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Zest’s new AI agent finds restaurants and books reservations over text

AI1 min read

Zest, a restaurant discovery app, has launched an AI "restaurant concierge" that works inside text messages. It can suggest places to eat and book a table for you or your group.

What happened

Zest added a personal AI helper that lives in your text messages. You text it to ask for restaurant ideas, check if a table is free, and book it. It also works in group chats, where it can pick places that fit everyone and help the group vote. The company says this is a step toward a future where people use text chats instead of opening separate apps.

Key facts

  • Zest was founded in November 2024 and raised $1.8 million in pre-seed funding.
  • Users text the concierge at (212) 470-6067.
  • Bookings work through OpenTable, Resy, and SevenRooms.
  • Zest began testing the concierge last month and had thousands of users before this launch.

How Zest knows your tastes

Zest connects to your credit cards to see where you eat and drink out. It uses Plaid, a company that banks and money apps use to share account data, and only looks at food and drink purchases. From this, it builds a personal map and list of places you might like, in your city or while traveling.

Why it matters

This shows how AI helpers may replace some standalone apps. Instead of learning a new app, people can just send a text. Zest also hopes to earn money from bookings and food orders, and it may later suggest shops and other businesses too.

What to watch

  • Whether people use the text concierge often instead of opening apps.
  • How well group voting and group bookings work in real life.
  • Whether Zest adds food ordering and earns money from it.
  • Whether Zest expands beyond restaurants to shopping and other businesses.

Glossary

Zest
A restaurant discovery app that suggests places to eat and can book tables.
Plaid
A company that connects banks to other apps so they can safely share account data.
OpenTable
A service people use to find and book restaurant tables online.
Resy
A restaurant booking service that lets people reserve tables online.
pre-seed
The very first round of money a startup raises, often from early investors.

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