TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Tucson has no shortage of places to eat, but finding the right spot can be overwhelming — especially if you just moved here from Knox, Indiana, a town of about 3,000 people.
That was the reality for Jade Sorba, who moved to Tucson last year and quickly found herself at a loss navigating the city's sprawling restaurant scene.
"We've got Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, McDonalds, Subway, Burger King and that's it,"Sorba said of her hometown.
The contrast with Tucson was immediate.
"There's so many restaurant's here that I'm never going to be able to visit all of these places... there's no way to do it, so I made a way to do it," Sorba said.
Sorba built an app to help Tucson residents find local restaurants — and she did it entirely using artificial intelligence.
"I have learned absolutely zero code in the process of making this app," Sorba said.
The app displays the majority of restaurants in the city and includes features designed to help users find exactly what they are looking for.
"You can sort down so you only see places that are local. We've got the open now feature, which we're working on the hours so we can verify the places are actually open," Sorba said.
The app is still a work in progress, but it is already generating excitement among local businesses. Chris Cox, who manages Wings and Rice along Craycroft Road and Pima Street — a restaurant that has been open for about 20 years — said the app gives smaller establishments a chance to get noticed.
"Puts a spotlight on our restaurant and all of the local restaurants and other local restaurants that are kind of hidden gems that are in the same situation not everyone knows about us," Cox said.
Cox said the business is fully behind the effort.
"We're happy to support this app and their website and do whatever we can to make sure it's a success," Cox said.
Sorba said she is not looking to profit from the app. Her goal is simply to give back to a community that has made her feel at home since arriving last year.
"And I've had lot of people sending in suggestions so it's good to know the people have been using it," Sorba said.
A link to download the app is right here.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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Marc Monroy joined KGUN 9 as a multimedia journalist after moving from KGUN 9’s sister station, KXXV, in Waco, Texas. He graduated from California State University, Northridge, in 2024 with a degree in journalism. A native of Southern California and a bilingual reporter, Marc is excited to serve Southern Arizona and looks forward to connecting with neighbors in the community. Share your story ideas and important issues with Marc by emailing marc.monroy@kgun9.com or by connecting on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.
