Question 1

What is Apeat AI?

Accepted Answer

Apeat AI is a social dining platform that uses AI to match verified college students for dinner. Our operations team books the restaurant. Members just show up, eat together, and rate each other afterward.

Question 2

How does Apeat verify students?

Accepted Answer

We require a .edu email from one of our supported U.S. West Coast universities (UCLA, USC, UC Berkeley, Stanford, UCSD, and others). Verification happens via a 60-minute magic link.

Question 3

Which schools are supported?

Accepted Answer

At launch (Fall 2026): UCLA, USC, UC Berkeley, Stanford, UCSD, UC Irvine, UC Santa Barbara, UC Davis, UC Santa Cruz, UC Riverside, UC Merced, Caltech, Pepperdine, Santa Clara University, Loyola Marymount, San Diego State, San Jose State, University of Washington, and University of Oregon. Other schools are added as we expand.

Question 4

How does the AI matching work?

Accepted Answer

After you submit your dining intent (when, format, budget, group size, and preferences), our matching engine scores all pending requests within the same school region. It considers school, year, time window, cuisine overlap, budget compatibility, and personality fit. The best-scoring 2-5 students form a group.

Question 5

Is Apeat free to use?

Accepted Answer

Yes, Apeat is free for students. You only pay your share of the actual restaurant bill.

Question 6

Who can I be matched with?

Accepted Answer

By default, you can be matched with any verified student at supported West Coast colleges. You can narrow this by school, year, gender, international vs. domestic status, and cuisine preferences.

Question 7

How are restaurants chosen?

Accepted Answer

You can pick a specific restaurant (we search via Google Places), or let Apeat AI suggest 3 options near your school based on your cuisine and budget. Restaurants must be within 1.5 km of your campus.

Question 8

How are reservations made?

Accepted Answer

Once your group is matched, Apeat's operations team books the table for you within 2 hours via OpenTable or direct phone call. You get a confirmation in your group chat.

Question 9

What if I can't make it to dinner?

Accepted Answer

Cancel more than 12 hours before - no penalty. Cancel within 2-12 hours - minor reputation deduction. No-show or last-minute cancellation - significant penalty. We use this to protect the community from unreliable members.

Question 10

What is the reputation system?

Accepted Answer

Every member starts at 70 (out of 100). Completing dinners and getting good peer ratings increases your score. No-shows and late cancellations decrease it. Tiers: Wood, Iron, Bronze, Silver (default), Gold, Diamond, Duke. Lower scores reduce your matching priority.

Question 11

Is my data safe?

Accepted Answer

We never share your phone number, email, or real name with other members. Phone is only used by our operations team for restaurant reservations. We comply with U.S. data privacy standards (CCPA, FERPA-aligned).

Question 12

When does Apeat launch?

Accepted Answer

Apeat Seek launches at UCLA in Fall 2026, with rolling expansion to other West Coast schools through 2027. Sign up with your .edu email to join the waitlist.

Frequently asked questions