The app is made for both restaurant owners and taco consumers:
- The owners can register their restaurants easily through the app.
- Consumers can use the app without any registration and find the closest taquerías based on their location or specify through filters which kind of taquería they are looking for.
Acquiring a solid base of restaurant owners from around Mexico was a big task. We weren't prepared to launch at a national level at first, so we decided to test our beta only in one city, Querétaro. Getting users was the next step; FB ads and help from our sponsors was the most effective form of advertising. Coming up with a way to monetize was also a tough challenge. In the end, we got sponsors to promote their brands inside the app, primarily through special offers and other promotions.
From a UX perspective, I learned a lot while developing this project. Deciding to base the app on the map view rather than a search screen was a big bet. This decision was taken based on the core concept of the project- a taquería guide. I wanted people to get going as soon as possible. Make the app their best tool whenever they arrive at a new place and don't know where to get some tacos.
Another lesson I learned was that restaurant owners are generally older people that don't trust the apps for promotion. Making them feel safe and comfortable when registering their taquerías for the first time inside the app was a priority.
