I, like most millennials, enjoy eating out. (Check out my Yelp account for my ventures around Dallas.) Off the Menu gives you another option to check out new restaurants in the area.
For $20 a month, you get one free menu item each day and a set of new restaurants to check out every Sunday. Interestingly enough, they say that tipping is mandatory and they may revoke your membership if you don’t. I really wonder if they enforce it. They say you get your money’s worth if you use the app twice a month, which means they value a menu item at $10. I would assume that restaurants pay Off the Menu a fee to be featured on the app in exchange for reaching a new consumer base and being able to upsell products. Not atypical, the app is only available on iOS right now. It’s currently available in LA, Orange County, and Dallas.
The founder has a business development background in the influencer marketing space. It doesn’t look like they’ve taken any funding. It’s still in startup mode and the website doesn’t indicate that they’re hiring any people. Back in 2016, they made Shay Mitchell (the actress), the creative director, but I’m not sure if she’s still involved. They have a decent following with 120k Instagram followers and will probably grow as they expand to more cities.
I like the concept and exploring your own city, but the value and consumer retention really depends on the items offered. It looks like in LA, it ranges from coffee to sandwiches, and sometimes you’d need to drive farther out to get there. It reminds me of Hooked, an app that offers food discounts targeting college towns. Since I’m in Dallas I’ll consider trying it, but my concern is that the area is so big that I don’t want to drive half an hour to try something off the menu, just so I can get my money’s worth. I do like eating out though.