American Express to acquire TheFork for $700 million cash

American Express moved to buy TheFork for $700 million in cash, a deal that could give one of the biggest payment brands in dining a larger hand on the reservation systems that shape the host stand. For restaurant workers, the significance is not the corporate shuffle itself but the possibility that more booking, guest-data and payment functions end up under one roof, with real effects on table pacing, walk-in handling and the pressure front-of-house teams feel on a busy night.

TheFork connects millions of diners with more than 50,000 restaurants across 11 European countries, giving it a wide footprint in the part of the business that sits between discovery and seating. American Express said the proposed acquisition would expand its dining offering in Europe and build on earlier buys such as Resy and Tock. That matters on the floor because reservation platforms are no longer just digital waitlists. They are the tools that decide how far ahead guests book, how many tables get stacked at once and how much information hosts have before they greet the next party.

If the transaction closes, managers may be watching for tighter links between reservations, payment and loyalty features. TheFork said its payment tool, TheFork Pay, launched in 2020 and is already used by more than 20,000 restaurants in France, Italy and Spain. That kind of integration can make service smoother when it works, but it can also increase upsell pressure and add another layer of software for hosts, shift leads and floor managers to learn, monitor and explain to staff during a rush.

American Express has been building toward this for years. It acquired Resy in July 2019 and completed its acquisition of Tock in October 2024. In announcing Tock, the company said engaged diners grew 3x and restaurants 5.4x from the Resy deal through year-end 2023, a sign of how aggressively it has treated dining as a data and loyalty business. TheFork, co-founded in France in 2007 by Bertrand Jelensperger, was bought by Tripadvisor in 2014 for an estimated $150 million, then moved back toward a sale after Tripadvisor said in February 2026 that it would explore strategic alternatives.

Tripadvisor said the deal is expected to close before the end of 2026, subject to labor consultation and regulatory approvals. The company also said the sale would let it focus more fully on its Experiences strategy and should carry minimal tax cost. For restaurant workers, the bigger question is whether one platform owner ends up shaping more of the booking pipeline than before, and whether that concentration changes the pace, data and pressure at the door.