2023 Bite of Seattle Vendors Say Cheq App Made Festival Inaccessible | Eater Seattle

"Founded in 1982 as a three-day festival born out of Reagan-era recession woes to help local restaurants in Green Lake, the Bite of Seattle returned after a COVID-era hiatus (2020–2022) only to be remade in 2023 as a “digital-first” experience after Kirkland startup Cheq acquired the rights. I report that the rollout was rocky: locals on Reddit predicted disaster, and attendees flooded social media and the festival’s Facebook page with complaints after the July 21–23 event about long wait times, app glitches, and reports of double charges (which Cheq says it refunded). Organizers say the app reduced wait times and that they received some positive feedback and vendor interest in returning, but Cheq declined to disclose festival revenue, turned off comments on its posts, and many Seattleites framed the fiasco as another unwelcome example of tech transforming a scrappier, DIY city — summed up by one Facebook user’s lament, “Buying food doesn’t require ‘innovation.’”" - Sophie Grossman