WASHINGTON — Barhopping can be fun, but you can also waste a lot of time and money searching for a good party.
Smartphone apps can help cut down on the frustration by cutting down on the guesswork of a night on the town.
The mobile payment service Dash has a new feature called , which claims to help you know how busy a bar and restaurant will be before you get there.
According to , the system talks with a bar or restaurant’s point of sale system and compares the number of open tabs with its maximum capacity.
Depending on your preferences for the evening, a user can choose from Lively, where a bar or restaurant are super-crowded and rowdy; Active; Relaxed or Quiet, suitable for a date night that involves talking.
So far, Venue Vibes is only available in New York and Chicago, but the company says more cities will soon be included.
Another app, , claims that with the tap of a button a user can see how many people are at a place, the male-to-female ratio and the average age of people inside the club.
SceneTap uses facial detection technology to get a sense of a club’s vibe. The developer says the software is anonymous, unlike facial recognition software, which attempts to determine a person’s identity.
The app’s description makes it pretty clear what the app does: “Want the most drunk for your buck right now in Tuscaloosa, Auburn, Huntsville, AL or Orlando, FL?”
The app provides information on drink specials, entertainment, and taxi service for a safe ride home.
Others prefer more human recommendations for where a fun night be had, using Yelp, where users can describe clubs’ ambience.
