The standalone platform now in public beta in New York and the San Francisco Bay Area uses conversational artificial intelligence and social signals to help users traverse the crowded world of restaurant options without traditional searching or manual review-reading.
The launch this week arrives at a moment when consumer habits around digital discovery are rapidly shifting. Data from PYMNTS Intelligence suggests roughly 30 million U.S. consumers have abandoned traditional search in favor of AI-driven, outcome-oriented interactions where the expectation is immediate, tailored answers rather than lists of links.
From Logistic Platform to Discovery Layer
Zesty represents a deliberate push by DoorDash to reposition itself beyond the logistics of food delivery. Instead of filtering restaurants through menus, ratings or scattered user reviews, the app synthesizes user inputs, often across platforms into curated recommendations. As TechCrunch reported, users might ask for a “low-key dinner in Williamsburg good for introverts,” or “brunch spots near me good for groups,” and receive options tailored to their preferences.
In its current form, Zesty also incorporates social and community signals. Users can share photos and notes from past visits, follow other diners with shared tastes, and browse social feeds of local experiences. This blending of AI and social cues reflects a belief that organic social content, not static star ratings alone, drives discovery.
DoorDash Co-Founder Andy Fang announced the app on social media, emphasizing its purpose to help users “connect with the best of their communities.” The app now aggregates information from DoorDash, Google Maps, TikTok and other sources to curate suggestions from across the web. That framing, however, raises a central question about Zesty’s value proposition.
While aggregation can reduce friction, it is not inherently differentiated. Platforms such as Yelp already combine reviews, photos and location data, while newer apps like Beli focus on social-first food discovery built around personal networks.
Conversational AI as Differentiator
What Zesty adds, at least in theory, is conversational AI as the organizing layer. The app does not simply surface content; it interprets intent and narrows options in response to a prompt. Whether that is enough to meaningfully change consumer behavior or simply reframes existing content through a chatbot interface remains an open question.
Notably, Zesty does not currently support bookings or reservations. Unlike platforms such as OpenTable or Resy, users cannot secure a table or complete a dining plan inside the app. Zesty is also a standalone app rather than an extension of the core DoorDash marketplace. That separation suggests DoorDash is testing discovery as its own surface, even though adding booking or fulfillment buttons would be a natural progression.
Karen Webster, CEO of PYMNTS, says that discovery no longer starts with search but with prompts. PYMNTS Intelligence found that roughly 11% of U.S. consumers have replaced traditional search with AI tools that deliver direct answers. These Prompt Economy Pros, as she describes them, expect outcomes, not links. That shift makes discovery a competitive moat. DoorDash enters that layer with a rare advantage: years of order history, taste signals and real spending data. Zesty is a bet that pairing those signals with conversation will be a winning combination.
Zesty also fits into DoorDash’s broader push beyond delivery. Earlier this year, the company launched Going Out, a product aimed at helping consumers discover and plan in-person dining experiences. Taken together, these initiatives suggest DoorDash is building toward a more expansive local commerce strategy that spans inspiration, discovery and fulfillment, even if those elements remain separated across products today.
That strategy aligns with DoorDash’s longer-term vision of becoming a global leader in local commerce, a goal the company has emphasized following its acquisition of Deliveroo. As PYMNTS has reported, DoorDash is framing local commerce not as a single transaction but as an ecosystem that begins with discovery, continues through engagement and ultimately ends in fulfillment.
Source: https://www.pymnts.com/
