How VibeFinder works

You write the night you're picturing. We go and find real places that fit it. Here's what happens in between, in plain language.

You write, you don't filter

There's no wall of checkboxes. Type it the way you'd say it to a friend. "Somewhere quiet enough to actually hear each other" tells us more than any set of filters, because it tells us the part that matters to you.

What we do with what you wrote

We read your words for the things we can act on: the kind of place, the food, the neighbourhood, the budget, anything you said you can't do. Places that clearly don't fit are out before the ranking starts. Then the shortlist comes back in order, and every pick tells you why it's there.

If it's too vague, we ask instead of guessing

Some searches don't give us enough to work with. Rather than pick something at random and hope, we ask you one quick question. Your answer applies to that search only. It never goes on your profile.

Group plans: everyone writes, nothing gets averaged

Everyone in the plan writes their own vibe, and all of them go into the search. Where several of you want the same thing, it counts for more. Where two people want opposite things, we look for somewhere that can do both, and the pick says so.

Some things aren't preferences

If someone needs halal or gluten free, that isn't weighed against anyone's mood. Places whose own information says they can't do it are removed from the search. Where a place hasn't told us either way, we leave it in rather than guess, so it's still worth a call.

Nobody should lose every time

If the place a group settles on goes against what you asked for, we remember it. Next time you plan with those same people, a close call tips your way, and a note on the decision tells you it did.

It only counts against the people who were there. Someone new to the group never pays for an evening they weren't part of.
It fades. After four months we forget it.
It tips close calls. It doesn't hand you the pick, and nobody else is told about it.

If you have an account

Your saved taste answers and the places you've hearted are only used if you switched that on, and you can switch it off in your account whenever you like. They break ties. What you typed tonight always outranks what you saved months ago.

What we keep

Your taste answers, your saved places and the fairness memory above are all stored under a random pseudonym rather than your name or your email. You can download the lot or delete your account outright from your account page.

Read the privacy pledge

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