Zest launches AI restaurant concierge with text-based recommendations and booking

Zest launches AI restaurant concierge with text-based recommendations and booking

N
News Editor
2026-10-30 17:58:17
Restaurant discovery app Zest has rolled out an AI-powered personal concierge that lets users get restaurant recommendations and book tables over text message. The product is designed to work like AI agents such as Instinct and Poke, but it starts with a user’s real spending history rather than relying on weeks of back-and-forth conversation. Zest imports credit card transaction data through Plaid to learn dining preferences, then connects that information with booking platforms including OpenTable and Resy. Founder and CEO Mario Gomez-Hall said the system can generate personalized suggestions from actual purchase behavior. Users can also add the concierge to a group chat, where it can weigh multiple people’s preferences, suggest restaurants for the group, and use a voting feature to help narrow down the choice. Zest was founded in November last year and has raised a $1.8 million pre-seed round from Alexis Ohanian and Steve Jang. According to TechCrunch, the company plans to expand its recommendation engine into other categories such as shopping and generate revenue through bookings and order transactions.

Restaurant discovery app Zest has introduced an AI-powered personal restaurant concierge that interacts with users over text message, offering tailored dining recommendations and letting them book tables directly.

The feature is positioned similarly to AI agents such as Instinct and Poke. Zest uses credit card spending data, imported through Plaid, to understand a user’s dining preferences and ties that into reservation services including OpenTable and Resy.

Built on real spending history

Founder and CEO Mario Gomez-Hall said the agent learns from a user’s actual purchase history, allowing it to make personalized suggestions without requiring weeks of conversation first.

Users can also add the concierge to a group chat. In that setting, it can account for multiple people’s preferences, recommend restaurants for the group, and help the group decide through a voting feature.

Funding and expansion plans

Zest was founded in November last year and has raised a $1.8 million pre-seed round from Alexis Ohanian and Steve Jang.

The company plans to extend its recommendation service into other areas, including shopping, and generate revenue through booking and order transactions.

The development was reported by TechCrunch.

This article was originally published by Bit.Fan. For more cryptocurrency news and market insights, visit www.bit.fan.
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