TripAdvisor bites into social dining scene
Review site TripAdvisor has led a fresh round of investment in the social dining service EatWith.
EatWith, which allows travellers to book meals at the table of a local host, including private kitchens, is already available in more than 200 cities.
It offers access to more than 650 hosts in 50 countries.
Eatwith will now be integrated into TripAdvisor Restaurants pages, which have a new ‘Dine with a local chef’ category that clicks through to Eatwith.
"The investment funding we’ve received from TripAdvisor and Greylock Partners will be instrumental in driving even more interest in our popular communal dining experiences," said CEO Susan Kim.
"Our goal is to continue to democratise the industry by matching adventurous travellers with culinary entrepreneurs who want to share their passion for food."
The company has booked more than 80,000 diners since it founded.
"EatWith is a truly innovative service that helps travellers dine like a local, and we’re excited to help support their efforts through an investment that will also help us expand our leadership position in the restaurant category," said Bertrand Jelensperger, global head of TripAdvisor restaurants and lafourchette CEO.
The EatWith integration is available immediately on the TripAdvisor desktop site in all countries where TripAdvisor operates, and will support 10 cities at launch.
A rollout to TripAdvisor mobile and additional markets will follow, it said.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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