Yesterday I shared about discovering new tools for collecting data – Polyvore and Listly. Today I’m sharing about another app I’ve recently discovered – YP!
You might know that I review local restaurants and write about the local food scene in West Michigan at my other blog, Eat Local, West Michigan! and for the hyperlocal online magazine The Rapidian. So I’m always looking for new restaurants to try, from the mom and pop greasy spoon hole in the walls that have been there forever to the newest trendy cafes.
One of the challenges that I have is finding places to go during times I know the popular places will be packed, or when we don’t feel like driving into town. We live in the suburbs where there aren’t as many choices nearby, especially since I detest chain restaurants. Believe it or not, the handy dandy tool I discovered is . . . . the Yellow Pages!
If you associate “yellow pages”with the big thing that arrives unwanted by the mailbox wrapped in plastic and waits in the garage until you remember to take it to the local Paper Gator, you’ll want to check out the YP App.
Yes, all the convenience of the Yellow Pages is now in an app. But it does more than just list local restaurants. You can search by menu item and read reviews–or even find the lowest-price gas if you need to fill up before heading out.
I love that you can read the menus online. The menu search feature is a bit finicky – for example, I got different results when I searched for omelette vs omelet (I was looking for a breakfast spot). I also wish there was a way to filter by type of restaurant (for example, if I’m jonesing for a really good burrito, Taco Bell just doesn’t cut it). But if you play around you’ll get what you are looking for.
I took the app for a test spin for the past couple of weeks, adding in 10 reviews of some of my favorite restaurants. (Click here to see them).
It is super simple to add your reviews right from the phone. For example, DH and I went out for breakfast at one of our favorite spots, Gaia Cafe. I was able to upload this photo of my breakfast:
And then give it a star rating and type in my review.
Here are a few screen shots from the Google Play store:
This is going to come in handy when I am looking for a restaurant or need to take notes on a place when I forgot my notebook. Overall, I think this is my new favorite app.
Thank you to YP for being a sponsor. Check out the latest YP app or YP.com to find food nearby fast! YP is your local companion for making decisions on everything from where to eat to where to find cheap gas. This post is in conjunction with my relationship with the Clever Girls Collective, and all opinions expressed here are my own. #YPcrave
This post shared at Works for Me Wednesday
Clever idea!