In December 2025, DoorDash quietly launched Zesty — an AI-powered app that recommends restaurants based on "vibe," not cuisine type or star ratings. It's currently in beta in NYC and San Francisco.
This isn't a feature update. It's a signal that the way people discover restaurants is fundamentally changing.
How Zesty Works
Instead of searching "Italian food near me," users type conversational prompts like:
- "A low-key dinner in Williamsburg that's actually good for introverts"
- "Romantic dinner with a vintage feel"
- "Cozy pasta spots on the Lower East Side with outdoor seating under $100"
Zesty then scrapes data from DoorDash, Google Maps, TikTok, Reddit, and Eater to find restaurants that match the feeling — not just the food category.
The shift: Discovery is moving from "What do you serve?" to "How do you make people feel?"
What This Means for Restaurant Owners
If your Google Business listing says "Fresh, delicious food in a cozy atmosphere," you're invisible to Zesty. That description could apply to 10,000 restaurants.
But if your listing says: "The kind of place where you linger over a second glass of wine and forget to check your phone. Exposed brick, candlelight, and a menu that changes with what's good at the market that week" — now Zesty knows exactly when to recommend you.
The AI isn't looking for keywords. It's looking for emotional signals and occasion markers.
The New Discovery Equation
Feeling → Function → Proof
What emotion does your space evoke?
What occasion does it serve?
What specific details make it believable?
What You Can Do Right Now
1. Audit your language. Read your Google Business description, your DoorDash listing, your Instagram bio. Would an AI know when to recommend you?
2. Think in prompts. What would someone type into Zesty that should surface your restaurant? "Late-night spot for industry people"? "First date with a foodie"? "Birthday dinner that won't break the bank"? Write those down.
3. Translate your culture. Your regulars already know what makes you special. Your job is to put that into words that AI can read and match.
Want to see what AI-ready language looks like for your restaurant?
The Bottom Line
Zesty is just the beginning. ChatGPT, Gemini, and every other AI assistant are already being asked "Where should I eat tonight?" The restaurants that win will be the ones whose language is built for this moment.
Your food is exceptional. Your words should be too.
Source: TechCrunch