Many years ago, two siblings used to invest a great amount of time and energy planning out their meals at a Chinese restaurant nearby. The discussion about what they wanted to order would start days before they actually went out. Such is the love for food; it’s not just about the meal, the journey to it matters just as much. Lucky for us, one of those siblings grew up to understand that sentiment better than most of us. He came up with the idea of an app, dedicated to making our journey towards food as easy as possible. The app, as some of you may know, is called Harriken.
A lot of people may speculate that platforms that serve exactly the same purpose as Harriken intends to, are already there, but is that really true? The purpose behind Harriken is creating a “one-stop” solution for all the people who love food in Dhaka and deserve their meals to be nothing less than great. “One-stop” because it indicates how Harriken’s users would not feel the need to look beyond the app to find whatever answers they are looking for, in search of the restaurant they want to visit.
Interview of Adeeb Shams, Founder and CEO of Harriken about his journey
How does Harriken do this? Recently the app has upgraded to its best form till date (Harriken for Android v1.5.0 and Harriken for iOS v1.2). Opening the app, one of the very first things any user can see is Harriken Featured, highlighting the restaurants that have collaborated with the app. Scrolling down the dashboard, we can see one of the finest additions to the app: Foodtastic Collections. This part of the app exhibits different categories which any user in Dhaka would possibly be interested in. Want to find a place where you can sit and chill with your pals? The app has a category for that. Or want to take your loved one out on a date? Or even want to sway to music while chewing on food? There’s a separate category of all that jazz. And if you fail to find what you’re in the mood for in the collections, you can always search for it.
The new searching feature has been redefined and improved to serve the probable queries of any user. You can look for restaurants in a particular location or search on the basis of the current place you’re in. Not just that, if you want to eat a particular type of food, for example, burger or pizza, type in what you want, and a list of restaurants that serve what you want presents itself in the app. You can even search based on cuisine. Basically, anything and everything your tummy could possibly desire, the app has got you covered.
Among one of the niftiest features, is something that is probably going to be the most useful for us Bangalis. The app sorts the list of restaurants by distance and tells you exactly how far you are from a particular restaurant, so no chances of having your friend lie and say that they are close, while they’re really not.
Once you finally have a restaurant in mind, the restaurant-specific info page tells you all that you need to know before you commit to a place and go out for food. Starting from whether the place has wifi or not, to menus, the app has it all. The reviews and rating option for each restaurant also lets the user know the opinions of people who have already tried the place out, making the decision ever more informed and relaxed. Not only that, the map, the open and close timings, and many, many other features are all committed to providing any user with ample amount of information on the place they want to visit, and making sure that the experience is going to worth their money.
Getting into the social aspect of the app, it offers the opportunity for the users to communicate in a language known to all mankind, the language of food. A user can update one’s profile and follow others to keep themselves updated about the new places other users visit, or any new activities on the app. You can even like reviews on the app, to show your appreciation or just your agreement to it. Moreover, the introduction of push notifications keeps you up-to-date and informs you of any updates and changes within the app, making the experience grand.
The app is as aesthetically pleasing, as is useful. It has promised its users a great meal every time they try the app, and the team behind Harriken is working stomach and soul to provide just that to all its users. Don’t believe us? Try the app yourself. It’s available to be used by both android and iOS users on the Play store and the App store.
