TripAdvisor invests in Israeli social dining co EatWith

Israeli home cooking Photo: Dan Peretz
Israeli home cooking Photo: Dan Peretz

TripAdvisor will integrate EatWith's service into its offering to allow tourists to dine at the home of a local chef.

Israeli social dining service startup EatWith has closed a new financing round led by TripAdvisor and with participation from Greylock Partners. The amount of funding was not disclosed. GreyLock Partners led EatWith's previous financing round in which it raised $8 million in 2014.

EatWith will also team with TripAdvisor so that its pages will include the option of "dining with a local chef." The new social dining options on TripAdvisor will also feature candid traveler reviews and photos to help travelers shop for the right experience for their trip. The EatWith integration will begin rolling out today 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.

This latest investment will support EatWith’s global growth and expansion as the company continues its mission of connecting people around the world through unique dining experiences. The platform allows travelers to book a seat at the table of a host, typically a local chef who prepares a meal for the group in a private setting such as their own kitchen. EatWith spans more than 200 global cities, and offers access to more than 650 hosts across 50 countries.

EatWith was co-founded in Israel in 2012 by Guy Michlin and Shemer Schwarz. In 2014 it moved its headquarters to San Francisco while retaining its development center in Tel Aviv. The company also remains popular with Israelis traveling abroad while in Israel itself more than 50 chefs host tourists.

EatWith CEO Susan Kim said, “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. Our goal is to continue to democratize the industry by matching adventurous travelers with culinary entrepreneurs who want to share their passion for food.”

A growing number of consumers are using EatWith to book intimate dining experiences. The company has helped fill more than 80,000 seats since its founding.

“EatWith is a truly innovative service that helps travelers 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. “Breaking bread with someone in their own kitchen is such a powerful way to learn about a culture and make new friends that we’ve decided to integrate EatWith into our TripAdvisor Restaurants pages. Now our users will be able to book EatWith experiences in cities around the world.”

EatWith was represented in the deal by GKH attorneys Adv. Dr. Eyal Diskin and Adv. Shira Shalev.

Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on November 3, 2016

© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2016

Israeli home cooking Photo: Dan Peretz
Israeli home cooking Photo: Dan Peretz
Twitter Facebook Linkedin RSS Newsletters âìåáñ Israel Business Conference 2018