Developers create apps to simplify the lives of others. Whether it's food delivery services, parking spot locators, music festival schedules, flight arrivals, etc. — apps help people save time. One Austin developer has created an app specifically for saving time, providing users with a tool to avoid wasting it.
Ofni, “info” spelled backwards, was developed by founder John Siegler to provides users with accurate wait times in Austin's fast food and fast casual restaurants. In a nutshell, the application estimates the total time it takes from the moment you walk into the establishment to the moment you have food in your hand.
“My mission is to organize the world’s time," said Siegler. "I don’t think people realize that time is your greatest asset in life."
Siegler came up with the idea for Ofni after walking about 20 minutes to the nearest fast food establishment on the outskirts of Chicago in 2014. When he arrived at said fast food establishment, a Starbucks, a line of people out the door greeted him.
Siegler built the algorithm with proprietary information after a year and a half of sitting in local restaurants, observing wait times and noting other variables that could affect the time it takes for diners to receive their food. As a result, Siegler built the app to automatically update throughout the day. When the downtown Chipotle lunch crowd begins trickling in around noon, Ofni reflects the 12-15 minute wait versus the three-five minute wait that's more common in the late afternoon.
“It’s 80 to 85 percent accurate,” said Seigler. “Our motto is ‘know before you go.’”
Ofni is now live in Austin, Chicago and San Francisco, and adapts based on your proximity to local spots. There are currently about 500 restaurants loaded onto the app. Ofni's team consists of Siegler and two part-time contractors who continue to work on accounting for temporary influxes in Austin’s population, such as Austin City Limits and SXSW. Currently, Ofni is focused on expanding to additional cities and offering customers of participating restaurants with discounts to help drive traffic and promote additional uses within the app.
Seigler said it’s been a bootstrapped funding effort, and although he has been in talks with angel investors, he doesn’t plan on bringing in additional funding unless the person can provide professional value to Ofni.
Images provided by Ofni app and Shutterstock
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