There’s an app for everything these days — and for University of Washington students looking to share a meal, that’s a good thing.
Eat Together is a Registered Student Organization that focuses on the glory of food. The club began as an app to help UW students make friends by matching them based on their mutual interests and allowing them to schedule a meal together.
“We make cuisine the centerpiece of creating new friendships and meaningful connections within our community,” affirms club director and informatics student Navneeth Dhamotharan, ’27.
Created in winter of 2022, the app-focused startup arose from what co-founders Rachel Hu, ’25, and Eric Xiao, ’25, who met on LinkedIn, saw as a lack of connection due to the oft-discussed “Seattle Freeze,” a belief that it’s difficult to make new friends in the city.
As foodies, the two computer science students wanted a way to genuinely connect with other UW students and eventually recognized that “food is a great universal medium to bond with others,” Xiao says. Thus, the app was born. The students transitioned the app into a club and community-based project in the spring of 2023.
“We make cuisine the centerpiece of creating new friendships and meaningful connections within our community.”
Past club events include a Chinese New Year meetup, a Cinco de Mayo taco night and a Thanksgiving potluck.
Juan Gonzalez, ’24, remembers a final event from 2023 at Mama’s Viet Kitchen: “I’m so happy that I spent time meeting people through Eat Together.”
Eat Together has also left table signs at Housing & Food Services dining halls in the past, incentivizing students to “eat together” at those tables.
UW students in the Eat Together RSO gather for a fun taco night meetup.
Eat Together members showcase their creative talents and carve pumpkins together during a Halloween RSO meetup.
Another popular feature of Eat Together is its Cohort Program, where students build and design new features for the app — many of which have gone live. The program runs from January to June.
“Nearly 60 students have developed additions like the photo gallery and a would-you-rather game. Current projects include a restaurant picker,” Dhamotharan says.
Alex Hsu, ’28, and Matt Lau, ’28, both enjoyed building their technical skills through the Cohort Program. Lau appreciated “the chance to grow alongside other driven students” and develop “professional tech practices,” while Hsu credits Eat Together with getting him into his dream design major.
Recruitment for the Cohort Program begins in the fall quarter and continues through winter break.
Eat Together members present their profile redesign to the 2025 Cohort Program. The team has also presented a UX/UI design tutorial, a competitive analysis and insight from user research.
Food events are a cornerstone of this student club, an opportunity to share meals together over fun or cultural themes, such as Chinese New Year (above) or Cinco de Mayo.
For co-founder Xiao, the club has many benefits: Students bond over food, but they also work on an app that has local impact. He credits the club with allowing him to hone his cooking and hosting skills, like when he planned a Lunar New Year dumpling-making event. The club also offers mentorship opportunities for students.
Sophia Lin, ’26, likes that Eat Together was a great way to meet people during her freshman year: “I enjoyed getting to know people and learning about all their interests and hobbies,” she says.
Eat Together is active year-round. Students looking to join can download the app, peruse the Eat Together website for more information, or visit the club’s Instagram page. See how the app works below.
Story by Lincoln McElwee // Photos provided by Eat Together
Originally published October 2025
