Patty

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  Homepage

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  Community reviews feed

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  Explore screen

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  Burger place screen example

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  User profile saved places

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  User profile reviews

Inspiration

Wherever I am in the world, I always want a great burger. I've visited four countries so far, and on every trip I go looking for outstanding burger spots.

So why not have an app dedicated to showing you the best burger places in the world, wherever you are, powered by a real community of burger lovers just like me?

That's how Patty was born.

Patty is a community-driven app for burger lovers that shows the best spots near you, rated by people who love burgers as much as you do.

What it does

Patty is a community app. You can get recommendations, read reviews from other users, follow them, explore nearby spots on an interactive map, search for a specific burger place, and more.

Patty's real strength is its users: the more people use it, the stronger the community gets and the more accurate the recommendations become.

How we built it

Patty was built exclusively for iOS. I chose to focus on a single platform to deliver a better first experience, but I plan to release an Android version later.

It was built mainly with Swift, SwiftUI, Node.js, and the Google Maps API. RevenueCat powers the app's monetization infrastructure.

Challenges we ran into

Like most social apps, the main challenge is user traction. We need real people using the app to build volume, and with volume we can keep developing features around what the community shares. Without people, the app is just an empty shell with Google Maps fallbacks.

My goal for Patty is ambitious: to become the strongest burger community in the world, the go-to reference for great burger spots in any country, state, or city. I had the chance to test the app in the countryside of São Paulo, Brazil, and got great suggestions there. I believe this is just the beginning of a largely unexplored market.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

My biggest personal accomplishment is the consistency of building this over three months. The idea came up at the beginning of the year, and Shipaton was the perfect opportunity to bring it to life.

Some milestones so far:

• A 5-star rating on the App Store (from 5 reviews).
• More than 10 burger places reviewed.
• 10 users in the first 3 weeks.
• Approved on the first try: my first App Store submission went through without any change requests.

I know these numbers are small, but that's how a community grows: step by step.

What we learned

I had never built a social app before. My background is in financial applications, so this was completely new territory for me. I'll never again underestimate how much social apps depend on traction. It's essential to create an engaging experience while keeping it healthy.

I also learned Swift and SwiftUI. I have deep experience with React Native, so this was a great opportunity to learn a new language and UI framework. I loved working with Xcode 27 and Apple's native maps APIs.

What's next for Patty

I have some exciting features in the pipeline that I believe will drive more engagement. Some of them:

• Global user ranking based on the number of reviews and distinct spots visited.
• Points, levels, and badges for each review. Gamification will be a core part of the app.
• Premium subscription with burger spots curated by specialists. Premium users will get exclusive recommendations, an ad-free experience, and bonus points.
• Burger of the Week: the top-rated burger in the community gets featured on the home screen. This will encourage burger places to sponsor the app and invite customers to leave reviews.
• Patty Certification for the best burger places of the year, based on score and number of reviews, another way to bring burger places closer to the business.

I also plan to register Patty as a trademark to make the brand even more professional.

Built With

• node.js
• swift
• swiftui