TheFork also becomes a social network and introduces Ai with voice assistant

"Furthermore, in future updates for creators, companies and publishers," say the developers, "it will be possible to set up a public profile to share one's favourite restaurant lists, becoming a source of inspiration for foodies. An additional feature that in Italy will be tested with the collaboration of creators Marco Meschini, Antonio La Cava, Francesco Zini, Francesca Noè and Marina Di Guardo'.

To interact with the new "intelligent voice assistant" - they assure from the platform controlled by Tripadvisor - one only needs to speak or write as one would with a friend, using natural language requests (from "a romantic table for two tomorrow night in Milan" to "a veg-friendly place near the station") to obtain immediate and relevant results, without filters or forms to be filled in.

"The innovation lies in the ability of artificial intelligence to analyse and combine reviews, menus, photos and preferences from the network or authoritative creators to provide tailored suggestions. For example," explain TheFork, "if you're looking for a certain type of dish, the assistant will be able to show you the corresponding images, making the search even more intuitive, visual and inspired.

For those who wish, however,it will be possible to continue to choose the classic view of TheFork. In fact, the platform's intentions are not to 'distort' its original purpose, namely the management of bookings, by creating 'confusion' between the new feed and the app's other functions.
"The social feed is an enrichment, not an imposition. The basic experience of TheFork, searching, choosing and booking, remains fully accessible even to those who do not activate the social function,' Ambeskovic pointed out to Food24. 'Those who do not connect their contacts will continue to see reviews and content in the classic way. We want to offer more value, not more complexity. The social feed strengthens the role of reviews, because it puts them in a context of trust. The underlying logic does not change: all reviews are written by people who have actually booked and eaten in the restaurant. But now, those written by people in your network are highlighted first. It is a way to make the discovery more personal, without changing the mission of the platform. On the contrary, we reinforce it: to help people make more informed choices."

Almir Ambeskovic, Ceo di TheFork

The social feed will not, however, affect the reward/discount mechanisms applied by the platform , at least for now. "It is a feature designed to enhance the experience of discovery and inspiration, not to promote commercial offers. In the future we may evaluate ways to enhance active or very followed users,' explains the CEO, 'but always with a qualitative and community-driven logic, not a promotional one.

In the possible interactions will there also be dialogue with restaurant account managers or will the feed remain separate? 'At the moment,' the CEO continues, 'the new experience focuses on interactions between users. The focus is on facilitating discovery through recommendations and content generated by people we trust. Having said that, we remain open to evolution: if useful and relevant ways of bringing restaurants and users together emerge, we will evaluate them. But always in a respectful manner and with a clear utility for those looking for a restaurant and for restaurateurs'.

TheFork is present in 11 countries with over 55,000 partner restaurants, of which 20,000 are in Italy. "We are growing in high double figures, both in terms of user base and booking volumes. The trend is very positive," says Ambeskovic, "driven by the digitisation of the restaurant industry and the increase in the frequency of use of the platform.

The other side of the platform is the restaurant management system, TheFork Manager, adopted by 55,000 customers in 11 European countries. "Over the last two years we have invested in making it more powerful and integrated: today it manages shifts, reservations, no-shows, promotions, reviews and digital payments. Restaurant satisfaction is growing steadily, as is the number of functionalities used on a daily basis. It is much more than a management system: it is a strategic tool for operational and commercial management," says the CEO, who on TheForkPay, the payment system integrated in the app, adds: "Today it is adopted by about 80% of our partner restaurants in Italy, with a constantly growing usage rate. It is integrated into the experience, easy to use for customers and totally free for restaurants: TheFork takes care of the commission: this makes it a strong point both in terms of operational efficiency and satisfaction for those who use the platform every day".