RateMyDC: A "Rate My Professors" for University Dining Halls

Every student knows the daily dilemma: which dining hall has the best food today? While Rate My Professors helps with choosing classes, there wasn't a go-to platform for what might be an even more crucial part of college life—the food. This gap inspired the creation of RateMyDC.

The Idea: Transparency in the Cafeteria

The concept was simple: create a "Rate My Professors" but for university dining commons. I wanted to build a platform where students could leave real-time reviews, rate their meals, and see what other students were saying before they swiped in. This would bring a new level of transparency and help students make better (and tastier) decisions about where to eat on campus. Students could explore various options around campus they never heard of through hidden gems and reviews.

The Tech Stack: Next.js and Firebase

To bring this idea to life, I chose a modern and powerful tech stack:

• Next.js: The React framework was perfect for building a fast, server-rendered application. Its powerful routing and rendering capabilities allowed for a smooth and responsive user experience, which is crucial for an app that students would use daily.

• Firebase: For the backend, Firebase was the obvious choice. I used Firestore to store all the ratings and reviews in real-time. Whenever a student submitted a new rating, it would instantly appear for everyone else, creating a live, dynamic feed of dining hall feedback.

The Result and Future Vision

RateMyDC successfully brought a much-needed feedback loop to campus dining. Since its launch, the platform has already gathered over 50 reviews across 5 different universities. To manage this growing community, I implemented essential features like an admin panel and post moderation tools.

The vision for RateMyDC extends far beyond just reviews. The roadmap includes adding forums and other community features. The ultimate goal is to partner with universities, creating close-knit communities where dining services can directly understand what students want and need. It’s a project that demonstrates how applying a familiar concept to a new problem can create something incredibly valuable and foster a stronger campus community.