Eating out
From Reel to restaurant: why I don't just go to my usual place anymore
I have a usual place. When I want to eat out on short notice, that's where I end up most of the time. I know the menu, I like the food, the decision takes two seconds. Trying somewhere new takes more effort. And that's exactly when I can't think of a single new place.
Yet I see new ones all the time. A restaurant with an exciting concept pops up on Instagram or TikTok, or someone eats something I've never tried. I have to go there, I think. I used to save the video. And then I went to my usual place anyway.
A saved video doesn't get me to the restaurant
I barely looked at my old restaurant saves on Instagram and TikTok again. They were saved, sure. But when I was deciding where to go that day, they weren't on my mind. There are probably still a few really good places buried in there.
The problem: I rarely discover a place at the moment I'm hungry. When I'm scrolling, I'm out and about or on the sofa. I'd only need the idea days later. And by then I can't remember where I saw it.
Reels, tips and the new place around the corner
Now I share restaurant links straight to Swiva, give the draft a quick look and collect the places in my Restaurants & Foodspots list. Everything from Instagram and TikTok ends up there. But not every good tip comes with a link.
Sometimes I walk through my neighbourhood and notice that something new has opened. Or someone tells me about a place over dinner. I add those tips myself. That way, the place I spotted on the street sits right next to the Reel and a friend's recommendation. Where an idea came from doesn't matter anymore.
When I want to eat out, I have options
My list is long enough by now. I don't need more restaurant tips. I just need to see the ones that already made me curious, at the right moment. So I swipe through my list.
Seeing one idea at a time makes the decision easier. I only ask myself: do I feel like this today? A new concept, a cuisine I don't know, a place in the neighbourhood. My usual spot is still a good option. It's just no longer the only one I can think of.
How I ended up eating khinkali at Café Ansari
Recently I went to Café Ansari on Praterstraße in Vienna and had Georgian food. I ordered khinkali, filled dumplings. It was completely new to me, and really good. Without my list, I'd probably have gone to my usual place again that day.
That's what Swiva is about for me: I discover something that interests me and give myself a chance to actually do it later. I built Swiva with Mona and Kevin. That doesn't mean I now follow through on every saved idea. But I try new things more often than I used to.
The old saves can stay where they are
I'm not going to work through my old Instagram saves. I'd rather look ahead. There's already plenty on my Swiva list that I'm keen on. And when I come across a new spot, it gets added.
If that sounds familiar and you keep finding places you really want to try, start with a few of them. What helps me is keeping them where I'll make the decision later. That way, getting from the Reel to the restaurant no longer depends on my memory.
And when I'd rather cook myself?
I have a separate list for that: Rezepte zum Ausprobieren, recipes I want to try. I keep restaurants and ideas for my own kitchen apart, so I have the right selection in front of me when I'm choosing. And for everything that isn't a whole dish, there are my Kitchen Experiments.
