Summary of the interview:

The interviewee is a 21 year old student in Los Andes University and he explains that when choosing where to eat or drink near the university, he usually prioritize proximity, price, and habit, often returning to places they already know. The decision also depends on who he is with; when eating in a group, he tends to agree with suggestions made by others.

One of the main problems when trying to discover new places is the lack of clear information, especially regarding location and prices, which creates uncertainty. Distance is another important factor: if a place is too far or inconvenient, the interviewee prefers not to go.

The interviewee believes that it is not easy for students to be aware of all the food and coffee options near the university, as many new places go unnoticed unless they have a large opening event. Although they have used social media platforms such as Instagram to discover restaurants, he finds them inefficient due to information overload, poor menu visualization, and lack of trust in reviews.

Regarding a potential app, the interviewee states he would use it if it allowed filtering by type of food, showed simple ratings focused on food quality, highlighted newly opened places, and displayed menus with prices, since price is the most important factor when trying a new place.

Transcript of the interview:

Audio of the interview in spanish (enter with a Uniandes mail)

Transcript:

• Interviewer:

Thank you for taking the time to do this interview. What we want is to better understand how students choose where to eat or have a drink near the university. First of all, do you agree to this interview being recorded?

• Interviewee:

Yes.

• Interviewer:

Great. Let’s begin.

The first question is: when you want to eat or have something to drink near the university, how do you decide where to go? Do you usually go to the same places, or do you try to discover new ones?

• Interviewee:

Usually, I go to whatever is closest. I try not to go too far. I also tend to repeat the same places quite a lot, and it usually depends on who I’m going with. If someone tells me they know a place, or if we’re choosing a place as a group, I’ll usually say, “Okay, that works.”

• Interviewer:

What problems do you face when trying to find a new place? What difficulties do you usually have when you’re looking for a new place to eat or drink?

• Interviewee:

First of all, I’ve had situations where places hand out flyers but don’t include the address, so I don’t know where to go. Also, when many new places open, there often isn’t much information about prices, and that can make me hesitant to go if I don’t feel confident about how much it will cost. Distance can also be an issue. If a place is too far away or inconvenient, I probably won’t go and will prefer places I already know.

• Interviewer:

Do you think it’s easy for students to be aware of all the food and coffee options near the university?

• Interviewee:

No, it’s not easy. There are always new places opening, and unless they have very large opening events—like some restaurants have done recently—many places go unnoticed.

• Interviewer:

Have you ever gone to a place you usually visit and later discovered that there was a better or more interesting option nearby, but by then you had already established a go-to restaurant?

• Interviewee:

I don’t think so. In general, I’ve been quite happy with the places I’ve gone to. The only thing I might change is a pasta place that sold pasta in cones. If I wanted pasta, there were better options, like in Box Plaza, but I didn’t go there very often anyway, so it didn’t really affect me.

• Interviewer:

Many students use social media, for example Instagram pages focused on restaurants, to discover new places to eat. Have you used them? And if so, how easy or difficult is it for you to use these platforms to find places that actually appeal to you?

• Interviewee:

Yes, I’ve used them. I think I looked at them when they first came out, but I didn’t follow them or anything. Sometimes a friend would send screenshots saying, “There’s this new place, do you want to try it?”

But I don’t like having to scroll endlessly. In general, I also don’t like it when restaurants post their menus on Instagram. I understand that it’s free, but I find it a very uncomfortable way to view information.

Another issue with these restaurant pages is that I don’t know who is doing the reviewing. I don’t know whether it’s someone I can trust; I only know that it’s an Instagram account.

• Interviewer:

You mentioned that factors like price, proximity, and recommendations from friends influence your decision. What would you say is the main deciding factor for you when choosing whether to go to a place or not?

• Interviewee:

I think it really depends, but in the end, price is very important, especially if I don’t know the place. If I want to try something new, price matters a lot.

If I already know the place, then it depends more on the experience I’ve had with the food and whether I feel that what I paid was worth it.

It also matters how well taken care of the place looks and how busy it is. If I go to a new place during peak lunch hours and there’s no one there, it feels strange, and I probably won’t eat there.

• Interviewer:

If there were a platform or app that showed all the bars, cafés, and restaurants near the university, would you use it? What kind of information or features would it need to have in order to be truly useful to you?

• Interviewee:

I think I would use it if I could filter by type of food. For example, if I want ramen—real ramen, not instant noodles—it should show me those options. Filters like pizza or burger places would probably be the easiest.

It would also be useful to see what people generally think about the food, without making it too complicated. Sometimes people complain too much about service, and I think the focus should be more on the food. A rating system focused only on food would be better.

It would also be good if the app highlighted newly opened places.

And maybe a way to see the menu with prices, although I know some restaurants don’t like that because they prefer people to visit the place directly.

• Interviewer:

Is there anything else you would like to add about your experience looking for places to eat near the university?

• Interviewee:

I feel that the food options around the university are quite extensive, so I don’t really care that much about whether there’s a new place or not.