Howlak
Smart restaurant discovery for the mobile-first Middle East
Opportunity
In the rapidly urbanizing cities of the Gulf—Doha, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah—thousands of restaurants, cafés, and food vendors compete for attention. But for residents and expats alike, the experience of finding a reliable place to eat remained fragmented, inefficient, and largely underserved by global review platforms that failed to account for regional nuances. What was missing was a mobile-first, culturally grounded discovery engine built specifically for the dynamics of the Middle East.
Founding Vision
Howlak was co-founded as the region’s first location-aware restaurant discovery platform, engineered for immediacy, clarity, and relevance. From the earliest stage, Derrick Fountain led product development, engineering, UX, and go-to-market efforts—working hands-on to define the app’s architecture, interface, and brand voice. He also secured early-stage funding through a Qatari government innovation grant, positioning Howlak as a strategic local entrant in the GCC's maturing technology ecosystem.
Product Strategy
The product experience centered on real-time, location-based recommendations. Users could open the app and instantly discover highly rated dining options within walking or driving distance. Listings were populated from a custom-built dataset of more than 8,500 venues across four cities, with smart filtering based on time of day, cuisine, popularity, and neighborhood context.
A visual ratings model and opinion polling mechanic were introduced to replace long-form reviews with fast, frictionless feedback. Users could swipe through photos, read summaries, and submit instant reactions without interrupting their flow. This interaction model was built with mobile behavior in mind—fast thumb gestures, zero loading steps, and native bilingual support in English and Arabic. Content dynamically updated based on user location, with geo-fencing and local caching designed to reduce friction while increasing relevancy.
Behind the scenes, the platform was powered by a custom CMS and moderation dashboard that gave the Howlak team full editorial control and a path toward franchise or government partnership models. Listings could be updated in real time, while user engagement data fed back into ranking and personalization systems.
Launch & Market Reception
Howlak launched with strong media visibility and regional support. The product received national broadcast coverage through Qatar TV and Alrayyan, editorial placement in Alraya and Al Watan, and endorsements from startup community leaders. Its visibility was further amplified by a public mention from Sheikha Al Mayassa, helping to cement its relevance across both private and public audiences. The app quickly climbed local App Store rankings and established traction among both expat and local populations.
A coordinated campaign across email, in-person demos, and mobile ads introduced Howlak to early users, while restaurant partners began organically promoting their listings through the app’s call-to-book feature and social visibility. Strategic partnerships with regional data providers and telecom stakeholders were already in progress at the time of launch, laying groundwork for future integrations.
Impact & Legacy
Howlak succeeded not by replicating Western restaurant apps, but by redefining what discovery looked like in cities shaped by movement, multilingualism, and rapid growth. It offered an experience built around context—where users were, what they wanted, and how quickly they needed a result. It served as a real-world example of how mobile-native design, local insight, and institutional support could converge to solve everyday problems in emerging markets.
The platform remains a testament to product leadership grounded in execution—bringing together UX craft, engineering rigor, and operational momentum to ship something meaningful, fast. More than a dining app, Howlak represented a smarter way to navigate a city.