Summary of the interview:

The interviewee explains that when choosing where to eat near the university, they usually go to the same familiar places they already know. This decision is mainly influenced by having a limited student budget and very short time between classes. Because of this, they prefer places that offer a good balance between price and quality and do not require long waiting times. Following a routine helps them avoid wasting time and money.

The interviewee states that it is difficult for students to know all the food options available near the university. Most students rely on their own experiences or recommendations from close friends, and once they find a place that works well for them, they do not feel the need to search for new options, even if better alternatives might exist.

They also mention that social media is not very useful for finding everyday places to eat. Platforms like Instagram are mainly used for special or occasional experiences, such as going to a café with friends, rather than for daily meals. The lack of filters by price, location, and student reviews makes the search process inefficient.

Finally, the interviewee says they would use a platform designed for students if it helped them save time and money. They highlight the importance of filtering by price and location, having categories such as affordable lunch options (“corrientazos”) and cafés, and including reviews from other students. Such a platform would be useful for both students and nearby restaurants.

Transcript of the interview:

Audio of the interview in spanish

Transcript:

• Interviewer: Hello, I am Juan David and we are with Santiago. How are you, Santiago?

• Interviewee: Very well, Juan David, thank you very much for inviting me to your interview or whatever this is.

• Interviewer: Thank you for taking the time for the interview. We want to better understand how students choose where to eat or have a drink near the university. But first of all, be aware that this interview is being recorded.

• Interviewee: Yes, totally.

• Interviewer: Ready, perfect. So let's get started. So, normally, when you want to eat or drink something 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: Well, in my case, I always try to go to the same places. I, well, since I have been in university for several years, I have had the opportunity to get to know different places, and the ones I liked the most and that have especially had a good balance between quality and price are the ones I frequent the most and the ones I usually go to constantly. I try not to experiment too much because my budget as a student is limited, and already knowing what I want and more or less what I like and what I can try near the university, I always try to follow a routine to avoid mistakes and to not waste time between classes, which is the most important thing.

• Interviewer: Ok. And do you think it's easy for students to know all the food options or places like that near the university?

• Interviewee: No, I think getting to know them all is quite complicated. I believe that many of us rely on our own experiences and the experiences of our closest friends. Different universities, and well, when we already know something that we like, that works for us, and that allows us to save a lot of time, we don't feel the need to look for more places and we might end up missing out on places that could be better for us, but simply out of convenience and knowing a good previous result, we decide not to try something new.

• Interviewer: So, what problems or difficulties do you usually have when trying to find a new place to eat or drink near the university? Does it have to do with information, prices, time?

• Interviewee: Yes, more than anything it is about prices and time. I believe that for students, and especially based on my own experience, the most important thing is to be able to have that balance between something that is not very expensive and that does not take too long to prepare or serve, because, as I have indicated to you before, we have different classes. When we go to eat something, the time is very limited, and we have to make the most of the time as best as we can.

• Interviewer: And well, with the budget we had as students, we needed something that was quite economical for our possibilities. And has it ever happened to you that you were going to a usual place or a specific type of restaurant and then discovered a new, better, more interesting option, closer, but too late?

• Interviewee: Well, yes, the truth is that it did happen to me. Let me share a personal anecdote with you, as before, at the beginning, especially of the career. I was indeed going to have lunch a lot outside the university and in its surroundings. And precisely because I already had some places defined to be able to eat. Then, after a while, precisely due to costs and so on, I decided to bring my own lunch from home. And later, when I was already having lunch with my own lunch, I discovered a new place that was worth it and that could have potentially been the place I would frequent the most when I went to have lunch around there.

• Interviewer: Okay, yeah. And many students use social media like Instagram to discover restaurants, for example, pages like Restaurants, that type of accounts. It's difficult for you to use this type of accounts to find a place that you really want, you think that the fact of not being able to filter by price, type of food, location and having to scroll a lot makes it slower or frustrating.

• Interviewee: Yes, I really think so, because what has always happened with my friends and others is that when we use these types of platforms or social networks to look for a restaurant or a new place to eat, it is precisely to live a new experience different from the everyday. What do I mean? It is basically that we want to try something different and we have the possibility of having a slightly larger budget for that specific day. And we go and eat something delicious, something different, and it stays there in the experience that it was something cool, it was, for example, going to a café, eating something we haven't eaten before. And it was a time with friends, a time that we enjoyed a lot and that we specifically used social networks to discover that place. But they are sporadic places, they are places we don't normally return to.

• Interviewee: And if suddenly there were an option where one could search more easily, especially by prices and by reviews from some other students, then one could indeed rely on that to find a place where one could normally have lunch.

• Interviewer: Ok, so according to that, what factors do you think influence your decision to try a new site the most? For example, prices, recommendations from friends, as you said, proximity, social media, promotions or discounts. Which one would you say is the most important for you?

• Interviewee: For me, it's the price, without a doubt. Without a doubt, it's the most important thing now that we are in university. Especially when during the season when I used to eat near the university and frequently had lunch around there. Well, I had to keep a close eye on the price issue because I have a limited budget and I can't, no matter how much I would like to, suddenly eat something healthier or something tastier or something different, well, it's not always possible with the same budget that one manages.

• Interviewer: Ok, so if there were a platform or application that showed all the nearby bars, cafes, and restaurants designed for students, would you use it? What kind of information or features should it have to be really useful for you?

• Interviewee: I would say yes, I would use it quite a bit. I think it's very important to be able to define different categories within this platform or however it works. Where one could know suddenly, I don't know, something more colloquial like the "corrientazos," that there would be a category section where one would know what the different places are that offer a lunch of that type, which is something economical and functional for someone who is like... in that rush? And suddenly other categories where there are cool cafes to go out with friends or different things. And what I was saying is that one could filter by prices and also by location. That would be very important.

• Interviewer: So, for you, to help students, the platform to help students would develop more than anything time and money by using it. And what situations do you think would be most useful for them?

• Interviewee: Well, I think that in everyday life, I mean... If suddenly, I mean, when you have lunch many times in the same place, you get tired of the same flavor, of the same... Well, of the same old thing. And if you have the possibility, for example, to use a platform like this where they offer me different options that have a similar value, a similar price, and that are in a location close to the university, well, it would be worth it, it would definitely save a lot of time. And I could be using it constantly. And when I wanted to eat something different or have an experience like something I mentioned recently, well, also having the possibility to search for it right there would be very important. And also, well, I have studies in business administration. I think it would also be an opportunity for restaurants and nearby places.

• Interviewee: Quite cool and important to have a platform that could show students in a more direct way through this medium of the platform.

• Interviewer: Ok, well those would be all the questions. I don't know if you want to add anything else about your experience looking for places to eat near the university.

• Interviewee: Well, I think that if they are thinking, I can suddenly say that they are thinking of creating some platform of this style, which I would really like if they manage to do it at some point, so that they could let me know in order to use it and save us students a lot of time.

• Interviewer: Alright, thank you very much for your time, this has been very helpful.

• Interviewee: Well, with great pleasure, Juan David, whenever you need. Here we are.