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- Hacker News
- UX report: On desktop chromium, clicked on a "14 restaurants nearby" restaurant item, and... nothing changed on the map. Little idea where it is. Got address from popup and... map wasn't showing that street name. Zoom in, pan around, repeat. Struggle. Apparently cluster markers (like "(2)") don't visually indicate selection at all. And the unclustered restaurant marker selection indication was subtle enough for me to miss, at least when getting started. Especially given the draws-the-eye distraction of the popup, so the indication transition itself wasn't noticed.
Also on the "restaurants nearby" list, every card said "New York, NY". Unhelpful ink. I wished it was showing the address line, at least when all the city lines were the same.
A relieved word of thanks for not using the frustrating Google Maps "Search this area" yes-really-please button.
I saw someplace interesting, then realized, "oh yeah, I tried to go there, but they don't open until <after my window>". Also, "that looks interesting... I wonder when they're open?", then checked GMaps via button, which didn't have hours but did have popular times (it's a truck).
Fwiw. Has given me a couple of places to try - thanks!
by mncharity - Wow, this is really helpful user experience issue that I did NOT know about!
Thank you thank you thank you!
by jaep1 - How do you vet 'a meal'? Manually? I ask because some places will have say fries, or sides or $1 oysters or others will have $2 wings but with a minimum purchase of 6.
Otherwise, great job. I like it.
by chirau - Thank you, This is biggest take away from everyone's feedback today. I will add filters and option to define if item is a "meal" or "snack/appetizer"
It is really amazing to get such a great response and feedback from this group.
by jaep1 - I like the idea. It would be nice a worldwide map. I mean, not only across the US.by chesscoachx
- Or at least make it clear from the get-go that it's US-only.by SpecialistK
- Wow, I am surprised to see so many recommandation for global app. We will definitely work on this soon.by jaep1
- Neat idea.
I don't like giving my location, zip code should be good enough. I think if I tap List it kind of works but not really. I'm in SoCal for what it's worth.
by gabrielsroka - Yes, I should make that easier for people. You can enter zip code or city name on search box and it should take you there. (Under List in mobile)by jaep1
- The leaderboard with acorns is a smart touch. gamification might actually solve your price freshness problem better than anything else. If updating a price earned acorns too, your top contributors would keep the data current for you. Nice project, and the 10% to food banks commitment on the about page is a good look.by fibuladev
- Thank you! Yes, updating prices give you acorn and badge as well. I might expand more incentives to update prices, like suggestion from comments, for restaurants.
Food bank commitment is built in from start. I plan to display transparent donation amount if we ever make money. (fingers crossed!)
by jaep1 - When visiting the US, I lerned that a meal that costs 10$ is actually 10$ + some random tax + a tip = 20$
- It depends on the type of establishment.
A full service restaurant where you are directed to a table, someone takes your order, then brings food to you, and then you pay would require a tip, because that is considered service.
A counter service restaurant or cafe where you walk up to a counter, give your order, pay, then pick up your food and find your own table would not require a tip.
by jerlam - Yes, tip use to be around 15%, but now default close to 20%. We call it tipflation.
We added tip + tax calculation on the page so you know what you are getting into as well =)
by jaep1 - This is a great idea I fully commend. An additional option for meals under $10 is cooking them oneself too.
I know this might appear to be obvious, but is still a viable option IMHO. A used copy of the "Joy of Cooking" book and some creative shopping can go a long way.
by AdieuToLogic - This is great idea. Auto populate recipe and link to fill in shopping list on Amazon Fresh.by jaep1
- $10 isn't $10 everywhere. There are still places in the country where $10 feels expensive. You may want to add a filter for even cheaper meals.
On the other end, increasingly, even fast food combos are more than $10. It would be helpful to highlight franchise meals that are actually affordable. Just don't let people add dollar menus or non-combos.
Posts should somehow only admit whole meals. If someone says their local taco truck sells a single street taco for $6.99, that's means a meal is more like $20.
by stbede - Yes on all three points.
Added the $ filter, first action item this week is to add a filter to encourage only "real meal" not a single item like taco to be added as "meal"
Maybe I should have named it cheapmealmap.com (I own this name as well.)
by jaep1 - I love the idea, but a quick glance (randomly at SF) reveals entries that aren't "meals" (IMO, anyway) but rather snacks - like two spring rolls for $8, or a slice of pizza for $5.53. Also, the days of a $1 slice may have (long) gone, but $5.33 for a slice seems median at best, not "cheap".
Have you thought about either some guidance, or even a filter, for meal size?
by mft_ - thats really good point. I should put more guidance on the submission.
Basic rules were no franchise, actual meals only. I was filtering manually in DFW area for now, but should actually add more features and guidance in general.
This is actually critical point. Thank you for pointing that out.
by jaep1 - Yeah a quick glance and none of the ones I saw around my office are meals. I'm honestly not sure a $10 meal exists in SF anymore...by mkw5053
- maybe, the calories for that item, and a lower limit that counts as a full meal?by foolinaround
- Too Good To Go has full meals under 10 dollars, but you can't choose what you're gonna get.by satvikpendem
- Sam's Club Cafe sells $1 hot dogs and $2.50 pizza slices with a drink, and it doesn't not require a membership to visit.
Larger families (4+ kids) shop at Warehouse clubs because they need items in bulk, but they are also often cost sensitive because they have a higher multiplier. You might see a family of 8 eating for under $20. Talk to that family, and they will tell you all the other places in town that they can afford to take their family to. They will also know other families who would be interested in your site.
by elevation - My favorite college food hack was the 1/4 lb Big Bite at 7 Eleven. The one near my house sold them for $1 and had an extensive bar of vegetables in addition to the machine that secreted warm nacho cheese and chili (!!!) out of a bag. My usual setup was onions, tomatoes, sauerkraut, mustard, and a pinch of the cheese and some cilantro if they had any hanging around.
If I had to feed a family on the cheap I'd make lentil or barley stew. Saute a mirepoix and brown whatever protein is on sale, deglaze with whatever wine is appropriate, brown some tomato paste, then chuck the rest of the veggies and starches in with some spice mix and cook for 30-40 minutes. Once you've dialed in whatever time is appropriate for your ingredients it's the best meal prep hack there is. Gym bros slathering chicken breast and white rice in mystery sauce need not apply.
by alexjplant - Awesome suggestion. Marketing was biggest huddle during this launch. I have been asking on facebook groups, since head of families are there, might be a good out reach?by jaep1
- Could see this being useful for people who are on the road for a living, or regularly operating in areas where they’re not familiar with the offerings. Truck drivers, salespeople, etc.
That said, kneejerk after using it is: price is a challenging anchor, because food is not uniform. I’d be curious if users are more interested in “under $10, ignoring all else” or “a better deal than comparable” - though, there’s a lot of subjectivity in that.
Gasbuddy works because 1 gallon of gas = 1 gallon of gas, so price is a useful anchor.
$5 for sushi at one place could be a bad deal, while a great deal at another place.
An $8 steak would be cheap. An $8 hot dog would be a ripoff.
I’d be skeptical of restaurants luring people with a single cheap item, or about quality/portion changes.
All this said, Ikea is known for designing furniture _around_ the price their target customer thinks a table should cost. Restaurants are likely (hopefully!) aware of where these price thresholds are for their customers … and your site could be an interesting way of sending them a different type of customer than they’d historically targeted. Or, allow them to refine an offering to maximize profit at the $10 price point.
As others have said, engage restaurants and make them part of the equation. They’re not your adversary.
In short: cool! Do lots of experiments and research!
by gffrd - > $8 steak
Is gristly piece of roadkill.
But there are certain dishes which are traditional,
American:
Mexican:- 1/4 lb burger and fries, - bec on a roll with coffee, - 2 eggs, hash browns, toast and coffee - soup and sandwich - slice of pizza
Central American:- 3 tacos - burrito
Peruvian:- rice & protein and side- 1/2 rotisserie chicken and fries - (Hempstead, LI) 1/2 rotisserie chicken and a Heineken hahaby xtiansimon - Thank you so much gffrd.
You know, my dream is to have some kind of movement where people rally to fight inflation and tipflation. Last few years, we seen some crazy food price increases and it seems like its gonna get worse.
If enough people find value in affortable prices, and people go to those restaurants that offer good deals, either as lunch special or weekly promotion, more restaurant will try to offer these kind of deals. Win for customers, win for restuarant.
Might be getting a head of myself there.. but that's the vision. (If you check "About" page, I put another dream which is to make this website turn non-profit later down the road if we make money lol)
by jaep1 - This feels like GasBuddy, but for food.
One of the reasons GasBuddy took off was that it wasn't just based on community reports; there was an incentive for gas stations themselves to accurately report their prices and keep them up to date.
It seems like you're trying to discourage businesses from participating (e.g. by not accepting sponsored placements), and that will have implications for your growth rate. I think you should look for ways to give businesses an active role, without eroding user trust in the recommendations, of course.
Think of the possibilities:
- Business can add coupons to its listing, making cheap food even cheaper
- Business can confirm a reported deal, adding to its credibility
- Business can provide full menu and a link to order takeout
I don't think any of those features would make users feel like the business is "buying" a listing it didn't earn.
by jawns