Hungry, not sure what you want to eat or what’s around to satisfy your craving – it’s something everyone has experienced at least once in their lives.
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But an app, Crave, is looking to change all that. And after success in Newcastle, Crave is heading to Port Stephens.
Crave will be launching in Port Stephens in the next two weeks, its founder and managing director of Crave New Media, Jessica Koncz, said.
“We wanted to make a one-stop, free tool for locals to get involved with the great restaurants and food options that are available in the region,” Ms Koncz said.
“The app has been two years in the making and now features a huge array of options whether it be for a casual lunch or a dinner with family.”
The Crave team has partnered with Shoal Bay Country Club, Little Beach Boathouse and Sienna’s Pizzeria Bar and Restaurant to help market their food to an even larger audience.
These Port eateries will have their food featured on the Crave app, which will help residents and visitors to the area see the kinds of dishes they are serving up.
The app, developed by Ms Koncz and her brothers, Jordan and Ben Koncz, is the first of its kind nationwide.
The simple to use swipe feature allows users to browse an array of dishes from cafes and restaurants in their area. With a swipe left or right, the user can say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to a dish.
Click on an image that looks interesting and the user can find more information on the dish, its price, the venue it comes from and details on how to get there.
Users have the option to make selections based on their taste buds, dietary options such as gluten-free and vegan and be surprised by the discovery options for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Crave started out Instagram. Ms Koncz, like many social media users, would upload images of her food to the social media platform.
As her following grew, Ms Koncz started the Crave Newcastle Instagram page. Mouth-watering images of food would be uploaded to the page with details on where to find the dishes.
The page’s popularity continued to climb and Ms Koncz found a new way to connect people with food and venues with patrons – by developing an app.
“It’s an extension of the Instagram page,” Ms Koncz said. “I have been working in hospitality since I was 14. I really love the industry and wanted to work with cafes and restaurants to help them promote their businesses.”
Launched in Newcastle in August 2017, the Crave app took off and now has more than 10,800 downloads and active users and almost 50 businesses on board.
Crave is now moving into Port Stephens, with a view to expand further into the Hunter Valley and across Australia in the future.
“The more businesses that come on board, the more content there is for users to discover,” Ms Koncz said.
The app is free to download from Google Play or App store.