Last updated 6 months ago
Ethiopia’s restaurant industry lacks reliable reviews; fake ratings and biased feedback prevent consumers from making informed dining choices.
A blockchain-based dApp where users leave verified, tamper-proof restaurant reviews secured on Cardano.
This is the total amount allocated to AdaBites: Explore & Rate Restaurants with Blockchain Trust.
Please provide your proposal title
AdaBites: Explore & Rate Restaurants with Blockchain Trust
Enter the amount of funding you are requesting in ADA
76150
Please specify how many months you expect your project to last
12
Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated
No
Original Language
en
What is the problem you want to solve?
Ethiopia’s restaurant industry lacks reliable reviews; fake ratings and biased feedback prevent consumers from making informed dining choices.
Does your project have any dependencies on other organizations, technical or otherwise?
No
Describe any dependencies or write 'No dependencies'
No dependencies
Will your project's outputs be fully open source?
Yes
License and Additional Information
full source code, contracts, and documentation published on GitHub under MIT license.
Please choose the most relevant theme and tag related to the outcomes of your proposal.
Business Services
Describe what makes your idea innovative compared to what has been previously funded (whether by you or others).
Unlike generic review apps, AdaBites ensures reviews come only from real diners via QR verification. The blockchain guarantees immutability and transparency, unlike Web2 platforms vulnerable to manipulation.
Describe what your prototype or MVP will demonstrate, and where it can be accessed.
An MVP will feature:
QR check-in system at 20 Addis Ababa restaurants
Simple web/mobile interface for submitting reviews
Smart contracts storing ratings on Cardano testnet
It will be publicly accessible on web and Android beta.
Describe realistic measures of success, ideally with on-chain metrics.
our success measure will be measured by
50+ on-chain review transactions in 6 months
10+ restaurants onboarded by beta
200+ users interacting via wallets in first year
Open-source repo with 100+ forks/stars
Please describe your proposed solution and how it addresses the problem
AdaBites is a decentralized app where users explore, review, and rate restaurants. Reviews are validated by on-site QR check-ins and stored immutably on Cardano. Restaurants get analytics dashboards, and consumers gain reliable feedback.
Please define the positive impact your project will have on the wider Cardano community
The Impact on Cardano Ecosystem will be Brings Cardano adoption into Ethiopia’s hospitality industry.
Demonstrates a tangible non-financial use case for blockchain.Expands Cardano’s visibility via everyday consumer apps.Provides open-source templates for other developers to fork and localize.
What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability? How do you intend to validate if your approach is feasible?
The AdaBites team combines technical expertise, local knowledge, and industry connections to ensure the successful delivery of this project. From a technical standpoint, our developers are experienced in blockchain technologies. we will design a secure and scalable verification system that guarantees only authentic reviews reach the blockchain.
We are also leveraging real-world partnerships in Ethiopia’s hospitality sector. We have already initiated conversations with more than 10 Addis Ababa restaurants who have expressed willingness to participate in the pilot. These partnerships ensure that our solution will not remain theoretical but will be tested in practical, high-traffic settings from the start.
On the feasibility side, our phased milestone plan reduces risks. We begin with architecture design and smart contract development, followed by alpha testing in a controlled restaurant environment, before gradually scaling to a public beta. This stepwise rollout allows us to collect user feedback early, refine the system, and prevent wasted resources. We also plan to conduct user education workshops, ensuring both diners and restaurant staff understand the benefits and usage of the system.
The team also has experience in blockchain awareness and education initiatives in Ethiopia, giving us a unique advantage in community adoption. By combining technical capacity with outreach, we are well-positioned to drive real adoption of Cardano at the consumer level. Our open-source approach further increases feasibility, as developers from the global Cardano ecosystem will be able to audit, contribute, and fork the platform.
Finally, our budget is realistic and covers all critical roles: development, design, outreach, testing, marketing, and contingency. With a 12-month timeline, clear milestones, and a strong, committed team, AdaBites is not only feasible but also a replicable model for other industries (such as hotels, clinics, or retail). This makes the project both technically achievable and strategically aligned with Cardano’s goal of driving global blockchain adoption.
Milestone Title
System Architecture & Smart Contract Foundation
Milestone Outputs
Delivery of a complete technical architecture covering frontend, backend, and Cardano integration. Initial Plutus smart contracts created for verified review submission, with all base modules published in an open-source GitHub repository.
Acceptance Criteria
Smart contracts successfully compile, deploy, and function on the Cardano testnet, enabling verified review submission. System design documents and repo setup are reviewed by the team and publicly accessible to ensure transparency.
Evidence of Completion
GitHub commits, architecture diagrams, testnet logs of contract deployment and review submissions, along with a short demo video showing the first contract interaction
Delivery Month
2
Cost
14000
Progress
20 %
Milestone Title
Alpha App & QR Check-in System
Milestone Outputs
Development of a functional alpha app for mobile/web with wallet login and review features. Restaurants receive QR codes for check-ins to validate user visits. Ten pilot restaurants onboarded and trained to use the system.
Acceptance Criteria
At least 100 reviews are successfully recorded on the Cardano testnet using QR verification. Restaurants confirm QR system usability, and diners can scan, check in, and leave reviews without errors and other issues.
Evidence of Completion
Screenshots and demo recordings of the alpha app, pilot MoUs with restaurants, blockchain explorer links showing testnet reviews, and team reports from field testing.
Delivery Month
2
Cost
15000
Progress
20 %
Milestone Title
Restaurant Outreach & Beta Expansion
Milestone Outputs
Onboarding expands to 10 Addis Ababa restaurants, with a functional restaurant dashboard for managing and analyzing customer feedback. Comprehensive user testing sessions conducted with early adopters to refine UX and features.
Acceptance Criteria
Minimum of 50 verified reviews stored on-chain from restaurant customers. Restaurant dashboards provide analytics (average ratings, feedback trends), and feedback from at least 10 restaurants shows the platform is usable and valuable
Evidence of Completion
Public beta version deployed, GitHub release notes, testing reports from restaurants, screenshots of dashboard analytics, and blockchain data proving real reviews have been submitted.
Delivery Month
3
Cost
15500
Progress
20 %
Milestone Title
Public Beta & Community Engagement
Milestone Outputs
Public beta release of AdaBites on Android and Web. Integration of Catalyst wallet login and ADA tipping functionality for reviewers. Community demo events and promotional campaigns conducted to attract new users
Acceptance Criteria
At least 200 unique users onboard the platform during beta, with 50 verified reviews successfully recorded on-chain. Community engagement events take place, and tipping transactions are visible on Cardano.
Evidence of Completion
Play Store/web release links, blockchain explorer data showing reviews and tipping transactions, event photos/videos, and user registration logs confirming onboarding numbers.
Delivery Month
3
Cost
16000
Progress
20 %
Milestone Title
Full Release & Open Source Launch
Milestone Outputs
Final production release of AdaBites on both Android Play Store and web. Publication of open-source repository with documentation, developer guides, and installation manuals. Marketing campaigns drive awareness across Ethiopia.
Acceptance Criteria
Stable version of the app is available publicly, passing QA and user testing. Complete documentation is live on GitHub under MIT license. Restaurants and users confirm functionality via surveys and pilot reports.
Evidence of Completion
GitHub repo link with code and docs, app store screenshots, final Catalyst progress report, community adoption analytics, and media coverage of the launch campaign.
Delivery Month
2
Cost
15650
Progress
20 %
Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources
The total request of 76,150 ADA is carefully allocated to ensure that each stage of development, outreach, and release is achievable within the 12-month timeline. Development is the largest cost, with 14,400 ADA allocated for two full-stack developers and 7,200 ADA for a smart contract engineer. This is justified by the technical complexity of integrating QR-based verification with Cardano smart contracts and ensuring smooth user experiences on mobile and web platforms.
Project management (9,600 ADA) ensures milestones are tracked, partnerships with restaurants are maintained, and reporting to Catalyst is consistent. UX/UI design (3,000 ADA) covers wireframing and local-language-friendly interfaces, vital for adoption in Ethiopia where accessibility and clarity are key. Restaurant outreach (4,800 ADA) and marketing/community management (5,000 ADA) are essential to onboard partners, run demo events, and raise awareness among diners. QA and testing (2,400 ADA) ensure bugs are caught early, while infrastructure and hosting (2,000 ADA) support stable app deployment.
Additional funds cover QR/NFC materials (1,500 ADA) to enable restaurant check-in systems, beta incentives (3,000 ADA) to reward early adopters, and events/demos (2,000 ADA) for outreach. Finally, documentation and open-source publication (2,000 ADA) ensure transparency, and a contingency fund (6,250 ADA) protects against unexpected costs. The breakdown balances technical, operational, and adoption-related expenses, providing a lean but well-rounded budget plan.
How does the cost of the project represent value for the Cardano ecosystem?
AdaBites offers exceptional value for money by targeting a clear, real-world problem in Ethiopia’s hospitality sector with a lean but impactful solution. For only 76,150 ADA, this project will deliver a fully functional, open-source restaurant review dApp built on Cardano, along with mobile and web applications, smart contracts, and verified on-chain activity. Unlike larger infrastructure projects requiring massive capital, AdaBites is designed to be lightweight, modular, and immediately usable by end-users in a consumer-facing industry. This allows the project to demonstrate Cardano’s potential to non-technical users in everyday life.
The budget prioritizes development, outreach, and testing ensuring a working solution rather than spending heavily on overhead. Furthermore, every component is designed to scale: the system can easily be replicated to other cities, or even adapted to industries such as hotels, clinics, or retail feedback systems. By making the entire codebase open-source under MIT license, Catalyst funds will also generate broader ecosystem benefits, allowing other developers to build on top of AdaBites or reuse its components. With clear KPIs such as 10 restaurants onboarded, 200 users, and 50 on-chain reviews in the first year the cost per achieved milestone is low compared to the visibility and adoption gains for Cardano. In summary, AdaBites delivers both a practical local use case and global open-source value, ensuring strong returns on Catalyst’s investment.
Terms and Conditions:
Yes
AdaBites is more than a restaurant review platform it is a gateway to Cardano adoption in Ethiopia and a replicable model for blockchain-based trust systems globally. By solving a simple but widespread problem fake or unreliable restaurant reviews we will show thousands of everyday users the practical benefits of Cardano’s transparency and immutability. Diners will be able to trust that their reviews are genuine, restaurants will gain a fair reputation system, and the broader Cardano ecosystem will benefit from a showcase of blockchain utility beyond finance.
Our team has the technical skills, hospitality partnerships, and community outreach experience to make this vision a reality. We have already secured interest from 10 restaurants in Addis Ababa for the pilot, ensuring that adoption starts from day one. The phased milestone plan reduces risks and guarantees measurable outputs, including hundreds of verified on-chain reviews, 200 users, and full open-source publication.
By funding AdaBites, Catalyst is not only supporting an Ethiopian innovation but also empowering a project that can be easily forked, localized, and extended across Africa and beyond. With its modular design, other industries can adopt the system for reviews, ratings, or feedback verification. This is how we grow Cardano adoption: by making blockchain relevant to people’s daily lives. We believe AdaBites is a small but powerful step in demonstrating Cardano’s value to ordinary consumers—and we are committed to building it openly, transparently, and with the Catalyst community.