Dash takes the hassle and guesswork out of barhopping
Sure, you might be able to make reservations at your favorite dinner spot (or tip your barista) via mobile app, but that won't tell you how busy it'll be once you get there. That, ladies and gentlemen, is what mobile payment outfit Dash is hoping to solve with its new trick, Venue Vibes. By meshing with a bar or restaurant's existing point of sale system, it's able to glean real-time info on just how hopping a place is based on the number of open tabs compared against its maximum capacity. Looking for a bar that isn't too crowded, but still has some life to it? Aim for a watering hole with a "relaxed" rating. Want someplace rowdy? Shoot for a "lively" venue. The app is currently only available in New York and Chicago for now, with somewhere in the neighborhood of 100 different bars and restaurants on board.
We're told that more markets are en route and that additional eateries and taverns will be added each week, too. The ultimate goal, Dash says, is to use data to make for a better night out and about. Of course, just how helpful this is hinges on the amount of places that actually use it. Hopefully it hits mass adoption, because we're going to guess that no one likes going through the hassle of finding parking only to walk in the bar to discover that there aren't enough open seats.
[Image credit: jpalinsad360/Flickr]
