Random restaurant picker
If you want a restaurant picked for you, skip the wheel. Open DinnerSwipe, choose Swipe Solo, and swipe once through a short deck of real restaurants near you. The first place you say yes to is the pick. It takes about a minute, it's free, and there's no account.
Last updated:
Why a random pick usually gets re-rolled
A random generator is fast right up until it lands somewhere you don't want. Then you spin again, and again, and the thing that was supposed to decide for you has turned into you deciding, one rejection at a time.
A wheel also only knows what you put on it. If you typed in the five places you always go, it will pick one of the five places you always go.
How to have a restaurant picked in about a minute
- Open the app and choose Swipe Solo. No room, no link, no waiting for anyone. Pick eating out or ordering in, and how far you'll go.
- Get a short deck of real places nearby. Around fifteen restaurants near you, not a list of names you typed in yourself.
- Swipe once through it. Right if you'd eat there tonight, left if not. No ranking, no going back to compare.
- The first yes is the pick. The app stops there. Get directions, or search for that restaurant on a delivery app.
You keep one thing a random pick takes away: a no. You just don't get to compare. That's what keeps it short.
When you'd rather decide it yourself
If you want a method more than a pick, how to decide where to eat on your own covers it: fix the distance and the mode first, then take the first yes. If the problem is that nothing sounds good, the question underneath is usually what you're in the mood for — see what to do when you can't decide what to eat.
Frequently asked questions
Can an app just pick a restaurant for me?
Yes. DinnerSwipe's solo mode gives you a short deck of real restaurants near you, and the first one you swipe right on is the pick. You still get a veto on each card, which is the part a random generator skips, but the app does the narrowing and ends the decision for you.
Is a random restaurant generator better than choosing?
A random pick is fast, but most people spin again when it lands somewhere they don't want. That second spin is a decision, just a slower one. Saying yes or no to a few real places nearby gets you to the same speed without the re-rolls.
How is this different from a restaurant wheel?
A wheel picks from the options you put on it, so it can only land on places you already thought of. DinnerSwipe builds the list from restaurants near you, so it can also turn up somewhere you hadn't considered.
Is it free?
Yes. DinnerSwipe is free on iPhone and Android, with no account and no subscription needed to swipe.
Can I use it in a browser?
Solo mode is in the free iPhone and Android apps. In a browser you can start a room for two people and decide together, with nothing to install.
What if I'm picking for more than just me?
Then a random pick tends to get vetoed by whoever didn't choose it. Start a room instead: everyone swipes the same deck on their own phone, nobody sees anyone else's swipes, and you match on a place you all said yes to.
Let it pick tonight
Free on iPhone and Android. Open it, choose Swipe Solo, take the first yes.
Eating with someone? Start a room in your browser and match on a place you both want.