A New Crawfish App

Who hasn’t done their diligence to find the friendliest price tags during crawfish season? With an engineering degree and an MBA under their respective belts, Baton Rouge couple Ryan and Laney King are, unsurprisingly, pragmatic about their frequently-thrown boils. But four years ago, they began to question the effort. “It was early in the season, and we weren’t sure who had [crawfish], their prices, or the quality,” said Laney. Her husband griped, “I can’t believe there isn’t an app for this.”

Well, now there is. “First Ryan and I brainstormed together,” said Laney. “Then once we met with the designer [Ashley Taylor], she helped us bring it to life.”

[Read: Test Kitchen Recipe: Crawfish and Tasso Chowder.]

In their research, they learned of a short-lived app called The Crawfish Guide, launched in Lafayette in 2012. “We could see from social media that [the owner] decided not to follow through with it,” said Laney. “We studied his app and his social media and anything people posted about. Any feedback he got, we studied that intensely so we could do it differently.”

The couple then recruited a freelance developer who helped them realize the app with little compromise, including taking the time to create an Android version, another road not taken by The Crawfish Guide. “The whole process exceeded our expectations,” said Laney. “Once you find the right partners, it makes everything so easy.”

The Crawfish App debuted on February 5; free for both users and vendors, the app’s starting to catch on beyond the Kings’ circle of friends, and they’re enjoying the rush of feedback. “One friend texted me, ‘I didn’t realize Rouse’s right next door was serving boiled crawfish. I used to drive so many miles!’” said Laney. “And hundreds of vendors are sending their information through the app. We didn’t expect that. They’re equally excited. They say, ‘Are you sure you’re not going to charge us?’”

[Read: Catch, Cook & Sleep: Experience this Cajun-country triple whammy at Mrs. Rose’s in Kaplan.]

In future versions of the app, the Kings hope to finesse the experience, enabling user reviews and vendor updates and eventually introducing advertising as a revenue stream. They’re not ruling out another app either. “We’ve gotten such a thrill of launching our own business that we want to keep creating new things,” said Laney.

Find “The Crawfish App” in the App Store and the Google Play Store. thecrawfishapp.com.