So what is Grab a Bite? 

Grab a Bite is a free mobile and web platform that allows internet users to discover and connect with local restaurants. We are the complete restaurant information hub, where you can quickly and easily discover your new favorite places to eat. Grab a Bite is currently up and running in beta. We are currently working on the redesign of the entire website along with building our mobile apps and integrating and innovating new features. Our iPhone app will be released within the next few months, and we will be hiring a new developer to implement our designs to work on Android development as well. When the apps are completed, Grab a Bite will be the best service to discover and interact with local restaurants.

You can read more about us below!

Boston Globe Article: Featured Entrepreneur

DifferenceMaker: 1st Place, First Product to Market Award

Merrimack Valley Sandbox: Featured Entrepreneur 

Why Grab a Bite?

In just the U.S. there are over 130 million people who access the internet through their mobile devices. Even with all of this connectivity, discovering your favorite place to eat among the 550,000+ restaurants is still a nightmare. So you would need to go to Yelp for reviews, then you would need to check Allmenus for the menu, next go to Groupon or LivingSocial to download a deal, then finally to OpenTable to book a reservation or GrubHub to order it online. 

Okay, not too bad, right? There’s only one way to figure out if the information you found was correct or simply outdated, and thats going in for yourself. But what if you don't know where you want to go, and don't have hours and hours to search and double check information? Where do you look when you don't want hassle, frustration, and disappointment? What if you could eliminate all the endless searching, save time, and find all the information you need in one convenient app?

Why should I use Grab a Bite?

Here are just a few scenarios where Grab a Bite comes in very handy.

• Stay in Delivery - Rainy, sweatpants & Chinese food kinda night.

So the slight chance of rain this weekend has turned into a monsoon that has forced Shane, Cassie, and Denis to stay indoors. Lucky for them there is a scary movie marathon about to begin. They decide the only way to celebrate the marathon is with Chinese food, but their usual delivery place is closed and they want their food before the movie starts. After losing rock-paper-scissors, Shane is tasked with finding a cheap local place that is still open and delivers. Problem is, he really, really doesn’t want to call. 

Need to know: Online ordering, Hours, Menu, Price range, Deal, Delivery
Grab a Bite saves the night!

• Girls Night Out - Going dancing after a long week. 

Rose and her co-workers Holly, Mary, Jennifer, and Sarah all decide at lunch that they want to spend this Friday enjoying a few Cosmos and dancing. Rose has about an hour after work to find a highly rated local nightclub with a good artist or DJ so everyone will have a good night. The girls don’t have enough time to have a cab pick them all up so they also need a place that has enough parking for them to all drive separately.

Need to know: Attire, Expert Reviews, Special events, Alcohol/bar, Parking, Dance floor
Grab a Bite has you covered, ladies!

• Beers with the Guys - Going out to watch the game.

It’s the third round of the playoffs and Phil wants to do something different than sit at home and watch the game by himself. He suggests to take his friends out to a sports bar to enjoy some spicy buffalo wings and knock back a few beers. Frank, Andrew and James are new to the area and are relying on Phil to pick a bar that’s close by so they don’t miss the start of the game. With only a 15 minute break to find such a place, Phil needs to act quick and make the right decision.

Need to know: Walking distance, Alcohol/bar, Interactive Menu, Special events, plenty of parking, TV
Grab a Bite's got your back, bro!

• Date Night - First date or anniversary, it's all the same level of difficulty. 

Steven is a pretty forgetful guy, and did not plan his anniversary night with his wife, Maria. He has to go get flowers, pick up his suit from the dry cleaners, and find a romantic italian restaurant in less than 3 hours when Maria is expected to return home. After confusing which day her birthday was on last month, Steven has to make this night perfect if he wants to avoid sleeping on the couch for the next month.

Need to know: Reservations, Alcohol/bar, Waiter service, Price range, Menu, Attire, Reviews, Parking (Valet), Coat check
Grab a Bite saved you from the doghouse, again!

• Birthday Party - Because we all love celebrating life.

Jamie’s 8th birthday is in 5 hours and the pizza shop Alex booked for the party had to close and can’t accept the reservation. Moving the party to a different day isn’t an option. Alex expects he has about 30 minutes to book a reservation with a new place that has ice cream and pizza before calling all of the parents to tell them the new location. If Alex can’t find the perfect restaurant, Jamie’s birthday will be ruined.

Need to know: Reservations, Location, Menu, Birthdays, Good for kids 
Grab a Bite helped save a miserable 8th birthday!

• Client Meeting - Impress your new client.

With potential new clients Charles, Jesse, and Christina needing to fly back to their office before the meeting tomorrow, Anne must act quick to impress them and have them sign with her agency. The clients have agreed to meet with Anne tonight as long as she is able to book a reservation in time. Armed with only her 45 minute lunch break, Anne must find a high class sushi restaurant with a private room to try and convince the clients to work with her.

Need to know: Reservations, Private rooms available, Menu, Price range, Attire, Alcohol/bar, Parking (Valet), Reviews 
Grab a Bite just saved you from your boss' wrath!

Grab a Bite solves all of these problems and more by giving you all the information you need in one app. Our main advantage is that we continue to improve and add to our services through our collaborative perspectives, innovative thinking, design, and creativity. Grab a Bite allows restaurant owners to have a virtual store front with all of the necessary tools that they need and want. This means that you will have more restaurants to choose from and ensure that restaurant owners keep their information up-to-date. The seamless integration of the features and services we provide ensures an easy user experience that will save time and frustration. Amenities, universal menus, rated reviews, online ordering, and online reservations are just some of the features that we provide and people love.

What will be accomplished with your contribution?

Good question! With your help on this project, we will be able to finish development and testing on our iPhone app as well as design and create an app for Android. While the iPhone app is nearly complete, we have yet to begin developing for Android. Design and development for Android will have the largest amount of contributions allocated toward it as there are so many different models and manufacturers that we have to consider. If our project doesn’t receive full funding, we will continue to work towards our goal, just a little more slowly. However, if we are able to raise more than our initial funding, we will start developing for tablets to make Grab a Bite even more user-friendly!

So what's in it for me?

These are the perks at a glance. For a more detailed explanation, refer to the right of the campaign. We hope you like what you see!

What are you currently working on?

Currently, we are hard at work transitioning from beta to live. Redesigning the website (because Flat UI design is absolutely gorgeous) and implementing the iOS app is a big part of the procedure. Below is a very rough sample of our work, so please, don't be too hard on us! According to our project management timeline, the website and app should be integrated and working fully by the end of July, and of course, if this campaign is a success. 

Also, our sales team is actively spreading the word of Grab a Bite to restaurants in Boston and New York City. By the end of the summer, we will have gotten enough restaurants on board to take the website live to these two markets, and many more to follow. If you have any suggestions on anything, please don't hesitate to contact us!

So who are we?

From left to right: Denis, Holly, Aldo & Andrew.
Click the image to enlarge.

Grab a Bite was founded in 2011 by Aldo Beqiraj and Andrew Webb. Our team is fueled by innovation, creativity, and a passion for success. Grab a Bite is owned by Aldo Beqiraj (CEO), Holly Butler (CMO), Denis Lemos (Lead iOS Developer), and Andrew Webb (President & CTO). We are all college seniors or alumni at the University of Massachusetts - Lowell. As founders, Aldo and Andrew are the principle owners. Holly and Denis are partial owners who further Grab a Bite with their specialized talents.

Aldo is the visionary behind Grab a Bite who has been an entrepreneur since he was only 12. He strives to grow Grab a Bite and is responsible for assembling our team. Aldo is also our lead graphic designer whose eye for design and photoshop skills are second to none. Although Aldo works the standard entrepreneur shift of 80 hours per week, he will be receiving a bachelors degree in Electrical Engineering in the fall. 

Andrew is our tech wizard who built Grab a Bite from the ground up and ensures everything runs flawlessly. Andrew is relentless in his perfection of the website, and keeps himself busy by developing and integrating new systems as well as optimizing existing features. Between coding marathons, Andrew keeps everyone on track and up to date. On top of all that, he somehow finds the time to maintain his demanding school work and will be graduating with a bachelors degree in Computer Science along with Aldo in the fall, and plans to pursue his masters. 

Denis is our mobile magician whose mastery over iOS will soon lead to the completion of the Grab a Bite iPhone app. Time is not a factor for Denis, who can usually be found updating the app files on DropBox into the late hours of the night. Luckily for us, Denis has motivation flowing through his veins at all times which inspires the rest of us to work even harder. I’m not too sure when or if Denis actually sleeps, but next spring he will earn his bachelors degree in Computer Engineering.

Holly is the difference maker of our team that normally settles creative disputes and handles every aspect of the business. She also puts all of our crazy and creative ideas in a business perspective so that we can refine them to make sense. Holly takes full advantage of all her knowledge and experience to craft up brilliant new ways to advertise and grow Grab a Bite. Graduating with a 4.0, Holly was able to earn her Master of Science in Innovation and Technological Entrepreneurship.

Finally there are numerous other members who help in a variety of different ways with education ranging from Engineering to Business to Mathematics.

If I can't pledge, what else can I do?

Help us get 100,000 likes/followers on Facebook/Twitter! We would also love it if you shared our pages!

How else can I help?

Tell all of your friends! Share this Indiegogo campaign with your friends, family, social networks, or just tell new people you meet on the street about us! You can also sign up on www.graba-bite.com. Soon you will be able to download our iPhone and Android app to find restaurants, bars, cafe’s, etc, on the go!

We know not everyone can contribute to our project, but that doesn’t mean you wont be able to make a difference or receive any of the cool merchandise we’re offering! To each person who refers friends, family, or strangers adding up to $100 we will give you a special mention on the supporters page, "Thank You!" email, as well as a lanyard and lime stress ball! For anyone able to refer $500 or more, you will receive all the perks as the $500 contribution as well as a special mystery gift that will be revealed with 1 week left in the campaign!

From Aldo, Andrew, Denis & Holly, a big thank you goes to anyone reading this! <3