BiteRide

Inspiration

Our journey began with Moober, a local ride-sharing platform that proved transportation costs drop when community connection rises. We realized that the same logic could solve the "delivery tax" hurting our local food and drink businesses. By applying the economic principle of diminishing marginal utility through bulk (group) ordering, we created a system where the more people participate, the lower the cost for everyone. BiteRide isn't just an app; it’s a cycle of community good that boosts restaurant profits while keeping meals affordable for Davis residents.

What it does

BiteRide is a localized alternative to corporate delivery giants. We lower commission fees for restaurants, allowing them to retain their hard-earned profits.

Customers: Place orders and join group deliveries to slash fees.
Drivers: Full autonomy to choose routes and accept requests based on Google Maps route estimation + live-mock route postings.
Restaurants: Manage menus, offer in-app promotions, and—uniquely—track food bank donations to boost their public reputation. Checkout uses prototype pricing estimates (distance-based delivery fee + estimated tax), not production billing.

How we built it

We developed a hybrid web application

Frontend: React / Next.js for a dynamic, responsive UI.
Backend: Node.js with RESTful API routes.
Database: scraped data from Davis Downtown Business Association's list of restaurants
Authentication: A custom role-based system to ensure distinct permissions for Customers, Restaurants, and Drivers.

Architecture:

Restaurant Dashboard: view orders, accept orders, and donations.
Route Dashboard: route from destination to arrival, order capacity, and request driver
Community Board: show the individual group name, restaurant name, number of people in the group, and discount estimation.

For MVP speed, some live features use browser storage (local/session storage), including route posting visibility, live offers, and community impact counters.

Challenges we ran into

Initially, we struggled to design a solution that didn't just feel like a "cheaper DoorDash." With mentor guidance, we pivoted to a model that leverages Davis's unique bike-ability and walkability. We wanted to keep Davis’s money out of the hands of "profit-maxing" corporations and back into local pockets.

We needed a comprehensive database of Downtown Davis menus. Our custom scraper (built with BeautifulSoup) hit constant roadblocks with non-HTML dynamic elements. After hours of troubleshooting, we learned the importance of pivot speed and utilized a specialized scraper extension to get our JSON files formatted and ready for the database.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Cohesive Integration: Coordinating a multi-role platform (Driver/User/Restaurant) required intense communication and architectural planning.
The "All-Nighter" Spirit: As a team of mostly first-time hackers, we stayed committed through the night, turning "hopes and dreams" into a functional prototype.
Local Impact: We built a tool that promotes sustainability by encouraging bike-based delivery within our small-town infrastructure.

What we learned

Although this was our team member’s first hackathon, we had an incredibly rewarding experience. Throughout the process, we gained valuable insight into how hackathons operate while strengthening our frontend and backend development skills.
We leveled up our skills in React, Node.js, and data extraction using BeautifulSoup and the Gemini API.
The Power of Mentorship: We learned that asking for help is the fastest way to find a viable direction.

What's next for BiteRide

How will we make this actually work
Beyond Food: Expanding our platform to include all local Downtown Davis retail businesses.
Automated Data Pipelines: Replacing our current scraper with a fully automated system that pulls live menu updates and imagery from the Davis Downtown directory.
Enhanced UX: Implementing a more unique visual identity, including advanced "order-pooling" animations and a peer-to-peer rating system.
Scaling the Good: Integrating deeper database support to track the long-term economic impact of group ordering on the Davis community.