The Case

Chefs Feed approached PLAYXPERT in late 2010 with the goal of developing an app that would be a counterpoint to the myriad crowd-sourced foodie apps on the market.  Instead they wanted to leverage the expertise of top chefs to offer valuable, qualified food recommendations.  They had a tight budget and wanted to focus on the minimum viable product (MVP).

The project began as a budget-driven solution with all content stored in-app and strong guard rails around features to stay within budget.  As we neared the end of the fixed-bid portion of the project, there was functionality that was conspicuously absent based on the tight budget.  We worked closely with the Chefs Feed team to add features and functionality that would maximize user-experience while still remaining as lean as possible. 

As of August 2012, Chefs Feed is in 15 major markets.  They have raised funding and we have successfully transitioned primary development responsibilities to them.  This is a great example of PLAYXPERT adding value and giving a small start-up the leg-up they need to become successful on their own.  Through a combination of great development, our technical experience and expertise, and the expertise of the Chefs Feed team in their industry, the app has garnered funding, tens of thousands of users, and national media attention including Gizmodo and Apple’s New and Noteworthy list in October of 2011.

Gizmodo Articles:

• Chef’s Feed for iPhone: Let the Best Chefs in the World Tell You What to Eat
• The New Essential Apps September 2011

PLAYXPERT provided the following in our engagement for the company.

• Software design and architecture
• Creative services
• iPhone application development
• Software testing
• Back-end server infrastructure for real-time application updates
• Data hosting services