DineMate

Client
Dinemate
Industry
Startup
Service
platform development

01.Overview

Eric Snead came to SoftDoes with a vision and a problem. His original app had been built by an offshore team that misrepresented their location, created recurring security alerts, failed to clear the iOS App Store, and ultimately delivered a product he couldn't grow on.

After losing significant investment, he rebuilt his thinking and searched for a new firm, where SoftDoes stood out for transparent phased pricing, strong design samples, and a U.S.-based team he could actually trust.

The goal was a web app that felt warm and human, one that reflected the care at the center of the DineMate concept.

SoftDoes delivered a fully functional platform, live on AWS, with verified profiles, restaurant-integrated features, and a brand presence ready to grow.

"The communication was there. I could send a message any time of day."

-Eric Snead, Founder & CEO, DineMate

02.Client background

DineMate was founded by Eric in 2022 after a date said something that stuck with him: going to dinner together is not a date if both people are hungry. He took that frustration seriously.

His answer was a platform built around three pillars: verified user profiles, in-app restaurant reservations, and prepaid dining.

The idea was to remove the friction, uncertainty, and inauthenticity that plague modern dating apps by building a real-world ecosystem around shared meals.

Currently serving the DMV area, with a long-term vision for global reach, DineMate holds a filed non-provisional patent and an approved trademark. Eric is actively pursuing investor capital to fuel the next phases of growth.

03.Challenge & solution

challenge

Eric had already tried to build DineMate once. He engaged an app developer who presented as U.S.-based, only to discover mid-project they were operating out of Pakistan.

Security alerts started coming in. The iOS submission never succeeded. His Meta Business Suite was set up under a restricted account, locking him out of his own Facebook and Instagram assets for months. After roughly $26,000 and more than a year of effort, he had a Google app at risk of removal and no path forward.

When he came to SoftDoes, his ask was deceptively simple. He wanted something functional, warm, and welcoming. A platform that felt like someone actually cared about the people using it.

The real challenge was rebuilding trust:

A prior vendor had misrepresented their location and capabilities
The IOS build had failed entirely
Meta assets were locked and unrecoverable
Previous scoping had been vague, structured to expand billing
Eric was a first-time founder with no prior frame of reference for what a good vendor relationship looked like

solution

SoftDoes built DineMate as a fully custom web application, designed from the ground up to reflect the warmth and intentionality of the brand.

Rather than simply executing a spec, the team helped Eric understand what was achievable at each phase, pushing back on scope when needed and making sure each milestone was something he could actually evaluate and build on.

What was delivered:

A responsive web app with a brand-aligned visual design, live on AWS
Verified user profile infrastructure to support authentic connections
Restaurant reservation functionality integrated into the user journey
A phased project structure that gave Eric visibility and control throughout
Weekly updates and beta access at each stage of development
Honest, candid communication from kickoff through launch

The platform is live at mydinemate.com , already onboarding early users, and structured to support phase two work: full restaurant partner onboarding and in-app prepaid dining. That next phase is already being scoped.

04.Results

SoftDoes delivered a complete, production-ready web platform for a first-time founder who had already been through a costly and trust-breaking experience with a prior vendor.

Web app live on AWS with a custom brand-aligned design
Verified profiles, restaurant reservations, and core user flows fully functional
GoDaddy domain linked and platform accessible to the public
Early users onboarding as Eric ramps marketing and attends industry events
Investor pitch deck in development to fuel phase two capital raise
Phase two scope (restaurant partner integration, prepaid dining) already in planning