DoorDash Launches AI-Driven Social App Zesty

DoorDash is testing a new direction beyond food delivery with the launch of Zesty, an AI-powered social app designed to help users discover local restaurants. The company began rolling out the app this week in the San Francisco Bay Area and New York, marking its latest move into local discovery and in-person dining experiences.

Zesty is positioned as a shortcut to restaurant recommendations, aiming to replace the fragmented process many consumers use today, such as scrolling through review sites, menus, and social media platforms. After signing in with an existing DoorDash account, users interact with an AI chatbot to receive personalized suggestions based on specific prompts. These can range from highly detailed requests to broader use cases, with the app also offering pre-written prompts to guide searches.

According to DoorDash co-founder Andy Fang, Zesty pulls together information from multiple sources to generate recommendations. In a post on X, Fang said the app aggregates data from DoorDash, Google Maps, TikTok, and other platforms to “curate the best suggestions from the web.” The AI system is also designed to learn from user behavior over time, refining recommendations based on saved places and interactions.

Beyond search, Zesty incorporates social features similar to those found on mainstream social networks. Users can share photos and comments about restaurants they’ve visited, follow other users, and browse discovery content generated by the community. Recommendations can be saved or shared, making the app as much about collective exploration as individual search.