Posted by Liz and John Attaway, 5/25/20

Relevant for today’s times, GettaBite app came roaring into the market with over 5k downloads in the first three months of 2020 after an early 2020 launch. They also garnered 300,000+ total deal views every month with 1,000+ restaurant deals featured weekly. People loved it and it quickly became their go-to app! So, going gangbusters would be a good term to describe the success of GettaBite. Then the pandemic hit. But, the founders Evan and Rain of GettaBite didn’t let that stop them from getting deals to it’s rabid fanbase and they pivoted to to-go deals, while offering restaurants free exposure during the tough time. Yes, FREE! GettaBite To-Go was born. Here’s how it worked:

“Restaurants can email GettaBite at contact@gettabiteapp.com or send in their pick-up/delivery offering through the app itself and GettaBite will post the offerings on the app for hungry Atlantans to see at no charge to the restaurant,” according to the Press Release from PR Firm, Via Failla.

Here’s what Co-Founder Rain Li said about this, “Around mid-March, Georgia had just started to close dining rooms due to coronavirus. It was like the whole restaurant industry went belly up overnight. That was particularly difficult for local businesses when they don’t have the resources like the chain restaurants do to cope with the lockdown. We were brainstorming that week as soon as we found out about the closures, trying to think of ways we can help the industry in the next 24 hours. Within a few days, the Gettabite To-go feature went live, free of charge for restaurants. We’ve dedicated a special section in our app showcasing, in real-time, restaurants that are open for takeouts and delivery or featuring deals on gift cards. The turn around time from the moment a restaurant contacts us to the app showing their deals can be as quick as in less than 30 mins. The following weeks we saw so many restaurants reaching out to be featured on our app and our users continuing to use our app even though they can’t dine in or do happy hours anymore. That was kind of light in the darkness moment because we saw a surge of people getting takeout/deliveries just so they can keep their local restaurants in business. There will always be crises in the world, it’s comforting to know your community will have your back no matter what. GettaBite has always been about connecting people and it was a validating moment for us as a company and members of our community.” This has become one of their most memorable experience to date from development to implementation with the app. We love that they did this so quickly to help the restaurant industry in their time of need!

So what exactly IS GettaBite? Are you looking for something new place for dinner or even a special deal on some tacos? You know we are! Enter: GettaBite. It’s the Atlanta based to-go and food deal app that’s made you’re next food adventure easier! From the brains of co-founders Evan Walker and Rain Li, who came up with the idea in college, it navigates all those food deals for you, so you don’t have to do it yourself! When you open up the GettaBite app it becomes readily apparent that you can find every type of food, deal, happy hour, discount available in your area. What’s amazing is as you move new deals will pop-up. Plus, something that Co-Founder Evan Walker said in the interview we conducted stuck with us, he said, “GettaBite is for people who want to get the most out of life without life getting the most out of their bank account. It’s free food discovery and we’ve done the hard and tedious work for you. Discover away.” If you know us, you know we’re all about the adventure, whatever that adventure may be. Food adventures shouldn’t have to stop right now OR break the bank. You could use it every day, especially those days where you turn to your partner, friend, or family member and say, “what do you feel like today?” This solves the ho-hum, cumbersome conversation that just ends up with you at the Mexican restaurant AGAIN. So, how does it work, and does it really work, you may ask?

Based on personal experience, it’s as simple as two words: download and open. We’re not kidding! We downloaded the app, opened it, and started finding deals near our house in minutes. That day we were looking for a good deal on our anniversary dinner, and wouldn’t you know it Bulla Gastrobar in Midtown was offering 35% off all their menu items and we wouldn’t have known without the app. Plus the cherry on top was the $25 pitcher of their white sangria! We also saw that a place we wanted to try in Chamblee, LaGarde Eatery was offering 10% off take-out. On another occasion, we found a great happy hour deal! It’s easy to navigate, just type in a key word or scroll around, you’ll find it. Co-founder Evan Walker had this to say about what he wants you to know about the app, it’s also happens to be one of his biggest accomplishments, “With respect to our users, it’s giving people access to information they didn’t previously have access to. Most restaurant specials are sitting on a chalkboard inside the restaurant. We’ve made that information accessible in an instant from any smartphone.”

Now, that we’ve enticed you this far wouldn’t you love to know more? We talked recently to the team at GettaBite and had an interesting conversation about everything from how they started, their favorite thing about the app, their most memorable moments, and the future of Gettabite. Let’s see what they had to say, shall we?

Adventures in Atlanta: How Did you get the idea for GettaBite?

Evan Walker: The idea for GettaBite struck me when I was in college. While eating at a restaurant with a friend, I was surprised to see how expensive my bill was when it came. My burger, fries, and a drink totaled $16 without a tip. As a broke college student, I knew eating out like that wouldn’t be sustainable or practical. But to me and my friends, eating out was an opportunity to wind down, laugh, talk about life, and enjoy one another’s company away from other distractions like TV, games, and the like. Who doesn’t love getting a bite with their best friends? A few weeks after my expensive burger incident, I found myself at another restaurant ordering another burger. This time was different, however. When the bill came, it was $6 total. It turned out this restaurant had a special that night for half off burgers and fries, so my buddies and I walked away with happy stomachs and happy wallets. Once I got home that night, I started researching all the other weekly specials in town and compiled a list. I began asking friends if they knew any of these specials by heart. No one did. I realized right then and there something was missing in the marketplace. That something is GettaBite.

Adventures in Atlanta: What’s your favorite thing to share with users about GettaBite?

Evan Walker: You know that moment when you first start feeling hungry, but don’t know what you want? That’s the moment we want to capture. True food discovery that doesn’t cost you anything. These aren’t coupons you buy for a later date. These are real time deals and specials that anyone can participate in at no additional cost. It’s information that makes deciding where to eat better and easier for everyone involved. Instead of searching the whole web or scanning your phone’s GPS for nearby food, GettaBite has already done all that work for you and presents you with a food discovery tool loaded with deals that are rewarding in both a gustatory and financial sense. AND it’s free.

Adventures in Atlanta: What have been your most memorable experiences throughout the development and implementation of GettaBite?

Evan Walker: I have been extremely fortunate to work together with wonderful and talented people. From brainstorming with our PR/Marketing team to designing GettaBite with my Co-founder and CTO Rain, I’m lucky to be constantly learning from (and surrounded by) passionate and intelligent people. Probably the most rewarding experiences to date are implementing new features and strategies together with our team and seeing the results roll in. Banal as it may be, the people are what make it worthwhile to me. Virtually everyone I’ve worked with to date on GettaBite, I would consider to be a good friend of mine.

Rain Li: Around mid-March, Georgia had just started to close dining rooms due to coronavirus. It was like the whole restaurant industry went belly up overnight. That was particularly difficult for local businesses when they don’t have the resources like the chain restaurants do to cope with the lockdown. We were brainstorming that week as soon as we found out about the closures, trying to think of ways we can help the industry in the next 24 hours. Within a few days, the Gettabite To-go feature went live, free of charge for restaurants. We’ve dedicated a special section in our app showcasing, in real-time, restaurants that are open for takeouts and delivery or featuring deals on gift cards. The turn around time from the moment a restaurant contacts us to the app showing their deals can be as quick as in less than 30 mins. The following weeks we saw so many restaurants reaching out to be featured on our app and our users continuing to use our app even though they can’t dine in or do happy hours anymore. That was kind of light in the darkness moment because we saw a surge of people getting takeout/deliveries just so they can keep their local restaurants in business. There will always be crises in the world, it’s comforting to know your community will have your back no matter what. GettaBite has always been about connecting people and it was a validating moment for us as a company and members of our community.

Adventures in Atlanta: What’s the one thing you’d like everyone to know about GettaBite?

Evan Walker: GettaBite is for people who want to get the most out of life without life getting the most out of their bank account. It’s free food discovery and we’ve done the hard and tedious work for you. Discover away.

Adventures in Atlanta: What do you feel is your biggest accomplishment with GettaBite?

Evan Walker: It’s two-fold. With respect to our users, it’s giving people access to information they didn’t previously have access to. Most restaurant specials are sitting on a chalkboard inside the restaurant. We’ve made that information accessible in an instant from any smartphone. On the restaurant side, the sense of accomplishment is knowing that people are going to a specific restaurant because of a deal they saw on GettaBite. That’s a very real and tangible thing, especially amid the global pandemic we are facing. It feels good to know we are helping businesses in an industry that took a huge hit.

Adventures in Atlanta: Will you continue to have the to-go offers featured or will you change that out as the market changes?

Evan Walker: Only time will tell how the market will adapt and recover from this global pandemic, however GettaBite’s mission has always been to bring people together at restaurants in order to enjoy great food at a great price. There is something essential and human about gathering together over food. We hope to get back to that essential way of life as the situation improves. Until then, we will continue to do what we can to provide our users with to-go offers.

Rain Li: That depends on how the market changes. We would like to think that once the virus is over things will go back to normal, but that probably won’t be the case. Whatever it is, we will continue to be agile and adapt fast in the direction that benefits our users and restaurants.

Adventures in Atlanta: What future goals do you have for GettaBite? 

Evan Walker: We believe people in every major city should be able to discover food deals, happy hours, and specials in their respective cities at the touch of a button. We are entering another wave of technological achievements that are unprecedented. Some companies are looking to colonize Mars, some to prevent aging, some to create Artificial Intelligence, and yet happy hours are still only on available on chalkboards. GettaBite’s goal is to change that and to upgrade the way we discover food.

Rain Li: Some of our future goals involve releasing new features that will help users get the information they need quickly as well as enhancing the locality aspect of our app. We are constantly seeking feedback from our users and adjusting our product to better address people’s needs. Our vision is to create a platform that enhances the communities and cultures that already exist surrounding food, it’s all about connecting people.

Gettabite coming to your city? The possibilities are endless. Download the app here or from the app store/google play.