Think of Dinder, developed by Miami startup Nutrios, as the Tinder of food

By Riley Kaminer

It’s a Friday night. You’re ready to unwind from a long week. The last thing you want to do is fire up the stove and cook a meal for your family, so you log onto your food delivery app of choice. But you’re faced with a problem: an endless scroll of options that make it nearly impossible to tell what you’re actually going to enjoy eating.

Gourmands, fret no longer. There’s a new app in town, and it’s powered by the blockchain (because… Miami).

Meet Dinder, developed by Miami-based startup Nutrios. Think of it as the Tinder of food. You download the app and swipe right or left on food images. Dinder’s AI-powered algorithm learns its users’ preferences over time. Once a user finds something they like, they can order it right through the app.

Food Network star James Briscione is the culinary mind behind Dinder and Nutrios. Talking to Refresh Miami before dinner service at his buzzing ‘destination’ restaurant in Pensacola, Briscione explained that this project is a continuation of his work over the last decade exploring the intersection of food and technology.

“Really this idea of working in food and generative AI goes back 10 years, when we began to work on Chef Watson,” he explained, referring to an IBM project that aimed to create an AI-powered chef.

“I went in with the attitude that there was no way a computer could know more about food than me,” said Briscione. Soon, however, the chef would realize that the computer-powered ability to quantify data and flavors would enable him to be more creative as a chef.

Nutrios is the base protocol upon which Dinder is built. The app, which is currently beta testing in the Miami market, is just the beginning. The idea is that eventually, Dinder will have a very clear understanding of its users’ food preferences, including macronutrient goals, and provide exactly what they crave when they crave it. The team also has some interesting features in the works: for example, enabling users taking part in a group fitness class or working with a trainer to find meals that fit the specific criteria of their fitness regime. 

The platform is useful for restaurants too. The company explained that as users swipe on menu items, their “likes” are written to the social graph embedded in the menu item, becoming part of the data that the restaurant owns. But crypto skeptics need not worry: the blockchain component of Dinder runs in the background, and users are not required to open a wallet.

“It’s incredible for these restaurants because we are setting up a decentralized marketplace that gives them direct connections with their customers,” asserted Briscione. There are also some creative options for restaurants, such as enabling other restaurants to offer a signature dish from a particular restaurant – providing that original restaurant with a percentage ‘creator fee’ for every dish sold. “Now as a chef, I don’t even have to have a restaurant – I can be an influencer,” Briscione said.

So far, Nutrios has raised $500,000 from investors including Aptos Labs and Monoceros. Why did the six-person core team choose Miami as its hub? Many reasons, according to CEO Wayne Culbreth. “Miami offers an ecosystem that is diverse, health conscious, and receptive to new blockchain technologies,” he said. 

Nutrios hopes to launch in other cities within the next six months, on top of building other apps on the Nutrios Protocol. Dinder is just the beginning, enabling Nutrios to start training their AI learning models.

Dig in!

Interested in trying Dinder? If you’re in Miami-Dade, click this link and enter the code “miamiOGs” to get started.

READ MORE ON REFRESH MIAMI:

• Rapidly-scaling local farm leverages tech to more efficiently grow high-quality leafy greens
• Healthy food manufacturer DeliverLean to be acquired by NationsBenefits
• Sunrise startup Bifarm is fighting food scarcity using aeroponics
• Meet the Miami company transforming food waste into carbon credits
• With chef-founded Dishigood, tech know-how helps deliver culinary magic

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Riley Kaminer

I am a Miami-based technology researcher and writer with a passion for sharing stories about the South Florida tech ecosystem. I particularly enjoy learning about GovTech startups, cutting-edge applications of artificial intelligence, and innovators that leverage technology to transform society for the better. Always open for pitches via Twitter @rileywk or www.RileyKaminer.com.

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