Get from “anything is fine” to a place to eat.

1. Set the table before you search

Enter a display name and a session name. The suggested session name uses your device’s weekday and time of day; you can change it. Pick a search radius from 5 to 30 miles and a maximum deck size of 20, 40, 60, 80, or 100 restaurants. These settings belong to the session and should be agreed on before everyone starts swiping.

A smaller deck is useful when the group wants a quick decision. A larger deck gives more choice but also gives everyone more work. If one person has a firm travel limit, agree on that before you search rather than treating the widest radius as the default.

Tap Start a session and allow location access when your browser asks. Search uses the host’s location and asks Google for restaurants open now. The requested card count is a maximum: the available results may be fewer, especially late at night or in a sparsely populated area. Some results may fall outside the preferred circle; those distances are marked so you can decide for yourself.

Invite people without waiting

Share the session link through your phone’s sharing options, or copy it into a message. Participants open that link and enter their own names. They review the host’s selected restaurant IDs, rather than start a different search for a new set of choices. The people panel at the top shows who has joined. Use Invite there to add someone later.

You can start reviewing immediately. Invite everyone you want in the decision before the host starts voting. Each participant needs their own browser identity; sharing one phone and browser can mean sharing one participant’s choices.

2. Make your picks independently

Swipe right or tap Keep for a restaurant you would eat at. Swipe left or tap Pass for one you would rather skip. Neither choice requires waiting for another person. Use Undo for your last swipe, or open Your picks to revisit earlier choices.

Pass a whole category deliberately

Pass all opens a category picker, including when only one category is available. Read the category name and affected-place count before selecting it. The action applies across your deck, including restaurants you previously kept. Other people’s choices stay theirs. If you change your mind about a particular place, restore it from Your picks.

Save one place you really want

Must try records a keep and guarantees that restaurant a place in the voting round, even if somebody else passes on it. Each participant has one active Must try at a time. If everybody keeps that restaurant, it becomes a normal shared match and your Must try becomes available again. A gold frame and the nominator’s name identify these picks in the finalists and voting lists.

For example, if you nominate a noodle shop and someone passes on it, it still reaches voting. If everyone keeps it instead, you can nominate another place. Undoing or passing on your own nomination withdraws it. A restaurant that becomes unavailable cannot remain a finalist just because it was nominated.

Read the bio before committing

The bio includes available Google information such as hours, rating, review count, price level, address, phone number, and a website link. Not every listing has every field. Open the restaurant’s own website for its current menu and Google Maps for photos and directions. A star rating reflects Google reviews, not votes from your group.

3. Turn the shortlist into a decision

Finalists combines restaurants everybody kept with active Must try nominations. Both Finalists and Your picks are scrollable lists. The rest of the phone interface stays in place, so the readiness control is available while you review.

After you have reviewed the whole deck, tap I’m ready to vote. When everyone is ready, the host can start voting. Each participant chooses one favorite. The result is calculated once everyone has voted. A single leader wins; a tie removes the lower-scoring choices and starts another vote among the tied leaders. If everyone ties, those choices remain for another round.

With no shared matches or active nominations, there is nothing to vote on. Review some passes together or start a fresh round. Reset affects everyone, clears choices and nominations, and restarts the session’s twelve-hour window.

A few agreements make dinner easier

Decide on budget and non-negotiable needs before swiping. Keep should mean “I would actually go,” not “I suppose someone else might like it.” Save Must try for a place you would be happy to explain to the group. That keeps the final vote useful rather than turning it into a second elimination marathon.

For allergies, accessibility needs, reservations, or a large party, check directly with the restaurant. Open now does not guarantee the kitchen will still be serving when you arrive. The app does not book tables, place orders, or verify dietary suitability.

When something doesn’t look right

Before you share

An invitation gives access to the group’s session, including names, choices, and the search location. Use it for casual planning rather than sensitive information. Read Privacy for storage and advertising details and About for how restaurant information is sourced.

Start a session