dinebasil
A private dining platform connecting food lovers with local chefs — built for discovery, trust, and a seamless booking experience.
PROJECT DETAILS
TIMELINE
Sep 2022 - Jul 2023
ROLE
Product Designer
Brand Designer
TOOLS
Figma
Qualtrics
PLATFORM
iOS
Web
CASE STUDY
01
Problem
02
Solution
03
Outcome
The Airbnb of private dining
01 The Gap In Private Dining
NO MARKETPLACE FOR PRIVATE DINING
Thousands of independent chefs rely heavily on WOM or social media and operate without a platform to reach new clients or grow beyond the restaurant. At the same time, users interested in private dining struggled to discover qualified chefs, compare offerings, and trust the safety and quality of the experience.
The gap was clear: a two sided marketplace didn't exist for private dining. Existing platforms either served restaurants or high-end catering — leaving everyday diners and independent chefs without a home. This was the opportunity dinebasil set out to fill.
$1.2B
Private Dining Market Size by 2027
74%
Diners Prefer Intimate Experiences Over Restaurants
3x
Growth in Private Chef Bookings Post 2020
CORE FRICTION POINTS
No central discovery layer
Diners had no reliable way to find and evaluate local private chefs and word of mouth was the primary channel, limiting reach to personal networks.
Trust barriers on both sides
Without reviews, credentials, or a standardized profile system, diners were reluctant to book and chefs had no way to build a credible reputation online.
Fragmented booking experience
Without reviews, credentials, or a standardized profile system, diners were reluctant to book and chefs had no way to build a credible reputation online.
Chefs lacked growth infrastructure
Independent chefs had no dedicated tool to market their services, manage bookings, or build a recurring client base outside of restaurant employment.
DESIGN CHALLENGE
How might we design a platform that makes private chef dining as intuitive and trustworthy to book as a restaurant reservation for both sides of the marketplace?
USER PERSONAS
The core user is someone who already knows they want a special dining experience — they're not browsing for ideas, they arrive with intent. Likely 25–45, urban, with disposable income but not necessarily wealthy. They've been to nice restaurants, they care about food, and they're planning something that matters to them.
User Persona
Noah Jones
Age: 23
UI/UX Designer
Single (no kids)
Boston, MA
Preferred Channels
Personality
User Persona
Noah Jones
Age: 23
UI/UX Designer
Single (no kids)
Boston, MA
Preferred Channels
Personality