TikTok expands Must Eat guide as its services broaden
TikTok has introduced Must Eat, an in-app, community-driven restaurant guide that compiles recommendations and curated lists from more than 40 million posts and comments. The feature lets users browse restaurants by city and filter results by cuisine, price, rating and location.
The launch adds another service to TikTok’s growing set of tools beyond short-form video. The platform has added TikTok Shop, local maps and search functions, games, travel bookings, sports hubs and entertainment formats, while reports have also pointed to a potential direct-message payments feature.
A discovery product with transactional ambitions
Restaurant recommendations have long been a popular TikTok format, with videos helping to direct attention to local venues. Must Eat brings that activity into a structured guide, putting TikTok in closer competition with services such as Yelp and Google Maps for local discovery.
TikTok has been adding more place information to dedicated pages, including opening hours, star ratings and price ranges. It also launched TikTok GO in the United States in May, allowing people to discover and book hotels, attractions and experiences through videos, search and location pages. After selecting an option, users can review details, check availability and complete a booking in the app.
That progression reflects the broader approach outlined by TikTok’s expansion into shopping, bookings and payments as TikTok combines content discovery with shopping, reservations and other services in a single destination.
Payments and commerce broaden the platform
Bloomberg reported in August that TikTok was developing a tool for users to send money through direct messages. If launched, it would use TikTok Pay, which is already available in Southeast Asia for TikTok Shop purchases. Reuters also reported in March that TikTok had applied to Brazil’s central bank for approval to operate as a financial technology company offering lending and payment services.
TikTok Shop remains the company’s most established move into commerce. TikTok began testing the service in 2021 and launched it in the United States in 2023. eMarketer said its US sales grew 407% in 2024 and a further 108% in 2025, reaching $15.82 billion. The firm estimated TikTok Shop represented 18.2% of US social commerce last year, with a projection of 24.1% by 2027.
More reasons to remain in the app
TikTok has also built a FIFA World Cup hub through TikTok GamePlan, showing scores, schedules, standings, highlights and player videos. Its deals with Major League Soccer and Major League Baseball support behind-the-scenes and exclusive material. Casual games and the Minis section for bite-sized scripted shows add further entertainment options.
Not every expansion has remained a standalone product. TikTok Music, launched in 2023 to compete with streaming services, was shut down a year later. TikTok said it would instead focus on driving listening and partnering with music-streaming services; it has since enabled Apple Music subscribers to play full songs after finding them in the For You feed.
For businesses, TikTok’s expansion means content can increasingly influence a customer journey that includes search, local discovery, booking and purchase without requiring the user to leave the platform.