When we talk about Zappy and what we’re trying to achieve, one of the most common questions we get asked is how we gather our data. Contrary to what many might assume, we’re not using bots to scrape the web for our happy hour data. Because providing accurate information is one of our most critical goals, relying on scraper bots doesn’t make sense for us.
If you’ve Googled “Austin happy hours,” or something similar, you know many of the results are outdated. Curated happy hour lists and free event websites often include places or specials that no longer exist. Reviews on Yelp or Google that mention happy hour details are only relevant if they’re been posted very recently or if the bar/restaurant doesn’t change their specials. So while we love technology and automation, we know that for Zappy to deliver accurate and thorough information, we can’t rely on what’s easiest to access on the internet. That’s why we’re building the Zappy database using a hands-on approach. We’re manually checking multiple sources and giving more weight to the most reliable ones, and we’re continuously reviewing the data for updates.
Which data sources we use and how we use them
Social media
We keep a close eye on Instagram, TikTok, and yes, even Facebook, to catch the latest happy hour updates. We know a recent social post is a more accurate source than a company’s website or a third-party list, so we get super excited when a bar or restaurant mentions their happy hour details on their social accounts. Although many businesses on IG may have a Happy Hour Highlights collection, we’ve learned they aren’t always maintained. So we prioritize a recent Story or Post over older content in Highlights.
Email newsletters
We’re subscribed to a number of email lists for local bars and restaurants, and we’re always on the lookout for information about their happy hour details. We know if a business took the time to create and send an email, the information is more accurate than anything we’ve found on our own.
Company websites
We scour businesses’ official websites to see if they’ve published their happy hour details. We know that for many bars and restaurants, especially those with smaller teams, maintaining their website is not a top priority, so we pay attention to whether their website appears to be updated regularly, and if there are any changes from the last time we reviewed it. We’ll also compare the information on a company’s website to what the business has shared recently on their socials or via email, and if there is overlap, it gives us more confidence in the accuracy of their website. This nuanced approach reinforces why we’re not relying on scraper bots.
Direct outreach
As we’re capturing information from across digital sources, it’s not uncommon to encounter inconsistencies or gaps. For example, a company’s homepage might list certain start/end times for their happy hour that are different from what’s shown on their happy hour menu page. Or a social post may mention a new happy hour that doesn’t include times. When we spot inconsistencies or gaps that we can’t resolve on our own, we reach out directly to the business via DMs or emails. We don’t want to hassle the business owners, and we also want to be supportive, so we make our questions specific and easy to answer, and we let them know exactly where inconsistencies are located to make it easier if they want to correct them. And if they’re not responsive, we won’t keep bugging them.
In-person
Our favorite method? Checking out happy hours ourselves! There’s no better way to ensure accuracy than visiting a place and seeing their happy hour menu in-person. Any time we visit a bar/restaurant, we take a photo of their happy hour signs and menus and we make note of anything the server or bartender shares with us about their happy hour.
We also rely on friends and customers to send us information from their in-person visits. We’re even planning a rewards program to incentive users to send us photos of happy hour menus. We’d love for Zappy to become a community-driven data source as we grow.
Sharing “Last updated” and “Source” details with users
Because we know not all sources are created equal, every Zappy listing shows the most recent data source we used, and the date the listing was last updated.
This level of transparency not only holds us accountable, but we hope it also gives our users more confidence about the accuracy of our listings. And in the future, we’ll use this information to help incentivize users to capture and share happy hour details for listings that haven’t been updated recently.