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Preferences

The preferences object is the powerhouse of InBe's search.

The preferences object is where you define what kind of venues you're looking for. It's the heart of InBe's intelligent matching system, allowing you to specify establishment types, dietary needs, atmospheres, and more to get results that perfectly match your users' requirements.

Structure

Preferences object structure
  : {
    : {
      : "ANY",
      : "2025-11-18T17:53:51.178Z",
    },
    : [
      "family",
      "coffee",
      "vegan",
      "dates",
      "working",
      "outdoor seating",
    ],
    : "PREFER_INDEPENDENT",
    : ["British", "Italian"],
    : ["vegetarian", "glutenFree", "vegan"],
    : ["restaurant", "pub", "coffee shop"],
    : {
      : "Michelin",
      : ["1", "2", "bib"],
    },
    : ["genre", "catersFilters"],
  },

Preferences

It is not advised to use all of these preferences at once as some are very similar, but trade control for speed. This page will provide an overview, but we have a deep dive for each preference type.

Core preference types

Genre

Filter by venue type: Italian, Fish and Chips, coffee shops, bars, etc.

Good For

Find venues that are good for specific use cases: romantic dates, business meetings, etc.

Caters Filters

Find venues that accommodate specific diets: vegan, gluten-free, vegetarian, nut-allergy, etc.

Establishment Filters

Find venues that serve breakfast, lunch, dinner, are good for sports or family, or have free wifi, etc.

Chain Preferences

Control whether chains or independent venues are preferred.

Opening Conditions

Find venues that are open now or at specific times.

Special Features

Access features like Michelin recommendations, or enterprise features.

Non-Compromise

Define must-have requirements that can't be compromised, such as genre or catersFilters. This is a powerful tool, but should be used sparingly.

How preferences work together

InBe uses a sophisticated scoring system that considers all your preferences together:

  1. Base matching: Venues that meet your basic criteria
  2. Preference weighting: Venues that better match your preferences get higher scores
  3. Result ranking: Results are ordered by how well they match your preferences
  4. Smart defaults: Missing preferences use sensible defaults for better results

Real-world examples

  : {
    : {
      : "OPEN",
      : "2025-11-18T19:00:00.000Z",
    },
    : "PREFER_INDEPENDENT",
    : ["Italian", "Romantic"],
    : ["vegetarian"],
    : ["servesWine", "goodForDate", "servesCocktails"],
    : ["genre", "catersFilters"],
  },

Preference strategies

Start simple, then refine

Begin with basic establishment types and add preferences as needed:

Progressive preference building
// Step 1: Basic search
  preferences: {
    genre: ["Italian"]
  }
 
// Step 2: Add dietary needs
  preferences: {
    genre: ["Italian"],
    catersFilters: ["vegetarian"]
  }
 
// Step 3: Add atmosphere
  preferences: {
    genre: ["Italian"],
    catersFilters: ["vegetarian"],
    goodFor: ["date"]
  }

Use non-compromise sparingly

Non-compromise preferences are strict requirements that can significantly reduce results:

Non-compromise example
  preferences: {
    genre: ["Pub"],
    catersFilters: ["vegetarian"],
    establishmentFilters: ["goodForWatchingSports", "goodForGroups"],
    nonCompromise: ["genre", "establishmentFilters"]
  }

Balance specificity with results

Too many specific preferences may return few or no results:

Balanced preferences
  preferences: {
    goodFor: ["date", "live music"],
    genre: ["Alpine"],
    catersFilters: ["vegetarian", "glutenFree", "nutFree"],
    chainPreference: "PREFER_INDEPENDENT",
    special: {
      type: "Michelin",
      value: ["1", "2", "bib"],
    },
  }

Non-compromise

It's unlikely (but not impossible) you'll find a Michelin-starred Alpine place that serves vegetarian, gluten-free, and nut-free food and also has live music.

Best practice

  • Genre: When you can, specify what kind of venue you want
  • Add dietary needs early: These are often deal-breakers for users
  • Use goodFor: This is a quick way to get venue characteristics without having to specify a genre, caters filters, or establishment filters
  • Consider opening times: Users may need venues that are open now, or when they want to meet

Next steps

Establishment Types

Learn how to filter by venue categories and types.

Dietary Needs

Find venues that accommodate specific dietary requirements.

Atmosphere & Purpose

Match venues to specific use cases and atmospheres.

Special Features

Find venues with special features like Michelin stars, or enterprise features.

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