Tanfan: ByteDance's AI Food Assistant Powered by Doubao 234

"Tanfan" is an AI food assistant launched by the user growth team at ByteDance. It is powered by the Doubao large model and developed and operated by Beijing Youzhuju Network Technology Co., Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of ByteDance. Its features include restaurant discovery recommendations, dish recommendations, food guides, ordering, purchasing group-buy deals, food delivery, and AI-assisted ordering.

This product can be seen as a small-scale test within Douyin's local life services that combines AI recommendations. Currently, it is only available as a Douyin mini-program—you can find it by searching for "Tanfan" within Douyin mini-programs.

Main Features:

• Find food: Users can simply type in their questions—for example, asking "Which good Shandong cuisine restaurants are in Beijing?"—and Tanfan will recommend nearby Shandong cuisine restaurants based on your location. The recommendations include not only chain stores but also some hidden gems, divided into two categories: brand-name restaurants and treasure-find spots, helping you discover one that suits your taste. Each recommendation comes with a reason, such as Tonghe Ju (Yintai branch) being recommended because its "Stir-fried Liver Tips" is popular and it offers special perks like complimentary longevity noodles.

• Restaurant comparison: If you're having trouble choosing between restaurants, Tanfan's comparison feature can help narrow things down. It compares them across applicable scenarios, specialties, recommended dishes, pros and cons, making your decision clearer.

• View restaurant details: Once you've chosen a restaurant, tap the restaurant image in Tanfan to access the detail page, where you can view recommended dishes, user reviews, group-buy deals, pairing suggestions, and restaurant environment information.

• Map-based navigation: Tanfan supports map-based restaurant search and provides direct navigation via Amap (Gaode Maps), saving you time finding your way.

• Group-buy deals & delivery: You can purchase group-buy packages directly on the platform. Deals tagged "Suixintuan" can also be delivered to your home, so you can enjoy a meal without waiting in line.

• AI ordering: Input the number of diners and taste preferences, and the AI will recommend suitable group-buy menus, making the ordering process much simpler.

Where is the Tanfan mini-program?

• Search on Douyin: Open Douyin, tap the search bar at the top, type "Tanfan", and find and tap the "Tanfan" mini-program in the search results to enter.

• Mini-program entry on Douyin: On the Douyin homepage, tap "Me" in the bottom-right corner, select "Mini-programs", find "Tanfan" in the list, and tap to enter.

Last September, ByteDance filed applications for multiple "Tanfan" trademarks covering categories such as scientific instruments, food and accommodation, and web services, indicating the company's emphasis on this product and hinting at potential expansion into more services in the future. Industry insiders believe that by combining AI technology with local life services, ByteDance's "Tanfan" could become a new traffic gateway for local life services.