Overview
Celebrity chef Marco Pierre White needs little introduction – his epic career has seen him work with the likes of Gordon Ramsay and Heston Blumenthal at renowned restaurants across the world. But the latest project from the Michelin-starred chef isn't in the kitchen, but in the form of an app that allows customers to score meals at some of the city's best restaurants at discounted prices.
Launching in Melbourne this month, EatClub is a new platform that allows restaurants to offer real-time discounts to customers at specifically slow or off-peak periods So if a restaurant doesn't have many covers for dinner, they can put up four tables and offer, say, 30 percent off to EatClub users that book those tables before 7.30pm.
When you open the app, you're shown a selection of nearby restaurants with live deals on a map or in a list. You can then browse the restaurant's interior, peruse the different deals on offer and even check out the menu before you redeem the deal. It's a first in, best dressed system, so if you see something you want to jump on, best be quick – once a deal has been redeemed, it disappears from the app.
The technology was co-founded by Matt Cantelo, Ben Tyler and Pan Koutlaki (ex-CEO of Foodora) who worked alongside Pierre White. The idea is that it'll encourage people to eat out more on a whim, an activity that has declined noticeably since delivery apps like UberEATS and Deliveroo have risen in popularity. More than 130 Melbourne restaurants are on board so far, including +39 Pizzeria, Mr Scruffs, Papa Goose and Babu Ji.
Arguably the most exciting part of the app is that twice a day, at a random time, one restaurant will offer a 100 percent off deal for a single table. The first person to snatch up this daily deal will be able to dine for free, which is as good a reason to give it a go as any.
EatClub has only launched in Melbourne so far, but there's talk of the app launching in Sydney very soon.
To download EatClub, visit the Apple App Store or head to Google Play.