Disclaimer: All foods eaten were compensated by Spork. All opinions expressed below are wholly mine.

Two weeks ago, I met with two of the faces behind a new mobile app called Spork. Spork is an app that specializes in micro marketing for restaurants, allowing them to run limited promotional deals (ie. buy any size scopp and get a scoop free at Lick it Gelato) that target nearby consumers. Each deal is customized by the restaurant and tailored to their needs.

We met at Queen’s Quay station to take advantage of a new “Spork” offer at Lick it Gelato. The main screen of the app is a map with indicators of deals that are running. Clicking on each indicator brings up the details of the deal and a button to “Spork” it. If a user does choose to take advantage of an offer, they have a limited amount of time to get to the restaurant. For Lick it Gelato, we had 30 minutes to arrive for our free scoop of gelato.

While we discussed the app, I had the pleasure of eating some delicious dessert. Lick it Gelato offers up to 16 flavours, pastries from Dufflet, a selection of coffees, sodas and sandwiches. A few of the gelato flavours were running low but for the middle of May, the selection was pretty varied between fruit and creamy. I had a sample of the Burnt Caramel and was sold. The flavour was rich, smokey and the perfect level of sweetness. Sadly there was no pistachio, my go to flavour, so for my free scoop I went with my second favourite, Chocolate Hazelnut. Both scoops were rich and smooth.

A small dining area is available along with bar seats along the front window. A few two-seater tables are set up outside as well. Lick it Gelato is a nice spot for a sweet break if you’re in the neighbourhood.

Overall, Spork aims to help restaurant build consumer loyalty and increase traffic during slow periods with enticing offers. Restaurants are currently recruited to the app personally by one of the founders and based on positive reviews. Currently, Spork has already partnered with popular restaurants like Snakes and Lattes, I went to Philly and Utopia Cafe and Grill. Building a mutually beneficial relationship between users and restaurants, Spork has a the potential to become an app that I use regularly because who doesn’t love a good deal.

Samples are not given for the more popular flavours like pistachio and understandably, there is less selection in the winter (~half the number of flavours found in the summer). The menu has been expanded recently and they do offer a small food menu.

Pictured below is pistachio and peach flavours.