16 Jul 2018

TripAdvisor gets deeper into Eatigo

Southeast Asian restaurant booking platform Eatigo has secured more funding from existing investor TripAdvisor.

The scale of TripAdvisor’s latest move has not been disclosed, although reports are putting it in the $10 million range.

TripAdvisor took part in Eatigo’s Series B round in October 2016, also undisclosed. Today’s statement says that Eatigo has now raised more than $25 million.

Eatigo is active in six countries – Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia and India – and has over 4 million users. Its model is based around a platform helping restaurants to secure bookings during off-peak hours by offering discounts to diners who book in advance.

It works closely with TripAdvisor’s The Fork business, as part of TripAdvisor Restaurants.  The Fork has a consumer presence in 11 different countries under different brands. It also has a B2B component, The Fork Manager, which gives restaurant managers access to yield management tools and reservation software. The Fork and its brands power the restaurant booking channel across TripAdvisor.com.

The statement suggests that Eatigo will continue as a standalone brand.

Bertrand Jelensperger, senior vice president of TripAdvisor Restaurants and founder of TheFork said:

“[Our] continued partnership with Eatigo will help us both better serve millions of diners and restaurant owners who are increasingly turning to online channels.”

Eatigo’s CEO and co-founder Michael Cluzel added that it would continue the “strong relationship and collaboration”.

Related reading from tnooz:

Zomato makes dramatic turnaround, attracts big investment (April 2018)

TripAdvisor increases restaurant focus with acquisition of IENS and SeatMe (Jan 2015)

TripAdvisor’s The Fork invests in Eatigo (May 2014)