Zest has launched a restaurant discovery app that uses credit card transaction data and AI to recommend places based on where users actually eat, drink, and get coffee. The startup has raised $1.8 million in pre-seed funding from Alexis Ohanian’s 776 and Steve Jang’s Kindred Ventures.
Founded in November 2024, Zest has been in beta testing since near its start. The company says it has attracted more than 100,000 visits in the weeks after launch.
Zest Builds A Personal Dining Map
Zest asks users to link a credit card, then imports restaurant, cafe, and bar visits to build a personal dining map. The app uses Plaid to access transaction data and says it only imports food and drink transactions while leaving out the rest.
The app then learns from a user’s dining history and recommends places to try next. Users can also follow friends and creator-curated profiles to find restaurants in their own city or while traveling.
Co-founder Mario Gomez-Hall told TechCrunch that Zest is designed to surface regular spots and dependable local favorites, not only restaurants people post about publicly.
Funding Comes From Consumer Tech Investors
Zest’s pre-seed funding came from 776 and Kindred Ventures. Gomez-Hall previously led design at social calendaring app Saturn, which was acquired by Snap last year.
Technical co-founder Alex Moller has worked at Apple and other technology companies. The startup is using AI and transaction data to build recommendations around verified dining activity rather than manual check-ins or reviews.
More Dining Features Are Planned
Zest also uses more than 80 million reviews from sources across the web to improve its recommendations. Gomez-Hall said those sources range from high-end dining guides to informal recommendations from online communities.
This month, Zest plans to add freeform notes so users can record details about a place, such as what to order or how to get a reservation. It is also preparing a Fresh Picks feature that will recommend new restaurants to try across a city.
The company may later expand beyond restaurants into other city recommendations. Gomez-Hall said the name Zest was chosen as a nod to food, but also to leave room for broader local discovery.
Featured image credits: Zest
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