucille’s, but what about Mint Mark, or Ancho & Agave?” Relac said.
Many Badgers are typically more familiar with Cane’s or Chipotle than they are with any of the other local offerings near campus. Voodies is perfect for helping users discover decades old classics or that hot new spot in town.
Supporting local establishments is essential in strengthening communities. After all, those places are owned and operated by our neighbors. These restaurants are often more invested in the long-term success of community in Madison. Voodies is a great example of how innovation and bold thinking can help improve peoples’ lives. It inspires those who think and act like entrepreneurs, to always push forward.
With a launch date set for March 2025, Voodies is getting close to being an integral part of discovering the best places to eat. The app has the potential to support local businesses, expand users’ tastes and forge community.
Voodies is for “those who savor every taste, love sharing what they discover, are always hungry for something new.”
