OpenRice Singapore Serves Up New iOS App Update

ORCHARD ROAD, Singapore - Oct. 3, 2013 - PRLog -- OpenRice Singapore, Asia’s Premier Dining Guide today announced a major update of its iOS mobile app, designed to give foodies a more enjoyable experience when choosing and reviewing restaurants from more than 24,000 food and beverage (F&B) listings in Singapore. The current Android version will be updated with the new interface by the first quarter of 2014.

Simple design, easy decision

When it comes to food, Singaporeans like it fast and easy.  OpenRice Singapore is a free app for iOS mobile users (http://itunes.apple.com/sg/app/openrice-singapore/id442911201) to browse 24,000 restaurant listings and 60,000 member reviews,  read, write and share reviews, upload and view photos across social media platforms, all while on-the-go.

“We have been running the OpenRice Singapore website since 2009 and have our fingers on the pulse of the industry. Singaporeans are turning to mobile apps when they dine-out like never before. More than 60 percent of our users browse our website with a mobile device. We are excited to enhance our content on the mobile app platform that would help us to reach out to more users,” said Kenett Wong, Country Manager, OpenRice Singapore.

Design and new features

Some of the noteworthy OpenRice Singapore features let users:

  • Log in via Facebook connect (New!)

  • Upload photos and submit reviews on the go

  • Search for nearby restaurants and quick view your bookmarks

  • Share restaurant information across different social media platforms

         o Facebook (New!)

         o Twitter (New!)

         o WhatsApp (New!)

         o WeChat (New!)

         o Email

         o SMS

  • Bookmark restaurants to a “My Restaurant” category – categorise in different tags such as dating, family or gathering (New!)

  • Get exciting news on the local dining scene (New!)

  • Search tips display as you type (New!)

“When it comes to engaging the discerning Singaporean-foodie, a basic website or a search function is not enough. It is about timeliness, quality content and social sharing.  We drilled into these requirements to present a completely redesigned user interface with many exciting new features. For example, users can easily share restaurant information via the trending social media platforms. Users can now also browse through reviews by side scrolling, just like how we would view photos on mobile” added Kenett.

Celine Chiam, an OpenRice member who has posted over 120 reviews since she registered in December 2012 said, “I am thrilled to see that many of the features on the website are now available on the app. As a frequent reviewer, I welcome the new features which allow me to post reviews and update photos on the spot. This will spur me to submit more reviews in future.”

Local flavour

The driving force behind OpenRice Singapore’s success of 1,000,000 monthly page views is its strong OpenRice Singapore community. OpenRice Singapore’s team of 20 staff regularly updates its extensive database and oversee the editorial integrity of the 60,000 food reviews. All reviews generated by members are given the once over by the site editors for accuracy and to ensure there are no plagiarism or foul language used. OpenRice Singapore also engages users actively through weekly food tastings and regular contests to share the passion for different cuisines.

“OpenRice Singapore has a user-friendly and interactive platform where I can share my honest and detailed dining experiences with fellow foodies. It is a trustworthy source with a rich database of listings and comprehensive reviews where the community rates the restaurant on various factors including taste, environment and service,” said Chong Yap Tok, food blogger from Make Your Calories Count and a member of the OpenRice Community.

The open future

OpenRice is founded in Hong Kong in 1999. It is now a regional dining guide with over 1.4 million food reviews across major cities in Asia including China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand. There are now 777,000 restaurant listings and 137 million page views across the region.

The revamped OpenRice app was first launched in Hong Kong in April 2013 and garnered more than 1.5 million iPhone app downloads. It was also selected as an Editors’ Choice app in the Apple App Store. The current Android version of the app has garnered 1.3 million downloads to date.

“Hunting for good food when they travel is often a highlight for foodies. All the OpenRice apps across the region will share a common user interface and we will also be introducing a single sign-on function. Users can access the 1.4 million food reviews and even review F&B outlets across their favourite Asian holiday destinations easily with OpenRice,” said Kenett.

For more information on the new OpenRice iOS App, please visit http://sg.openrice.com/info/iphone_apps/index.html