If You’ve Been Feeling Lonely…
If you’ve been feeling lonely over the past few years, you’re not alone. It’s a common sentiment shared by many in the United States. According to a 2023 report from the U.S. Surgeon General, about half of U.S. adults reported feeling lonely, even before the COVID-19 pandemic.
The report warns that loneliness and isolation can have physical consequences, such as a 29% increased risk of heart disease and a 32% increased risk of stroke.
Solving the Problem with Buffet
A new app called Buffet is aiming to address the loneliness epidemic by helping users meet new people. Similar to Tinder, the app quickly matches users with a person and a place to meet up. But Buffet goes a step further by combining the concept with OpenTable, making it easier to find a place to hang out. Whether you’re looking for a new friend, romantic partner, or gym buddy, Buffet aims to help users connect with like-minded individuals.
Current Availability
Buffet is currently only available in Los Angeles, with plans for expansions to other cities later this year. The first on the list is New York City.
The Creators Behind Buffet
The app is the brainchild of Buffet CEO Rich Hacking and COO Sean Emery. The pair worked as financial analysts before starting Buffet and came up with the idea for the app while on a business trip to Dubai.
“We started, throwing this idea around, and thought, hey, there’s something there,” Hacking told TechCrunch. “We saw the loneliness epidemic and saw that the market was in need of something new. The massive incumbents have lacked innovation in the last decade. There was an obvious key opportunity for disruption. So we put one foot in front of the other and stared building Buffet.”
Getting Started with Buffet
To start using Buffet, users enter five of their interests, such as motorcycles, horseback riding, or reading. The app then asks a series of five questions to get a better understanding of their personality and preferences. This helps the algorithm pair users with compatible potential friends or partners.
If interested, users can send an invite to the person they’re matched with. The matched pair can then message each other via the app to decide on a time and date to meet. Buffet is designed to encourage in-person communication and get-to-know-each-other rather than just chatting online.
If the suggested meeting place isn’t a good match, users can choose from a list of alternatives. And if users aren’t interested in their match partners, they can refresh and get matched with someone else.
The Target Demographic
Buffet is targeting those most affected by the loneliness epidemic: 18- to 25-year-olds. The app also hopes to reach young professionals in their late twenties to early thirties. Hacking believes that if Buffet can win over the average 25-year-old female professional, it can win over anyone.
A Free App – For Now
The app will be free to use for the foreseeable future, according to Hacking. The goal is to build trust with users and win them over. In contrast, many popular apps have paywalls and subscription fees.
The Business Model
Buffet plans to generate revenue through advertising. They plan to build an in-app community forum where local businesses can directly advertise to users. This will include promoting happy hours and other discounts to attract users to their establishments.
Coming Soon to Android
While Buffet is currently only available on iOS, the company plans to launch an Android app in the future.
