ScrollEats

Inspiration

We’ve all been there. You’re with friends or your partner, and no one can decide where to eat. Endless “I don’t know, what do you want?” back and forth. Traditional food apps don’t help! They throw too many options, bland reviews, and boring star ratings at you. We wanted something that felt more natural, more fun; something that helped you decide with your gut, not a spreadsheet.

That’s how ScrollEats was born. A fast, vibe-based food discovery app that turns restaurant hunting into a scrollable experience. With bold visuals, BoomMeter ratings, and daily Big Booms, it’s not just about what’s nearby, it’s about what hits.

What it does

ScrollEats helps users discover local restaurants through a fun, scroll-based interface. Based on your location, it shows one restaurant at a time in a bold, full-screen card with photos, short reviews, a unique vibe description, and a BoomMeter rating (1–5 Booms).

Each user gets one daily Big Boom to boost a restaurant to the top of others’ feeds, adding a social, gamified twist. You can also leave fun Boom Quotes like “Tacos so good I cried.”

Users can search, explore, and view their profile using bottom-nav buttons.

How we built it

ScrollEats was brought to life with React Native, using a scrollable, full-screen card system to deliver an addictively smooth user experience. We integrated the Google Places API to pull real restaurant data based on location, and used Firebase to handle real-time data like BoomMeter ratings, Big Booms, and user preferences. Navigation was built with React Navigation, and the bold red-and-orange UI was styled with custom components for maximum food-app flavour.

But more than just code, this project was powered by vibe coding, late-night grind sessions, and non-stop teamwork. From brainstorming Boom Quotes to squashing bugs on 3 hours of sleep, every feature reflects the energy we poured into it. We collaborated through GitHub, whiteboarded flows with Figma and Canva, and kept each other sane with way too many snacks. ScrollEats is more than an app it’s a team vibe.

Challenges we ran into

One of our biggest challenges was getting real-time location-based data to display cleanly in our scroll interface. Integrating the Google Places API and filtering results by relevance, distance, and vibe took a lot of trial and error.

We also struggled with balancing the UX: we wanted the app to feel chaotic and fun, but still be smooth and intuitive. Getting the BoomMeter and Big Boom mechanics to work with Firebase required careful syncing and multiple redesigns.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We’re proud that we built a fully functional, location-based food discovery app with a unique scroll experience all in under 48 hours. From implementing the BoomMeter system to integrating the Google Places API, we turned a crazy idea into a real, working product.

We’re also proud of how well we worked as a team. Everyone brought something to the table. Whether it was frontend or backend, UI design, or straight-up creative energy. We kept the vibes high, solved problems fast, and never lost sight of the actual fun of hackathons.

And most of all, we’re proud that ScrollEats feels different. It’s not just another food app; it’s a whole new way to find where to eat, together.

What we learned

We learned how to take a chaotic idea and turn it into a cohesive product. From working with the Google Places API to managing user data in Firebase, we gained hands-on experience with real-world tools under serious time pressure.

We also learned how important user experience and visual design are. Overall, it’s not just about making things work, but making them fun and intuitive. We experimented with layout, colour, and motion to bring the ScrollEats vibe to life.

What's next for ScrollEats

We’re just getting started. Our next step is to partner with food delivery platforms like Uber Eats and DoorDash, so users can go from scrolling to snacking in seconds. There will be no use of app-switching or friction.

We also plan to introduce ad opportunities for local restaurants, allowing them to promote their best dishes, run Boom-based deals, or sponsor daily Big Booms. This opens up a sustainable ad revenue model that benefits both users and businesses.