Food Network continues to push into the world of apps with original utilities that go beyond mirroring its TV shows. They’ve just launched “On the Road,” a free app for iPhone and iPad, designed to help you satisfy your hunger on the road. You can browse a database of nearly 3,000 locations featured in Food Network shows including restaurants, food trucks and hot spots. The app uses geolocation to serve up destinations near you, and you can create your own road trips, to boot.
The greatest part about the app is how customizable it is. With all the amazing food shows they air that take place in so many different parts of the country in world, it’s impossible to enjoy all of it in real-time. There “By Show” organization lets fans “browse restaurants and road trips seen on your favorite Food Network shows like Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, The Best Thing I Ever Ate and The Great Food Truck Race.” And here’s the “nearby” view for Seattle:
There are also some fun social features. The Facebook integration allows users to share their recommendations and earn unique badges for doing so. This is a great example of a TV network recognizing how much evergreen information they’ve built up in the archives and pulling it together in an app environment as a utility for you to enjoy on the road.
