Foodini
Founded 2021 Β· 25 employees on LinkedIn Β· 6 known investors
Australian app that matches diners with restaurants and menu items suited to their dietary needs and allergies.
Also known as getfoodini.com
Founders & leadership
Foodini was founded in 2021 by Dylan McDonnell, Erica Anderman, and Timo Kugler.
Investors Β· 6
Also in the syndicate Β· 4
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Foodini operates a consumer app that matches people with specific dietary requirements to restaurants, cafes and other venues that can serve them. Users create a profile describing their needs β categories cited include gluten-free, lactose intolerance, allergies, vegan diets and FODMAP restrictions β and the app surfaces suitable venues in a chosen area along with a breakdown of which specific menu items they can eat once they arrive. At the time of its 2022 pre-seed announcement the platform covered more than 40 dietary categories, including all mandatory allergens; the company's login page later describes personalized menus for 150+ dietary needs.
Venue coverage is built by onboarding restaurants with accredited practising dieticians, who review and upload menus so that dish-level dietary information is verified rather than self-reported. Restaurant operators have described the platform as reducing the manual handling of dietary requests that would otherwise occur by phone or at the table, and as a source of insight for menu development. The app is distributed through the Apple App Store and Google Play, and accounts can be created or accessed via Google, Apple or email login.
Founding story
According to press coverage, Foodini was started by Dylan McDonnell, who has coeliac disease, in response to his own difficult dining experiences and a broader shift in dietary needs among people eating out. He has described the company as answering the question of where it is suitable for him to eat and exactly what he can eat once there.
Business model
Foodini runs a two-sided marketplace-style platform: consumers use the app free of charge to find suitable venues and dishes, while restaurants are onboarded to the platform with their menus reviewed and uploaded by accredited practising dieticians. Venue-side value cited includes reduced manual handling of dietary requests and menu-development insight.
Traction
As of October 2022 the app featured more than 2,000 restaurants and covered more than 40 dietary categories including all mandatory allergens. A national grill house chain operations manager estimated his venues serve around 250 customers a week with specific dietary needs and described the app as streamlining that process.
Latest developments
The company's login page markets personalized menus for 150+ dietary needs, an increase over the more than 40 dietary categories reported at the time of its 2022 pre-seed round.
βΈFull profile β market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history
Market position
Foodini positions itself in the dietary-needs dining segment. Antler Australia partner Cath Rogers characterised the company as positioned in a growing market of people with specific dietary requirements, citing early-mover supply-side traction and user engagement on the platform.
Dietary information on the platform is reviewed and uploaded by accredited practising dieticians rather than relying solely on venue self-description, and results are presented at the level of individual menu items a user can eat rather than only venue-level filters.
Technology
The platform combines software matching of user dietary profiles against venue menus with human review: accredited practising dieticians assess restaurants and menus and upload the resulting dish-level dietary breakdowns. Consumer access is via iOS and Android apps with Google, Apple and email authentication.
Go-to-market
The company expanded city by city in Australia, starting in Sydney and then Melbourne, building venue supply through dietician-led restaurant onboarding, with consumer distribution through the Apple App Store and Google Play. National Australian rollout was followed by stated plans to enter the US.
Diners with dietary restrictions, allergies and preferences β including coeliac and gluten-free, lactose-intolerant, allergy, vegan and FODMAP diets β and, on the supply side, restaurants, cafes and venue chains that need to serve dietary requests safely.
Geography
Founded and launched in Sydney, Australia, with a Melbourne launch underway as of October 2022 and stated plans for Brisbane and the rest of Australia, followed by the United States.
History
The app launched in Sydney in June 2021, shortly before the city entered a 100-day COVID-19 lockdown. Over the following twelve months, as Sydney reopened, the company built venue supply, reaching more than 2,000 restaurants featured in the app. In October 2022 it announced a $700,000 pre-seed round led by Antler, began launching in Melbourne, and stated plans to roll out to Brisbane and the rest of Australia by the end of that year, with the United States targeted for 2023.
Compiled by commissioned research from 4 cited public sources β announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed β not independently audited.
Timeline Β· 3
launches, deals, and filingsFoodini announced a $700,000 pre-seed round led by early-stage VC Antler, with participation from 10 other investors including Mendoza Ventures CFO Scott Heyes, Cradle Ventures CIO Robert Nicholls and Mad Paws CEO Justus Hammer. The company said the capital would support expansion across Australian markets and a planned US entry in 2023.
$700K source β
Foodini began launching in Melbourne and stated plans to roll out across Brisbane and the rest of Australia by the end of 2022, with the US targeted for 2023.
The dietary-needs restaurant matching app launched in Sydney in June 2021, shortly before the city's 100-day COVID-19 lockdown.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
βΈResearch sources Β· 4
primary sources listed
- Log in Β· Foodiniauth.foodini.co Β· web
4 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Foodini do?
- Australian app that matches diners with restaurants and menu items suited to their dietary needs and allergies.
- Who founded Foodini?
- Foodini was founded by Dylan McDonnell, Erica Anderman, Timo Kugler in 2021.
- Who are Foodini's investors?
- Foodini's investors include GFR Fund, Untapped Ventures.