/RestaurantRoulette

Food finder iOS app that utilizes Google Maps API to find places to eat nearby that match a set of filter criteria. The app will randomly select a place to eat and link to the directions.

Primary LanguageSwift

RestaurantRoulette

Food finder iOS app that utilizes Google Maps API to find places to eat nearby that match a set of filter criteria. The app will randomly select a place to eat and link to the directions.

Screenshots

Motivation

Wanted an easy way to choose a place to eat nearby or in a specific area.

Features

  • A map that defaults to the user’s location and displays a list of all nearby restaurants
  • The list includes the restaurant’s name, address, rating and price point from Google Maps Nearby Search API
  • Option to choose a different location to search for nearby restaurants by moving the marker on the map
  • Option to filter the restaurants that will appear by setting the distance from the marker, the price range, selecting only restaurants that are currently open, and filtering the food type
  • The “Play Roulette!” button will spin through all restaurants in the list and choose one at random

Challenges

  • Had some issues when running many Google Maps Nearby Search queries when multiple filters were applied. Had to synchronize the calls using the Dispatch Group.
  • Had some difficulty getting the marker on the map to default to the user’s location.

Things I Learned

  • Utilized CocoaPods to get the Google Maps SDK for iOS
  • Synchronized all calls fetching data from the Google Maps API, this way all data is loaded into the list at the same time

Future Improvements

  • Add a link for each restaurant in the list to get detailed information on the restaurant from Google Maps
  • Add an option to remove a restaurant from the list before spinning to choose a random restaurant