It’s Friday night and you’ve been meaning to check out the buzzy new restaurant in town. The only problem is that you don’t have a reservation. At hard-to-book spots, even if someone cancels, you have to constantly be on alert in order to snag it. And for restaurants, last-minute cancellations can mean an empty seat on what should be a busy night. Ease for diners and security for restaurants— this is the pain point that DINR not only addresses, but has built an entire lifestyle brand around.
“Pocket Sommelier”: How A Pandemic Project Became A Career
For DINR CEO Jennifer Tremblay, her journey into food hasn’t exactly been linear. Six years ago, she was working at fintech startups. The impetus for her major career change came in 2020, when she noticed that restaurants were struggling to sell off their cellars.
During the pandemic, Canadian restaurants initially faced regulatory roadblocks that prevented alcohol sales, since liquor licenses only extended to serving drinks on-premise. But these regulations soon eased. For example, in Ontario, licensed bars and restaurants could sell factory-sealed beer, wine, cider and spirits with food takeout or delivery orders.
Meanwhile, customers stuck in lockdown were looking for new ways to elevate their at-home dining. So Tremblay created Somm, a “pocket sommelier” app that helped users find, pair and buy the right wine. Aside from providing tailored recommendations, there was also an integrated marketplace, allowing users to shop directly from local restaurants, wineries and hoteliers.
Acquiring DINR and Growing Into a Canadian Lifestyle Brand
Tremblay says that Somm was never meant to be a “full-time all-in endeavor,” but excitement for the platform kept organically growing. By 2021, Sommm began offering two membership tiers, with perks including a sommelier-selected wine bundle and preferred pricing at select restaurants.
As she continued building into the lifestyle and hospitality space, Tremblay and her partner, Paul Stasiewich took the next step and acquired DINR in 2024. This app was created by the team behind Garde Manger, a contemporary Michelin-recommended restaurant that has become a Montreal institution. It was built to address one simple need: help restaurants fill same-day cancellations. Users could easily search for day-of reservations and receive instant notifications the second a table opens up.
Both Tremblay and Stasiewich were avid DINR users, and saw potential for it to become something more. “We kind of took that initial seed, which I’d say was less about the offering itself,” she explains. “It was more about, ‘Hey, these guys already have a really good starting point for the caliber of chefs and restaurants they work with. Let’s use this as the springboard to build what we want for not only Canada but hopefully some fun and exciting international announcements soon too.’”
Relaunching DINR: Expanded Access, Membership Program and Exclusive Events
The groundwork that Tremblay laid with Somm paid off at DINR. In just four years, they have expanded access from five Canadian cities (Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary) to 16 from coast-to-coast.
Somm’s offerings were naturally integrated into and expanded with DINR’s reach, creating a one-of-a-kind “pocket concierge” service. For instance, DINR Premium members can access a host of benefits, including preferred pricing at landmark hotels, luxury travel clubs and private wine clubs. Another benefit is priority tickets to exclusive events, like the intimate dinner ELLE Gourmet hosted earlier this year at the Michelin-recognized Lucie.
These chef collaborations and one-night-only dinners give diners an unforgettable experience. But it also helps restaurants reach a whole new audience with DINR’s full support. “We’re basically committing that those events are going to be successful for the restaurant,” she says. “We’re doing active email campaigns and social media, all of the things that a partner would expect, which goes well beyond what a more traditional software or utility would do.”
With six years of experience in the industry, Tremblay says that the tenacity of Canadian restaurants is what has stuck with her the most. “The amount of times that they’ve had to pivot, change their business model, spin pop-ups, basically do anything to survive,” she shares. “They have to get really scrappy and creative unless they’re backed by a very big restaurant group, which most of the best restaurants aren’t.”
As Tremblay explains, “I’m not from the restaurant industry. I was just a really great consumer that loved the space.”
A Reinvented Business Model: Putting Restaurants First
But perhaps the biggest structural shift came in 2024. Typically, restaurants pay a fee to be featured on a reservation platform. In today’s age, it is often seen as a crucial part of the business. Restaurants have boosted visibility and can better predict wait times, while customers are able to book at any time of day. A 2026 market research study found that over 65 % of diners prefer restaurants that offer online booking.
This was true of DINR too. But after acquiring the business, Tremblay says she couldn’t justify asking restaurants to continue participating in this pay-to-play system, especially when the margins are already so slim. “To me, the best restaurants shouldn’t have to pay to fill their houses,” she explains.
So DINR shifted to an entirely new model, with no fees and with an invite-only restaurant list.
“We’re never going to be a huge platform that has a ton of restaurants because we want it to stay very focused on merit, caliber and quality,” she explains. While this decision does sacrifice “a meaningful source of revenue,” it has allowed for a special type of relationship to blossom between DINR and its restaurant partners. “We end up being like a partner in their success and not just another bill to pay,” Tremblay says.
Carefully Curated Restaurants: From Fine Dining to Casual Eats
So what does it take for a restaurant to earn a place on DINR? For Tremblay and Stasiewich, it’s about finding restaurants that are exceptional at what they do.
DINR currently features over 140 restaurants across Canada, ranging from fine dining destinations to neighbourhood favourites. Among them are Michelin-recognized Bar Les Incompetents in St. Catharines or Song (by Kin Kao) in Vancouver. Then there’s The Hamptons in Toronto, a spot Tremblay considers a hidden gem.
While Tremblay and Stasiewich bring their own favourites to the platform, they also look to trusted Canadian tastemakers for recommendations.
“If David Minicucci at Osteria Giulia and Giulietta is telling me about an amazing new restaurant that we should be checking out, or an iconic one that we haven’t onboarded yet, that’s usually a pretty quick turnaround that I’ll go take a peek at it,” she says.
The result is a selective restaurant list that takes some of the guesswork out of deciding where to eat, particularly when visiting an unfamiliar city. DINR users don’t have to “sift through the noise of a lot of other bigger platforms,” she says. Whether it’s an ambitious tasting menu or a casual neighbourhood favourite, Tremblay’s criteria remain the same: finding restaurants that are among the best at what they do.
Historic New Partnership with Aeroplan: Earn Points By Booking
Last week, DINR announced a new first-of-its-kind partnership with Aeroplan, becoming the only dining reservation platform in Canada that allows members to earn Aeroplan points through booking.
DINR Premium members can earn 100+ Aeroplan points upon completed reservations, and earn 1 Aeroplan point per dollar spent on event tickets. Additionally, 1,000 bonus Aeroplan points are up for grabs when you purchase a new DINR Premium membership.
This announcement builds upon DINR’s existing partnership with Aeroplan and operational partnership with Air Canada’s Best New Restaurants program. “We share similar values with the folks at Aeroplan and Air Canada around this notion of flying for food and building travel and life experiences around new cultural experiences,” Tremblay says.
What’s Next for DINR?
Looking ahead, Tremblay is already teasing DINR’s next big announcement: international expansion. But she’s keeping the destination under wraps. “It’s a place that has a super fragmented reservation market that travelers have a really hard time unlocking,” she shares.
At its core, DINR is built around the universal belief that food brings people together. It’s present at our best moments in life, from celebrating big milestones with family to catching up with long-time friends. “To build a business that celebrates that universality and goes across cultures, across demographics, across age groups, is really special,” Tremblay says.
So where will she be dining to celebrate DINR’s historic new partnership with Aeroplan? “My little girl’s turning two a few days after this [announcement] goes live. We’re definitely going to open a really nice bottle of Champagne,” she says. “But beyond that, I have no idea. I think we might just just enjoy being back together as a family with a little more balance again.”
