American Express plans to acquire restaurant booking platform TheFork to expand its dining ecosystem and enhance customer experiences across Europe.
American Express, a global payments and lifestyle brand, has announced plans to acquire TheFork, a leading European restaurant booking and management platform, from Tripadvisor for $700 million. The proposed acquisition aims to strengthen American Express’ dining offerings in Europe while expanding access to restaurants for card members and diners.
TheFork connects millions of diners with more than 50,000 restaurants across 11 European countries through its booking, discovery, and customer engagement platform. Combined with American Express’ existing dining platforms, including Resy and Tock, the acquisition is expected to expand its dining network to 75,000 bookable venues.
The move reflects the growing role of dining experiences in customer loyalty strategies, as brands increasingly use digital platforms to create more seamless and personalised customer journeys.
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Expanding Dining Experiences Across Europe
American Express expects the acquisition to enhance its Membership model by giving customers more ways to discover, book, and access restaurants while helping restaurant partners reach new diners and grow their businesses.
“Dining is one of the most important ways people engage with our brand. Over time, the proposed acquisition would help us enrich our differentiated Membership Model by offering Card Members more ways to discover, book and access great restaurants, while helping our partners reach more diners and grow their businesses,” said Rafa Marquez, President of International Card Services, American Express.
The company said TheFork’s strong relationships across the European restaurant industry complement its existing dining capabilities and support its international growth strategy.
Creating Seamless Experiences for Diners
Founded in 2007, TheFork provides restaurants with reservation management, guest engagement, and operational tools to improve efficiency and deliver a smoother booking experience for diners.
“The Fork was created to help restaurants thrive and to make it easier for diners to discover and enjoy great restaurants. American Express shares our commitment to innovation, service and hospitality. Together, we have a unique opportunity to accelerate our mission, bringing even more value to restaurants while creating richer and more seamless experiences for millions of diners across Europe,” said Almir Ambeskovic, Chief Executive Officer, TheFork.
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