FoodiFy, a new platform developed by a young, enterprising Dallas resident, is helping to highlight lesser-known, independently-owned restaurants and boost sales.
The new app is the brainchild of University of Texas at Dallas student Anisha Holla and is not to be confused with the office food delivery app that shares the same name.
When she is not focused on her studies, Holla is likely writing about the city’s culinary scene for the Dallas Observer. As it turns out, her vision was inspired by the impact of her part-time work on restaurateurs.
“I got a call from one of the restaurant owners I posted about, and he was literally in tears of joy because he had not seen that traffic before. It was eye-opening,” said Holla, according to Dallas CultureMap.
According to Holla, anytime she highlighted a restaurant in an article or on social media, it would experience a surge in traffic. Afterward, however, she said, “Sales would plateau again because algorithms would prioritize new content.”
As a result, Holla decided to create what she describes as, “Modern-day matchmaking for small restaurants and local food influencers.”
To use the app, restaurateurs must first complete a form detailing their business. Next, FoodiFy leverages artificial intelligence to match users with one influencer monthly. After getting to know the business, the influencer creates content that gets promoted on his social media pages. The exposure, it is hoped, will then help drive traffic and sales to the establishment.
Restaurant owners can access the platform through paid monthly subscriptions ranging from $500 to $2,500. So far, FoodiFy has locked down more than two dozen restaurants, like Casa Pollastro in Addison, and helped generate tens of billions of social media impressions.
“In the last 8 months, we’ve achieved 180 viral posts, 65 billion social media impressions, and an average 150% lift in sales for just the 25 restaurant clients we serve, turning all of them—as promised—into viral phenomena. We’ve helped close-to-failing restaurants keep their doors open and we’ve helped empty dining rooms form overnight lines,” reads the platform’s official LinkedIn page.