Recently Jay Baer wrote a piece about how companies can not afford to miss the boat on Foursquare. While I agree with him wholeheartedly, but I feel as us you shouldn’t miss the boat on Foursquare Tips as a diner. Here are 5 practical uses for Foursquare Tips:
1. New in town or not sure what to eat? “What do you want to eat?” “I don’t know, what do you want to eat?” Check the local tips and I’m sure you’ll find a great recommendation close by. If you’re in from out of town, Foursquare Tips can help you feel like a local. If you’re already a local, a sudden craving could arise:
2. Not sure what to order? We’ve all done it: walked up to a fixated menu on the wall next to the front door and based our decision after taking a look at the prices or menu options. Or, you’ve sat down and having difficulty deciding between a few options. Again, let’s go back to what the locals are eating in this particular restaurant:
3. Find specials only locals know about. The light bulb went off when I found this tip in Austin in February:
BAM! $2 beers if you asked the right way! Foursquare just paid for itself! (note* Foursquare is free) Also, you might catch happy hours times or other specials like this one:
4. What not to Eat. Thinking about getting the Fish Tacos? Jonathon B. thinks they’re nasty, it ain’t worth the risk:
Global tip: Never order the Fettuccine Alfredo. There’s always something better and like Mitch Hedberg said, “Fettuccine Alfredo is Macoroni and Cheese for adults”. Just don’t do it.
5. Give and you shall receive. Great, you understand how helpful tips can be for you…but what about all that knowledge you have of your local spots? Of course everyone in town knows that The Triangle has the best mussels this side of the Mississippi, but Mick Dundee is visiting from Australia and has no clue. He was going to order the steak and would’ve been disappointed with the quality of the knife. Trust me, I’ve seen Mick disappointed over a knife before:
Leave a tip on Foursquare, others will appreciate and perhaps befriend you or follow you on Twitter. Who knows, you may run into them one day and now you can skip chatting about the weather and instead discuss your life-changing shared experience of eating fried Twinkies at the Moped Hall of Fame. Get on it.
Thanks for reading. Maybe you’ll befriend me on Foursquare? - Mike Fraietta
