Getting a group together for dinner or brunch is never as easy as it sounds. Chaotic text threads where you're juggling food allergies, dietary restrictions, schedules, budgets and other dining preferences can take hours out of your day.
That was the case for Malvi Hemani, who often found herself in the position of event planner when her group of friends wanted to grab a bite.
"Living a busy life, it tends to gets frustrating to plan every dinner and brunch," she said. "Especially with everyone’s different needs."
So in 2021 Hemani, a Northwestern University MBA grad, launched Cravosity, a Chicago-based app that simplifies the process for planning group dinners.
The app, available on the Google Play and Apple App stores, lets users create a group and invite friends, who can each create their own profile with dietary needs, preferred budget, the type of food they want and other details. People in the group can vote on times that work or connect their calendars, and Cravosity will find a time that works for everyone.
Based on the group's responses, a Cravosity concierge will handpick three pre-booked restaurants for users to choose from. Once the group is ready to decide, the app sends a calendar invite to all the attendees.
The idea is to create a seamless booking experience that satisfies even the pickiest eater in your group.
Hemani, who's also a full-time product manager at Google, said Cravosity can help groups source new restaurants they may not have eaten at yet, or help book a reservation at a place they've been dying to try. Its "bucket list" feature lets users add restaurants they want to visit, and it prioritizes those places the next time they set up a dinner.
The app, which is live in Chicago, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco, has seen more than 1,000 users since officially launching last October, Hemani said. The startup has been bootstrapped to date.
While starting primarily with friend groups, Hemani said another area of focus will be businesses looking to book work dinners. Cravosity is working with a large firm in Chicago to organize dinners for new employees, and is working on a pilot basis with another to schedule manager outings, Hemani said. Other future features could include things like splitting the bill, she said.
"The biggest thing is helping our users connect," Hemani said.
