Updated
Where should we eat? Decide as a group
When your group asks where should we eat, start a Palytt Room, invite the table and compare a short list. Friends can vote on restaurant options in one place. Where Palytt has dish information or friends' ratings, use that context to help decide what to order.
"Where should we eat?" is the easiest question to ask and the hardest to finish. Palytt is built for group dining decisions: collect options, let friends vote, and get to a yes without another 40-message thread.
Android is coming. Get Android updates.
Put the shortlist on the table.
Why does the group chat deadlock?
One person wants spicy. Another wants quiet. Someone's "near me" only. Reviews don't resolve conflicting tastes — they add more tabs. A short list and a vote help the table reach one choice.
How do groups decide faster with Palytt?
Collect the group’s hard requirements, then suggest a few places that meet them.
Add those restaurant options to a Room and invite the table to vote.
Use dish details and friends’ ratings where available when choosing an order.
Still use Maps for turn-by-turn; still use Yelp when you want deep reviews — use Palytt when you need agreement.
Can friends vote without downloading the app?
Yes. A host can share a Room invitation with the group. Invited guests can vote in a browser without installing Palytt or creating an account, so friends on different devices can join the same decision.
The host adds restaurant options to a Room and shares its invitation link.
Guests open the link in a browser, enter a display name, confirm they meet the age requirement and agree to the Terms and Community Guidelines.
Each guest chooses a proposed restaurant. If the host adds times, guests can also say which times work.
The invitation needs to be valid and the decision open. An expired or full link needs the host’s help; after the plan is confirmed, restaurant voting closes.
How does this compare with ForkYes?
We make Palytt, so weigh this accordingly. The ForkYes details come from its US App Store listing and website, checked October 10, 2026. We have not tested ForkYes.
ForkYes
Best for: A quick swipe vote on nearby placesSomeone creates an outing, sets a location and filters, and invites friends. Everyone swipes Nope, Maybe or Yum on nearby restaurants and the app ranks the results. The listing mentions filters for price, distance and availability.
Listing facts, checked October 10, 2026: free with no in-app purchases listed; iPhone app; first released March 2026; last updated September 3, 2026; 16 ratings averaging 4.9.
How it differs from Palytt: ForkYes brings the restaurant options for a location. A Palytt Room starts from the shortlist your group already has, invited guests can vote in a browser without installing the app, and the Room sits beside dish details and friends’ ratings where they exist. The ForkYes listing does not describe dish-level information.
Swipe apps suit a group with no candidates yet. A vote suits a group that already has two or three places in mind. For nine options compared side by side, see the best apps to decide where to eat with friends.
Tips for the planner or host
- Collect preferences before the night-of scramble.
- Share the shortlist in the group chat instead of open-ended "ideas?"
- Set a voting deadline and let one person make the final call.
For a random draw rather than a vote, try the restaurant picker: add your own shortlist, rule out places that miss hard requirements, then draw fairly from the rest. For a manual vote in your group chat, use the group restaurant worksheet.
Good to know
Where should we eat tonight?
Start with everyone's constraints, compare a short list and vote. Palytt Rooms let friends vote on restaurant options and keep the final choice in one place.
How do we decide where to eat as a group?
Invite everyone to one Room, add restaurant options and let everyone vote. The host can then lock the shared pick.
Is this a Yelp alternative?
Palytt Rooms help your group propose places and dates, vote, and lock a choice. Yelp and Google Maps also help with restaurant research; compare their features before choosing.
How is Palytt different from ForkYes?
ForkYes, per its US App Store listing checked October 10, 2026, has a group swipe Nope, Maybe or Yum on nearby restaurants and ranks the results. A Palytt Room starts from the shortlist your group already has, and invited guests can vote in a browser without installing the app or creating an account. Palytt is not a nearby-restaurant swipe deck.
Can we use it for date night or roommates?
Yes. Propose places and dates in a Room, invite your group and vote on a shared pick.
Is there a web picker without the app?
Yes. The free restaurant picker lets you enter your own shortlist, rule out places that fail your requirements and draw from the rest. It is a random draw, not a group vote. For a group vote, a Palytt Room host can invite friends to vote in a browser.
Can friends vote without downloading Palytt or creating an account?
Yes. Invited guests can open a valid Room invitation in a browser, enter a display name, confirm they meet the age requirement and agree to the Terms and Community Guidelines before voting on the proposed restaurants. If the host proposes times, guests can respond to those too. The decision must still be open; expired or full links need the host’s help.
How does taste matching work?
Learn more about how Palytt taste matching works.
Related reading
- How to pick a restaurant with a group of friends Collect constraints first, vote on a short list, and name one decider. How to get a group from "where should we eat?" to a decision in minutes.
- How to pick a first-date restaurant you'll both like Pick a first-date restaurant with clear prices, room to talk and orders you both enjoy. Compare menus, food needs, travel and reservation options.
- Group dinner ideas for friends that make choosing easy Seven group dinner formats for friends, from hot pot and Korean barbecue to dim sum and tapas, with what to order at each and how to pick one for your table.
- Best apps to decide where to eat with friends Compare swipe, roulette and voting apps for choosing a restaurant as a group, and check what each one needs from your friends before you pick.
- How to split the bill with friends without awkwardness Agree how to split a restaurant bill before ordering. Handle shared dishes, drinks and one-card payments with clear examples and useful wording.
- How to eat out as a picky eater without menu stress Check a menu for two workable dishes, ask one clear preparation question and keep a backup option. A practical restaurant plan for selective adult eaters.
- What kind of eater are you? The four Palytt pal families Scouts, Wanderers, Hosts or Keepers? Two questions about how you eat put you in a family. Here's what each is like at the table and how to plan a meal for them.
- Who should you eat with? Dinner partners by Palytt pal Count the letters you share. Table-mates, balancing types and opposites, how Bold and Mellow fit in, and how to pick a restaurant when your Palytt pals differ.
- How to build a food community around real meals Start a food community with one manageable meal. Use clear invitations, rotate who picks, share specific dish notes, and make the next dinner easy to plan.
More Palytt guides
- How taste matching works
- Restaurant picker
- Best dishes near you
- Palytt vs Yelp
- Palytt vs Google Maps
- What to order
- Best apps to know what to order
- Restaurant menu scanner app
- Palytt vs Beli
- Beli alternatives
- Restaurant tracking app
- What am I in the mood to eat?
- What to order for lunch
- What to order for dinner
- Yelp alternatives
- Best apps to save restaurants to try
- Best apps to decide where to eat
- Best apps to share restaurant recommendations
- How we designed Palytt
Agree on dinner faster.
Get Palytt on the App StoreInvite friends after install
Android is coming. Get Android updates.