New Yorkers Can Now Find Dining and Nightlife Spots With the Help of the Scene's New App

With over 25,000 restaurants to choose from in New York City, finding the perfect spot for a date (or investor) or entertaining family from out of town can be overwhelming. However, a new app has launched to address this challenge – The Scene, an iOS-only ‘pocket concierge service’ that uses machine learning to match users with dining, drinking, and dancing spots in NYC.

Table of Contents

What is The Scene?

The Scene pulls recommendations for users based on various factors, including:

Type of event (dinner, brunch, drinks, etc.)
Type of outing (date, birthday, anniversary, or other special occasions)
Cuisine preferences
Size of the party
Budget
Date and time
Neighborhood

The Vibe Setting: A Game-Changer

One standout feature is The Scene’s ‘Vibe’ setting, which allows users to discover highly specific suggestions like:

Instagrammable clubs
Rooftop restaurants
Bars with good music

This feature lets users curate their preferred ambience, making it easier to find the perfect spot for any occasion.

How The Scene Works

The app lists options, along with descriptions, reservation times, hours of operation, a link to the menu or website, and more. The Scene is integrated with Instagram and Google to provide reviews and other information.

History and Founding Team

The service was founded by Ridhima Kalani, a former personal concierge who assisted clients in India, Singapore, Dubai, and London for a decade. When she arrived in NYC, Kalani noticed there was a ‘serious gap in the market when it came to the social planning process.’

What Sets The Scene Apart?

Kalani believes The Scene differentiates itself from direct competitors like Bucket Listers and Secret NYC – as well as restaurant reservation apps OpenTable and Resy – with its hyper-personalization. The Scene also offers a broader selection than restaurant reservation apps, including custom recommendations for clubs and other nightlife activities.

Future Plans

The app plans to launch in 22 additional cities over the next five years. Kalani recently hired Arneesh Aima (Chief Technology Officer) and iOS Developer Anagha Jayaprakah to help with app development.

Current Limitations and Future Developments

While The Scene is currently limited in features, it will gradually introduce AI-powered capabilities, such as a recommendation search engine that can understand natural language. For instance, users can search for ‘Dinner in Soho at 7 pm on Saturday for 4 ppl.’ The model comprehends that ‘ppl’ means people.

The app is also developing an AI concierge chatbot that can act as a private assistant for users, offering a personalized conversational experience.