Growth Hack Bestie Bite: Revolutionizing Restaurant Discovery with Video Reviews
Founders Espresso: Inspiring Stories, Key Lessons, and Practical Tips from Hidden Champion Founders to Boost Your Entrepreneurial Journey.
☕ Founders Shots ☕
🚀 Startup Growth Hack
Bestie Bite harnessed user-generated video reviews to create a platform that drives both restaurant discovery and content marketing, achieving rapid growth and breaking into the top 10 most downloaded apps multiple times.
💡 Founder Spotlight
Carlotta Robbe Di Lorenzo, co-founder of Bestie Bite, transformed her passion for food and community-driven content into a platform that reshapes the way users discover restaurants.
🗝 Founder Tips
Don’t aim for perfection with your first product iteration. The first version will always evolve—embrace the process of constant improvement.
🛠 Startup Tools
Utilizing TikTok for user acquisition was key to Bestie Bite’s success, skyrocketing app downloads and pushing them into the top 10 multiple times.
☕ Cup of Founders Wisdom
Creating a company culture where your vision is clearly communicated is challenging but essential for long-term success.
🔋 Boost of Inspiration
"Your reputation is your most valuable asset. Be resilient, embrace the madness, and maintain your integrity" – Carlotta Robbe Di Lorenzo, Co-founder of Bestie Bite
🚀Startup Growth Hack
Combining Viral Marketing and Video Reviews for Explosive Growth
Bestie Bite, born in 2021, crafted a growth strategy centered on authenticity and user engagement. The platform allows users to share video reviews of their dining experiences, making discovery more visual and engaging than traditional text-based reviews.
This not only creates a more trustworthy and immersive experience for users but also incentivizes participation through a reward system. By encouraging users to contribute their own content, Bestie Bite fosters a loyal community while simultaneously providing restaurants with a powerful content marketing tool that showcases real customer experiences.
This dual focus on content creation and engagement has driven steady user growth and positioned Bestie Bite as a unique player in the restaurant discovery space.
But what truly boosted Bestie Bite to the next level was its innovative marketing strategy. When the app officially launched in January 2024, Carlotta and her team leveraged TikTok for viral marketing, reaching the top 10 most downloaded apps three times—surpassing major competitors like The Fork. Their ability to go viral multiple times significantly boosted visibility and user acquisition. Parallel to this, they implemented paid advertising campaigns to measure conversion rates and scale effectively.
The results speak for themselves: from January to today, Bestie Bite has attracted 22,000 users, with the goal of reaching 35,000 by the end of the year. The combination of viral marketing and paid ads has allowed the company to continuously grow its user base, proving that a well-executed marketing strategy can drive rapid growth in a competitive market.
💡 Founder Spotlight
Carlotta Robbe Di Lorenzo, Co-founder of Bestie Bite – Turning Frustration into Innovation: How Bestie Bite Transformed Restaurant Discovery
Carlotta’s entrepreneurial journey began in 2021 when she and her co-founder launched Bestie Bite. Initially, they had prior experience in a small startup, which gave them a taste of international sales. However, it wasn’t until they joined acceleration programs like Boost Your Idea in Rome and Techstars that they fully grasped the dynamics of the startup ecosystem.
During a trip to Greece, Carlotta and Caterina identified a major issue—restaurant reviews were inconsistent, leaving users frustrated with conflicting feedback. As millennials themselves, they recognized that Gen Z would resonate with a solution that leverages video content to provide a clearer, more engaging user experience.
After gathering feedback from their early users, who had been part of their previous pivots, they realized that people were turning to social media for restaurant recommendations, but the platforms were fragmented and not optimized for this purpose. This insight led them to develop Bestie Bite—a solution that sweeps away outdated review systems and provides a more cohesive and user-friendly platform for restaurant discovery through video reviews.
“We realized that social platforms weren’t optimized for discovering and reviewing restaurants, so we decided to create something new, sweeping away outdated models,” Carlotta shared.
🗝 Founder Tips
Fail Fast and Keep Iterating
Carlotta admits that one of the most valuable lessons she learned was that the first version of any product is rarely perfect. “We thought we needed to do everything perfectly, but over time, we realized that the first version will always be the worst. There will be so many others after that—so don’t be afraid to fail and keep improving.”
She also highlighted a crucial insight on investor relations: learning to slow down before responding or making major decisions. “I’ve learned to wait before answering questions, as sometimes investors might not fully understand your vision right away. You don’t want to miss opportunities by being too patient, though—balance is key.”
Hello there, I'm Andrea Marino, founder of Founders Espresso.
🛠 Startup Tools
Viral Marketing via TikTok
Bestie Bite’s success has largely been driven by its viral marketing strategy. Leveraging TikTok for user acquisition was key to Bestie Bite’s success, skyrocketing app downloads and pushing it into the top 10 multiple times surpassing competitors like The Fork. They reached 22,000 users within months of their January 2024 launch, with a target of 35,000 by the end of the year. This viral momentum, combined with paid advertising, has allowed them to scale effectively while staying connected to their user base.
☕ Cup of Founders Wisdom
The Importance of Team Culture
As a CEO, Carlotta has learned the hard way that creating a strong company culture is not as simple as it seems. “Communicating your vision to your team is incredibly difficult. You might think everyone shares the same view, but that’s not always the case.”
For Carlotta, building a healthy culture is a work in progress, especially as she describes herself as introverted. “It’s tough for me to express what I feel and see, but I’m learning that creating alignment with your team is essential to success.”
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🔋 Boost of Inspiration
Resilience, Madness, and Integrity
When asked what three key characteristics a founder should have, Carlotta responded without hesitation: “Resilience, madness, and integrity—especially in this sector, your reputation is everything. Maintaining ethical standards is crucial for navigating challenges.”
For Carlotta, entrepreneurship is deeply rooted in her desire to leave a lasting, meaningful impact. She’s driven by the vision of creating something truly unique, with the ultimate goal of turning Bestie Bite into the next unicorn in the content-driven food tech space, all while contributing positively to the world around her.
Stay tuned for more founders’ stories and updates in the next edition of Founders Espresso!
Sip up, and Scale up together.
Andrea Marino - Founders Espresso
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