Hoppit: Chose a Restaurant Based on Ambiance

There are already a variety of methods you can use to find a restaurant but what if you wanted base you choice off of mood? Check out Hoppit, the first site to provide a dining-out search engine which filters its results based on the ambience of venues.

Based in Manhattan and currently available in 25 cities in the US, each restaurant in the Hoppit database is tagged with one of ten “vibes” or types of atmosphere. These include: ‘classy & upscale’, ‘hipster’, ‘romantic’ and ‘cozy & quaint’, among others. Users can manage their search results based on these categories, as well as the type of people they will be dining with – whether friends, family, business associate or date — the food they would like to eat, and the noise volume they would like to experience.

Hoppit then displays a list of the nearby restaurants suited to the user’s plans and mood. The service uses “natural language processing technology and algorithms” to sort its data, which draws on existing online reviews. Search results are complemented by food and drink deals through sites such as Groupon and Gilt City (not bad eh?), which are shown beside the restaurant options.

Hoppit works 2 fold; it hopes to takes the hassle out of scrolling through countless online testimonials but also helps outlets connect with clientele best suited to the ambience of their restaurant. How do you feel about this type of app and would you use it?