You Don't Own Your TheFork Customers—You're Just Renting Them

There’s a fundamental truth about TheFork that most restaurant owners don’t realize until it’s too late: every customer who books through their platform is rented, not owned. You pay €3+ per cover (€2.60 minimum + VAT, often more for dinner service) to access these diners, but the moment they’re ready to book their next meal, they’re back in TheFork’s marketplace—where your competitor who bids higher, offers deeper discounts, or simply appears more prominently will win their business.

Let’s break down why platform customers are fundamentally different from real customers, and what you can do about it.

The Rental Economy of Restaurant Discovery

How TheFork’s Business Model Actually Works

TheFork doesn’t make money by helping you build long-term customer relationships. They make money every time someone books through their platform. Their incentive structure is clear:

For TheFork:

• More bookings = more revenue
• Customer loyalty to TheFork = sustainable business model
• Customer loyalty to individual restaurants = lost opportunity

For Your Restaurant:

• Customer discovers you via TheFork
• You pay €3+ per cover
• Customer has a great experience
• Customer wants to return…
• …but TheFork’s app is where they go to make that booking

The Highest Bidder Always Wins

Here’s what happens when your TheFork customer decides to book their next meal:

1. They Open TheFork (not your website, not your social media)
2. They See Multiple Options (including your competitors)
3. The Algorithm Decides Order based on:
   • Discount percentage (50% off beats 25% off)
   • Commission tier (restaurants paying more rank higher)
   • User ratings and reviews
   • Availability and convenience
   • Recent activity and promotions

Your previous relationship with this customer? Irrelevant. You’re competing fresh each time.

Real Example: The Saturday Night Shuffle

Scenario: A couple had an amazing dinner at your restaurant three weeks ago. They booked through TheFork at 25% off. They want to come back this Saturday.

What You Hope Happens:

• They remember your restaurant fondly
• They navigate directly to your profile
• They book with you again

What Actually Happens:

• They open TheFork to “find a restaurant for Saturday”
• They see your restaurant showing 25% off
• They also see your competitor offering 50% off
• Your competitor is ranked #2 in the list
• Your competitor has a 4.8 rating vs. your 4.7
• They book with your competitor

You just lost a customer you thought was yours—not because you did anything wrong, but because you never owned them in the first place.

The Three Types of “Customers” (Only One Is Really Yours)

1. Platform Customers (Rented)

Characteristics:

• Discovered you through TheFork/OpenTable
• Book exclusively through the platform
• Receive marketing from the platform
• See you as “a TheFork restaurant”
• Compare you with competitors on every visit

Reality Check:

• Platform owns the relationship
• Platform owns the data
• Platform determines next interaction
• You’re one option among many
• Loyalty goes to the platform, not you

Economics:

• €3+ per cover, forever
• No lifetime value growth
• No marketing efficiency
• Compete on discount % every time

2. Transition Customers (Contested)

Characteristics:

• First visit via platform
• You captured their contact information
• They haven’t booked direct yet
• Still using platform out of habit
• Open to direct relationship

Reality Check:

• Window of opportunity exists
• Requires active engagement
• Need compelling reason to switch
• Platform still has the convenience advantage
• Your competitors are targeting them too

Economics:

• Next visit costs €3+ via platform
• Or €0 if you convert to direct
• 90-day window to convert
• Automated marketing required

3. Direct Customers (Owned)

Characteristics:

• Book through your website/phone
• Receive your marketing emails
• Follow your social media
• Recommend you by name
• Choose you despite other options

Reality Check:

• You own the relationship
• You control the communication
• You decide the next offer
• They’re not comparing on discount
• Lifetime value compounds

Economics:

• Zero commission per visit
• Increasing lifetime value
• Organic referrals
• Premium pricing power

Why Most Restaurants Never Escape the Rental Trap

Trap #1: “They Know Where to Find Us”

The Assumption: “Our service is so good, customers will remember us and book directly next time.”

The Reality: Customers remember the experience, but when it’s time to book, they open the app they always use—TheFork. Your competitor is right there, often with a better deal.

Trap #2: “We Get Their Email Address”

The Assumption: “TheFork gives us customer emails, so we own the relationship.”

The Reality: Having an email address ≠ having a relationship. Unless you:

• Send timely, personalized communications
• Provide exclusive direct booking incentives
• Make direct booking more convenient than the platform
• Build brand loyalty beyond the transaction

…that email address is just data sitting unused while the customer books with competitors.

Trap #3: “We Can’t Afford to Lose the Visibility”

The Assumption: “If we stop offering discounts or reduce our TheFork presence, we’ll lose customers.”

The Reality: You’re confusing discovery with retention. TheFork is valuable for discovery—new customers finding you for the first time. But once someone has dined with you, continuing to pay TheFork for repeat visits is like paying rent on a house you already own.

Trap #4: “Direct Booking Is Too Complicated”

The Assumption: “Customers prefer the convenience of TheFork’s platform.”

The Reality: Customers prefer convenience, period. If your direct booking experience is seamless, personalized, and offers clear benefits, customers will absolutely prefer it. The issue is most restaurants:

• Have clunky booking systems
• Require phone calls during business hours
• Don’t offer the same conveniences (saved preferences, easy rescheduling)
• Don’t provide compelling loyalty incentives

The Math That Should Terrify You

Let’s look at what “renting” customers actually costs over time.

Restaurant A: Renting from TheFork

• 100 customers discovered via TheFork
• Average 4 visits per year per customer
• €3.00 × 2.5 covers per booking
• Year 1: 100 customers × 4 visits × €7.50 = €3,000
• Year 2: Same customers, same cost = €3,000
• Year 3: Same customers, same cost = €3,000
• Three-year cost: €9,000
• Relationship built: None (customers belong to TheFork)

Restaurant B: Converting to Direct

• Same 100 customers discovered via TheFork
• First visit: €7.50 commission (same as Restaurant A)
• Conversion campaign: €300 (CRM system + automated marketing)
• 65 customers convert to direct booking (industry average)
• Year 1: (100 × 1 visit × €7.50) + €300 + (65 × 3 visits × €0) = €1,050
• Year 2: (35 × 4 visits × €7.50) + (65 × 4 visits × €0) = €1,050
• Year 3: (35 × 4 visits × €7.50) + (65 × 4 visits × €0) = €1,050
• Three-year cost: €3,150
• Relationship built: 65 direct customers with growing lifetime value
• Savings: €5,850 (65% cost reduction)

Restaurant C: No Strategy (Most Common)

• 100 customers via TheFork
• No conversion effort
• No CRM system
• No automated marketing
• Three-year cost: €9,000
• Customer retention rate: 35% (industry average without CRM)
• Actual customers retained: 35
• Cost per retained customer: €257

Restaurant B paid €48.50 per retained customer. Restaurant C paid €257 per retained customer.

The Platform’s Playbook to Keep You Renting

TheFork (and similar platforms) have sophisticated strategies to maintain dependency:

Strategy 1: Algorithmic Punishment

• Restaurants reducing discount percentages drop in search rankings
• Slower response times = lower visibility
• Encouraging direct bookings can trigger platform retaliation
• “Partner tier” systems that reward higher dependency

Strategy 2: Data Ownership Ambiguity

• You have access to customer emails (with consent)
• But platform controls the primary relationship
• Customers receive platform marketing daily
• Your marketing feels like spam by comparison

Strategy 3: Loyalty Program Competition

• TheFork points create platform loyalty
• Customers chase discounts across restaurants
• Your individual loyalty program can’t compete
• Multi-restaurant benefits beat single-restaurant benefits

Strategy 4: Convenience Moat

• One-click rebooking
• Saved payment methods
• Unified reservation history
• Superior mobile experience

Strategy 5: New Customer Access

• Consistent stream of first-time diners
• Makes it easy to ignore retention metrics
• “New customer” dopamine hit masks long-term costs
• Success metrics focus on covers, not customer lifetime value

Breaking Free: The Four-Phase Independence Plan

Phase 1: Recognition (Weeks 1-2)

Audit Your Real Customer Base

1. Categorize Your Current Customers:

   • How many bookings via platform vs. direct?
   • What’s the repeat rate for each channel?
   • What’s the lifetime value by channel?

2. Calculate Your True Costs:

   • Annual platform commissions
   • Cost per customer acquisition
   • Cost per repeat visit
   • Lost revenue from discounts

3. Identify Your “Rentals”:

   • Customers who’ve visited 3+ times via platform
   • High-value regulars still booking through TheFork
   • Recent visitors you could convert

Phase 2: Infrastructure (Weeks 3-6)

Build Your Direct Booking System

1. Implement CRM Technology:

   • Automatic data import from TheFork
   • Customer segmentation (VIPs, regulars, new, lapsed)
   • Unified booking system
   • Saved preferences and histories

2. Create Conversion Incentives:

   • Direct booking loyalty program
   • Exclusive menu access
   • Priority reservations
   • Birthday/anniversary perks
   • Referral rewards

3. Streamline Booking Experience:

   • One-click rebooking for past guests
   • Mobile-optimized interface
   • Instant confirmation
   • Easy modification/cancellation

Phase 3: Conversion (Weeks 7-16)

Launch Your Customer Reclamation Campaign

1. Segment and Personalize:

   • VIP customers: White-glove treatment
   • Regular diners: Loyalty program introduction
   • Recent visitors: “Welcome back” offers
   • Lapsed customers: Win-back incentives

2. Automated Campaign Sequence:

   • Week 1: Welcome email with direct booking benefits
   • Week 2: Exclusive offer for direct booking
   • Week 4: Loyalty program details
   • Week 6: VIP perks showcase
   • Week 8: Limited-time conversion bonus
   • Week 12: Birthday/special occasion setup

3. Track and Optimize:

   • Open rates and click-through rates
   • Conversion to direct booking
   • Customer feedback
   • A/B test messaging and offers

Phase 4: Maintenance (Week 17+)

Sustain Independence and Growth

1. Automated Retention:

   • Post-visit thank you (24 hours)
   • Return visit reminder (14-21 days)
   • Birthday messages (30 days before)
   • Lapsed customer win-back (60 days)
   • VIP check-ins (quarterly)

2. Continue Platform Use Strategically:

   • Keep profile active for new customer discovery
   • Optimize for first-time diners only
   • Reduce discount percentage gradually
   • Focus marketing budget on retention

3. Measure What Matters:

   • Direct vs. platform booking ratio
   • Customer lifetime value by channel
   • Platform commission as % of revenue
   • Repeat customer rate
   • Net Promoter Score

Why Caramel Exists: Technology That Returns Ownership

The entire premise of Caramel is to help restaurants escape the rental economy. Here’s how:

Automatic Data Liberation

• One-click integration with TheFork, OpenTable, SevenRooms
• Historical data import (all past reservations)
• Ongoing synchronization
• Unified customer profiles across all platforms

AI-Powered Conversion

• Automatic identification of high-conversion targets
• Personalized messaging based on visit history
• Optimal timing for outreach
• A/B tested templates that work

Direct Booking Infrastructure

• Seamless reservation system
• Customer preference memory
• Loyalty program integration
• Mobile-first experience

Retention Automation

• Set-it-and-forget-it campaigns
• Behavioral triggers (birthday, anniversary, lapse)
• Smart timing based on customer patterns
• ROI tracking per customer

The Bottom Line: Own Your Customers or Rent Them Forever

TheFork and similar platforms serve an important function: discovery. They’re excellent at introducing new customers to your restaurant. But once that introduction is made, continuing to pay for access to the same customer over and over is economically irrational.

The choice is binary:

Option A: Keep renting customers, paying €3+ per cover indefinitely, competing on discount percentage with every competitor, building no lasting relationships, and accepting that your “regulars” are actually TheFork’s regulars who happen to choose you sometimes.

Option B: Use platforms for discovery, invest modestly in CRM technology, convert platform customers to direct relationships, build genuine loyalty, eliminate commissions on repeat visits, increase customer lifetime value, and create a sustainable, independent restaurant business.

Restaurant B doesn’t just save 65% on customer acquisition costs. They build a real business with real customers who choose them, not because they’re the highest bidder on a platform that day, but because they’ve built a relationship worth returning to.

The question isn’t whether you can afford to escape the rental trap.

The question is whether you can afford not to.

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Ready to stop renting and start owning your customer relationships?

Book a Free Demo → See how Caramel helps restaurants reclaim their customers from platform dependency in just 90 days.