{
  "id": 12543299,
  "title": "UCT student launches Bites app to help Cape Town diners find cheaper meals",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/07/uct-student-launches-bites-app-to-help-cape-town-diners-find-cheaper",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-10-07T03:50:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "IOL",
    "slug": "iol",
    "url": "https://iol.co.za/news/south-africa/2026-10-07-uct-student-launches-bites-app-to-help-cape-town-diners-find-cheaper-meals/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Dylan Steiner, a 20-year-old student at the University of Cape Town, has created an app called Bites to assist Cape Town diners in locating affordable dining options. Frustrated by the high restaurant prices he encountered during night outings, Steiner resolved to develop a solution. The app, which currently lists between 300 and 400 restaurants in Cape Town, enables users to compare food prices and share their meals with others. Steiner, who developed the app independently over the past two months, taught himself coding and funded the project using savings from his time in the United States. The app's current user base is growing through word-of-mouth, with the early adoption exceeding expectations. Bites also features a social feed for sharing food experiences and a budgeting tool for tracking expenses. Steiner aims to expand Bites to other major South African cities and, eventually, globally.",
  "summary": "A 20-year-old UCT student has launched Bites, an app that helps Cape Town users compare food prices, discover restaurants and find better-value meals.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}