Challenges in the Current Food Industry

The global food industry, particularly the street food and local restaurant sector, faces several structural challenges that hinder its growth and efficiency. Some of the key issues include:

1) Lack of Global Connectivity

• Local restaurants often struggle to gain visibility outside their immediate regions, limiting their potential to attract international customers.

• Existing food platforms primarily focus on major restaurants and chains, leaving smaller food vendors without adequate exposure.

2) Ineffective Food Review & Incentive Systems

• Most food review platforms (such as Yelp, TripAdvisor, and Google Reviews) rely on voluntary participation without offering direct incentives to users.

• Many reviews are manipulated by businesses through fake ratings, paid promotions, or biased feedback, leading to trust issues among consumers.

• Users who provide genuine and valuable reviews do not receive tangible rewards, discouraging active participation.

3) High Marketing Costs for Local Restaurants

• Traditional digital marketing for restaurants (social media ads, influencer promotions, etc.) is expensive and does not always guarantee high ROI.

• Small food businesses often lack the technical expertise to leverage online marketing, putting them at a disadvantage compared to larger competitors.

4) Lack of Engagement & Gamification

• The current food discovery experience is static and transactional, with little interactivity to encourage user engagement.

There is no real incentive for users to explore new restaurants or actively participate in a food-related digital ecosystem.