Photo Courtesy of Daily Chalkboards
When Capitol Hill resident Dan Phifer and his wife, Katie, dropped their two young children off with the babysitter they knew their first stop, sans children, was at a local restaurant.
“Kate wanted to go to The Queen Vic because she really liked a dish she had at the restaurant, but when we got there we learned that it was a seasonal menu item that was no longer offered.”
The Phifers, disappointed in the news, shared this with The Queen Vic’s bartender, Noel Quinn, who agreed that he needed a way to share his specials with customers. It was then that the idea for the app Daily Chalkboards was born.
Photo Courtesy of Daily Chalkboards
The free app and the website, Dailychalkboards.com—which is best viewed on a mobile device such as an iPhone, iPad, Android phone or in Safari or Google Chrome—features the specials at restaurants on the Hill and across the city, including restaurants on H Street, where the idea got its start, as well as greater Capitol Hill, Cleveland Park, Columbia Heights and more. The simple interface allows users to easily view the specials, in most cases an actual photo of the specials posted on the restaurant’s chalkboard. From there, users can see a link to the site’s website and view the restaurant’s location in Google maps.
The app and website, currently in beta testing, will launch this weekend in connection with the H Street Festival. Participating restaurants will post their festival specials using Daily Chalkboards, so before you head down to the H Street Festival check out the site and download the app directly to your phone (you can do this on the site—no need to log into iTunes!)
Phifer and Quinn are asking users to send feedback, questions and suggestions to support@dailychalkboards.com. Restaurants looking to join Daily Chalkboards can also email support@dailychalkboards.com.