Crityk: New Htown Restaurant App is a Foodie’s Dream | West University Moms

You’ve lined up the babysitter, thrown on your best duds, hubby got out of work early – it’s date night!

Arriving at one of Houston’s culinary hotspots you realize the last time you made it out was 6 months ago when your child was still in diapers… you’re feeling like yesterday’s news. Fortunately, you’ve downloaded Crityk, the hottest Lifestyle Food App that’s taking the Houston restaurant industry by storm! This app innovatively allows diners to easily find and choose great food, meals, and drinks. Rest assured, mommy and daddy will be enjoying one spectacular date night!

Crityk highlights food and drinks via photos from their previous diners. Crityk allows you to upload a photo of your meal, appetizer, cocktail, etc, and assign it a rating, and a geo-tag. The app then uses that geolocation to introduce all users to high-rated dishes at the restaurant they are at and other restaurants in the area. You can specify dietary restrictions as well as preferences like vegan, gluten-free and you can save favorites and connect with friends within the app. Another exciting feature for us moms in the works is… best kid-friendly meals!

Unlike other restaurant rating apps that reviews the over-all experience (service, cleanliness, etc), Crityk asks patrons to rate individual dishes and drinks and upload with a photo so that other users can quickly find the best food in that restaurant.

West University Moms quickly caught up with the dynamic duo who brought this ingenious app to our city!

Name, and what do you do for a living?
Sumit Sikka & John Kegel, the founders of Crityk. They are the passionate food loving entrepreneurs behind Crityk, working long hours, and putting in everything we have to ensure users get the most from their dining experiences.

Sumit comes from a background in finance, and grew up in the restaurant industry, as his parents own an Indian restaurant in Denver. John comes from an eclectic background of nutrition, health, tech, and product design. Needless to say, when we are not hard at work… we are enjoying great food for a living; Which is a perk everyone is should be able to enjoy, and one our main goals.

When did the idea come about for Crityk?

The idea came from hunger, curiosity, and the aching dilemma of finding more than a great restaurant, but what’s good to eat/drink. The moment of inspiration happened during brunch at a place in Malibu called “Moonshadows”, when a recommendation brought us to the restaurant, but left us wondering what was good here, what were the menu items we absolutely needed to try… and unfortunately, that simply wasn’t a click away. At that moment, we realized that a huge gap through the entire foodie world and especially food review platforms, and inspired us to start Crityk.

Who is behind it?

Our small team consists of 6 passionate people with all the right ingredients for success. Tech, Design, Marketing, Wisdom, Resourcefulness, and Creativity. As well as an esteemed team of advisors including Top Chef runner-up, Shirley Chung, that help nurture our vision with further wisdom and knowledge within their specialty. When our LA team is powering down for the night, our overseas developers are just ramping up, making this an around the clock operation and labor of love. In addition, we also have a team of influencers and foodies alike collaborating with us to help shape our product and foodie ecosystem. Last but not definitely not least, and goes without mention. The community! Though we might not get to speak with every user. The community of food lovers looking for a truly useful alternative, help to drive content and give back unbiased and meaningful feedback to the local food scenes. Our community is as much of part of a team as any.

How long has the process been?

From the original idea to where we are today; it seems like yesterday. Although it’s been just about a little over a year.  Our process has been a mix of continuous effort, love, and trial and error. Just like any great venture, it takes hard work, creativity, passion, and dedication. No journey is without a bump or two in the road, but we are constantly refining our product to foster a greater experience to compliment any foodies pocket.

What does the app do?

It’s pretty simple. Crityk elevates the dining experience, by helping you discover not only where to eat, but what to eat. And it doesn’t stop there; find something new, cure cravings, get palate and diet specific when searching for that perfect dish, find restaurant recommended pairings to complete the perfect meal, bookmark delights you would like to try saving them for later, stay up-to-date with restaurant specials and menu changes, and most importantly you can snap, rate, and share your food experiences with friends and your foodie community.

Why should people download this? How does it benefit them?

Not only is Crityk a great way to find the best items at each restaurant, match food and beverage options to your personal diet preference, but also highlights the food that our community truly loves and enjoys. With our quick rating system, everyone can be a Crityk and showcase the best food and drinks Santa Monica and wherever they may dine has to offer!

When does it launch?

The app is available right now on App Store and Google Play!

 

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