TikTok Adds Must Eat, a Restaurant Guide Built From Videos
For restaurant owners and local marketers, TikTok is making the path from food video to booking easier to follow.
TikTok launched Must Eat, an in-app restaurant guide built from videos, reviews and comments. The guide is built on posts, reviews and comments about dining on the platform.
So far it’s available only in New York City, Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area, and TikTok says the guide draws on more than 40 million posts, reviews and comments.
The Verge’s report on Must Eat says you can browse nearby places, watch videos, leave reviews, call or make reservations.
But it’s US only.
From video to restaurant page
Must Eat has two sections, “everyday eats” and “elevated dining.” The Verge says you can filter both by:
- cuisine
- distance
- rating
- whether a place is open
Some listings offer OpenTable bookings, according to Social Media Today’s coverage. A diner sees a dish, checks the restaurant page, then saves it or books.
TikTok says restaurants can’t pay for recommendation-list placement, The Verge reports.
Tubefilter reports that TikTok is adding the guide to its Local feed as an extension of its TikTok GO hub.
That feed already covers nearby travel, events, restaurants and shopping, Social Media Today notes.
TikTok’s discovery claim
TikTok says 27 million Americans visited an independent restaurant, cafe or shop for the first time last year after finding it on the platform.
Social Media Today and Tubefilter reported the company’s estimate that this led to $4.7 billion in local spending.
Still, those are estimates.
They don’t show how much business TikTok brought any one restaurant, and they don’t tell you whether Must Eat will send customers your way.
Why it matters
Do you run a restaurant in one of the launch areas? Check your TikTok videos and business details.
- Does your profile name match your restaurant’s name?
- Can people see dishes they might search for?
- Can a first-time visitor find your address and booking option without leaving TikTok?
That’s the part I’d watch.
Treat Must Eat as another discovery surface to monitor. A popular video gets attention, but a clear restaurant page and simple booking path can help turn that attention into a visit.
Meanwhile, if you’re a marketer or creator, watch the change, because TikTok is bringing recommendations, local search and booking closer together. Your content may shape a listing, too.
What can your viewers do next?
Common Questions
Where is TikTok Must Eat available?
Must Eat is available in New York City, Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area, and if your restaurant is anywhere else, none of the reports say when it may reach other regions.
Can restaurants pay to appear in TikTok Must Eat recommendations?
No. The Verge reports TikTok says restaurants can’t pay to appear in its recommendation lists, and the guide uses platform posts, reviews and comments to surface places.
Can diners book restaurants through TikTok Must Eat?
Some listings offer booking through OpenTable, according to Social Media Today. But the reports don’t say every restaurant in the guide supports in-app booking. So check yours.
