Mobile game offers tasty options for Calgarians

New mobile game offers tasty options for Calgarians Food Finder helps bring eaters together with restaurants and shops in Kensington. Brenna Rose reports.

Calgary — Whether you're looking for something for date night or a socially distanced family gathering, a new mobile game provides a series of tasty options for Calgarians.

Alberta Food Tours (AFT) launched The Alberta Food Finder Friday, an innovative new way to discover the culinary delights of the Kensington neighbourhood restaurants and shops.

The game is a digital version of Karen Anderson's popular Alberta Food Tours, which, since the former nurse founded it in 2006, has helped turn Calgary into a culinary hotspot by showcasing the city's richly-diverse food scene.

"We used to take food tours," Anderson said. "12 to 14 people with a guide - and since COVID happened, we can't do that safely."

"People would wonder what all the people wandering around the neighbourhood were doing," said Peasant Cheese owner Crystal McKenzie. "It brought people into the shop."

Now, with large groups not allowed because of the pandemic, businesses focused on food are having to get creative, leading Anderson to devise The Alberta Food Finder.

"I saw the businesses suffering," she said. "And I saw people with nothing to do, and I thought, surely in this day and age, we can find some technology to solve this problem."

She did just that - a GPS-enabled mobile app game. Players buy a code online through Alberta Food Tours, download the app and head out on a food-tasting adventure through Kensington by solving puzzles and completing challenges.

"They should be able to solve the quest," said Anderson, "and ultimately, you become a local food hero."

"You're going to get to know so much more about Alberta's food and the businesses that cook it and serve it to us so deliciously."

The game is family-friendly, and follows Alberta Health guidelines.

"It's like having a guide in your pocket," Anderson said. "When you pull out your phone...the businesses in Calgary keep you safe."

At the same time, the app helps the bottom line of a lot of local businesses that are hurting.

"The  Alberta Food Finder is a game-changer for challenging times," Anderson said."It will allow Albertans to eat, engage and explore during the panndemic, while we continue to support the amazing people who grow, create and cook food in Alberta. We have our signs set on expanding quickly to Banff, Canmore and Edmonton. After 15 years in the business, there's just so much we want to share."