Dining out has always been a social sharing – sometimes a ritual and/or and a celebration. But the explosion of social media and the so-called “sharing economy” in the past decade has taken it up a few notches. Following in the footsteps of the likes of Airbnb (which lets you share living space) and BlaBlaCar (ride sharing), comes a technology-assisted trend in social dining that has been growing in popularity.
Social dining’s appeal cuts across demographics and interests, for both residents of a place and visitors to it. Whether it’s about eating out in a restaurant or a home-cooked meal at a host’s flat or house, it both allows locals to meet new people and visitors to easily gain unusual entrée into local society – all at very affordable prices.
The technology powering this cool new eating trend is websites and apps such as BlendAbout, EatWith, Social Dining Network, Spain‘s SocialEaters, and VizEat.
It’s another (and a particularly tasty) example of how technology can enrich our lives – our social lives, dining lives, travel lives. Bon appétit!
photo | goir