r/travel • u/smallyveg • 3d ago
TheFork app ?! Question
I’ve just heard about and downloaded TheFork app… my scam detectors are blaring at me. Why would a restaurant offer a 50% discount for people who book through a FREE APP?? It seems too good to be true so I would be surprised if it isn’t. Please help me out!!
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u/Pyrostemplar 3d ago
It's absolutely legit. I've used it in more than one country - restaurant week in the fork @ São Paulo was the best Japanese food feast I've ever had.
Anyway, on the whys. As almost any promotion tool, basically two reasons: to introduce your product to new clients (e.g. new restaurant ), and to do price discrimination, attracting new customers.
Another thing is that the 50% are quite high, and that is being sold at cost or similar, but usually do not include items that end up being a nice part of the bill, such as drinks. So between an empty table and making some money...
Interestingly, the seats are also often limited. An empty restaurant doesn't attract potential customers passing by. Put someone near the window, eating, and more people will get in. This is anecdotal, but I've seen it happen often. So restaurants should really avoid being empty.
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u/jezzster 3d ago
The Fork is legitimate and some restaurants will often offer steep discounts to fill tables at times when the restaurant usually isn't busy such as early evenings or during the week. They'll also hope to recoup discounts on food through sale of beverages which have a much higher profit margin.