Authenticity of Food Review Platforms Challenged
Before choosing a restaurant, it has become common practice for most people to check online reviews and ratings. However, many food review platforms lack a verification mechanism, and with an increasing number of establishments inviting customers to “fabricate reviews,” the ratings may not necessarily reflect the actual dining experience. These seemingly genuine but fake reviews are unable to assist users in making the best choices.
To address this issue, Fooday from Taiwan has decided to create the “most authentic” food review platform and community. They have integrated blockchain technology and AI to enhance users’ restaurant discovery experience, and through a token-based economic model, they encourage more users to participate and write genuine reviews.
How does Fooday break the authenticity challenge in reviews?
According to Fooday founder Guan Zi-Han, Fooday utilizes a token-based model built on blockchain technology, which allows reviews to become a valuable feedback mechanism.
Simply put, by writing reviews or completing tasks such as establishing business locations, users can earn a certain amount of Fudos experience points. The system then automatically calculates and converts the earned Fudos into FOOD tokens. In addition to using FOOD to upgrade their Fooday built-in camera, users can also withdraw the tokens to the blockchain and convert them into other cryptocurrencies, which can be exchanged for real-world fiat currencies.
The conversion rate from Fudos to FOOD tokens is influenced by the user’s level, with higher levels enjoying better exchange rates.
The decision to adopt a “token” as a reward for customers is mainly related to the popularity of the “earn while you run” game called STEPN, which gained prominence in 2022. STEPN allows users to earn corresponding cryptocurrencies by running. As a running enthusiast, Guan Zi-Han stated that this incentive mechanism is very effective. “Although I already had the habit of running, sometimes I would interrupt it due to bad weather or laziness. However, after participating in STEPN, I run every day because its reward mechanism motivates me more.”
Guan Zi-Han realized that a well-designed token model can motivate users to continue participating, which is essential for a food review platform that requires a large amount of user-generated content. The incentive mechanism makes users more willing to invest time in writing high-quality reviews.
After attracting user participation, how is “authenticity” ensured?
Guan Zi-Han explained that Fooday has implemented a GPS location verification mechanism to confirm that users are actually “inside the restaurant.” Additionally, when users write reviews, they need to use Fooday’s “Fooca camera” function to take photos, eliminating the possibility of uploading fake pictures.
The Fooca camera itself is a non-fungible token (NFT), and only those who possess Fooca can start taking photos and writing reviews. The number of token rewards that can be accumulated varies depending on the camera’s level. As users, they can also buy and sell the camera in the marketplace, with the platform charging transaction fees, similar to the STEPN project.
Fooday founder Guan Zi-Han.
After integrating these mechanisms, once there are numerous users in the Fooday ecosystem, restaurant brands will be more willing to cooperate with the platform for more advanced marketing promotions. For example, designated restaurants can ask customers to write reviews after dining, allowing users to earn additional points. These collaborations are based on consumers paying for their meals and taking into account both the quality and quantity of reviews, creating a win-win situation for users and restaurant brands.
AI improves restaurant search efficiency
In addition to blockchain technology, Fooday also actively invests in the application of AI technology to help users easily find restaurants that meet their needs. Guan Zi-Han mentioned that reviews for a single restaurant can be overwhelming in terms of quantity, and each user’s reviews may focus on different dishes. Therefore, when searching for a restaurant, users usually need to spend a lot of time filtering through a massive amount of reviews to find the information that suits their needs.
“AI technology allows me to quickly analyze a large amount of review content and provide users with more accurate restaurant recommendations,” explained Guan Zi-Han. When users want to eat a specific dish, Fooday’s AI function can quickly filter out which restaurants offer that dish and how they are reviewed.
In addition, AI can analyze the key points in the reviews and extract the most valuable information for users to quickly understand the restaurant’s characteristics. Currently, users have a daily limit of free AI usage, and beyond that limit, they can use FOOD tokens to exchange for the service.
Expanding token applications and international markets
There are various types of review platforms on the market, including the widely used Google, which has a broad market share. Alternatively, abundant restaurant reviews can also be found on platforms like Instagram and Little Red Book. Guan Zi-Han admitted that one of Fooday’s biggest challenges is changing user habits and getting users to transition from familiar old platforms to the new platform.
However, Guan Zi-Han believes that the fundamental solution lies in whether the product can truly address user pain points. “We want to encourage users to actively share authentic reviews and improve their restaurant search efficiency, allowing them to find suitable restaurants faster and more accurately. This is the key to attracting new users.” Currently, Fooday has approximately 50,000 active users per month and continues to grow.
Guan Zi-Han hopes to sustain this growth and expand the application of tokens and enter international markets. In the future, Fooday’s tokens will not only exist on the blockchain but also be interoperable with other platform point systems, such as App Store or Google Play points, providing users with more choices for rewards.
Furthermore, Fooday has already begun expanding its business to other countries and regions, such as Japan, Hong Kong, and Southeast Asia. Guan Zi-Han emphasized that blockchain knows no borders, meaning that the product can easily apply the same token economic model to different markets and allow users from more countries to experience the charm of a genuine food review community.
