MenuMeter

MenuMeter is a mobile app (with a lightweight web dashboard) that turns restaurant menus into a personal spending forecast. Snap a photo of a menu or receipt, and it estimates your total including tax, tip, delivery fees, and common add-ons (extras, sides, drinks). It learns your typical ordering patterns and flags “budget traps” like automatic gratuity, service fees, and high-margin modifiers. You can set a per-meal budget (e.g., $18 lunch, $35 dinner) and get instant suggestions for lower-cost swaps without being preachy. It also tracks dining spend by neighborhood, cuisine, and time of day so you can see what’s actually driving your food budget. This is not a generic budgeting app; it’s narrowly focused on the moment you’re about to spend money, when behavior can still change.