From an overpriced meal to a food app: How a UCT student built Bites

Dylan Steiner, a 20-year-old student from UCT, has developed a food app called Bites that helps users compare restaurant prices and find cheaper dining options in Cape Town. The idea for Bites came from Steiner's own experiences as a student, frustrated by the expensive dining scene in the city. He taught himself to code and spent about five hours a day over two months building the app, which currently includes information for between 300 and 400 restaurants in Cape Town.

Steiner personally visited more than 400 restaurants to gather menus and prices before launching Bites. The app now allows users to upload food photos and prices, while an algorithm identifies unusual prices and calculates average prices for specific meals. Prices can be marked as verified when Steiner or a restaurant uploads a menu.

Users are warned when information may be outdated. Bites also features a social feed called Snacking, a budget function, and a food diary feature. Steiner's goal is to create a community of food lovers and help consumers find better value. The app is currently free and has received a significant response since its launch, with over 160 downloads on its first day.

Steiner advises other students with ideas to simply start working on their projects, as his experience has shown that the problem he was trying to solve is one many people understand.