We had a problem we wanted to solve. Then we had a community we thought we could help.
Best Place For started out of a love for food but a real frustration in sharing it.
I was living in Japan at the time the idea for bestplacefor.com came to life.
Working for Audible I had been relishing driving a great digital business in a new market, something I’ve been fortunate enough to do a number of times.
And a former colleague, who became a firm friend, hit town for the Rugby World Cup.
Ben and I had worked together in two previous jobs and had always found a great connection in brainstorming and delivering new approaches to great customer experiences and digital opportunities
When Ben arrived he immediately asked me for my list of the places he had to eat.
And as a long time foodie, my list was epic.
I’d amassed a fantastic cross section of food recommendations in what is essentially a foodie paradise.
From my big call of the world’s best pizza, to mind-blowing beef, through to trying something new, I had an awesome list to share of food that was sometimes on and sometimes off the beaten path.
But we realised sharing that list wasn’t easy.
I had a long text list in my Notes app of places I’d experienced that were outstanding.
I sent Ben an email and, as he muddled through it, the first hint that there could be a better way hit us hard.
The other thing we noticed was the way we both thought about food. It wasn’t always about the restaurant. It was the dish that mattered. Go there to try this.
Online restaurant sites are generally all listings of every place on earth, and review sites focus on restaurants as a whole, with fans and trolls commenting in equal measure.
We wanted to highlight the best things to eat, and only the best.
Which is why we only rate dishes between 3 and 5 stars. If you didn’t like it, don’t add it!
And it’s not just about restaurant dishes. On this site we want to highlight that bread you drive across town for, that cheesecake five suburbs away, that local beer that really hits the spot.
And it became even more important as COVID-19 hit.
As lockdowns took hold, and customers disappeared, the food industry became one of many in crisis. So now it’s so important to support those businesses that you love, to appreciate that food that is a cut above, to help them out.
When the pandemic hit I accelerated and built this BETA version of the site as quickly as we could, and I’m happy to say Ben came on board as my first investor and board member.
Now’s the time to build that list of local businesses who are the highlight of your daily food experience.
Add their signature dish or produce to this site so others can find it.
Create that list of your city’s best versions of the food you love and compare with your friends. Highlight the rural businesses you always purchase from when in their region, so others can find them too and help them not just survive, but thrive.
And capture those city hit lists for when we all get through this pandemic and can travel again.
I hope you like our site, and I’m always ready to hear ideas or feedback by emailing me here.
