LaFourchette, Leading European Mobile and Online Restaurant Reservation Service, Secures €8.0 Million to Accelerate its Growth

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May 10, 2012, 10:00 ET

PARIS, May 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

LaFourchette, leading mobile and online booking platform and management software provider for restaurants in Europe, secures €8.0 million from Serena Capital and Partech International. The two venture capital firms join Otium Capital, the company's initial investor.

LaFourchette will use the funds to strengthen its leading position in France, Spain and Switzerland, scale the business in new countries and improve its sideline of products.

« This new financing round will go a long way towards building out our vision tomake LaFourchette an everyday service with the most user-friendly experience possible », declare LaFourchette co-founders Patrick Dalsace and Bertrand Jelensperger.

« In 2011, LaFourchette generated over €100 million in revenues for its partner restaurants and plans to reach €500 million within the next 3 years.It is the perfect example of asuccessful « Web to shop » service » indicates Jean-Marc Patouillaud, Managing Partner at Partech International.

Antoine Freysz, Managing Director at Otium Capital, adds: "When we invested in 2008, LaFourchette had less than 10 employees. There are now about 150 and the company has a clear leadershipin France and Spain, two of the largestcatering markets worldwide."

"We are excited to back LaFourchette to accelerate its growth in Europe and beyond. The company is well positioned to transform an industry with a traditional distribution structure", says Marc Fournier from Serena Capital.

In the coming months, LaFourchette will launch of a new "freemium" offer for its partner restaurants and a next-generation version of its mobile and online consumer booking platform.

LaFourchette will also continue to strengthen its operational structure to maximize partner and customer satisfaction. "This attention to the perfect quality of our service is the very core of our company's DNA", concludes Bertrand Jelensperger.

About LaFourchette

Headquartered in Paris, LaFourchette is the leading mobile and online booking platform and management software provider for restaurants in Europe.

LaFourchette offers customers a mobile and online service to find, select and make free-of-charge bookings of restaurants with discounts from -20% to -50%.

The company connects to the restaurant owners through a SaaS product which allows them to manage and optimize all bookings, establish a CRM database and engage in yield management by setting discounts very easily.

As the pioneer in Europe, the company has about 11,000 partner restaurants (three-star restaurants, large chains and franchises, independent restaurants, etc.). There is one booking every second on its websites and mobile applications, and a permanent catalog of over 2,000 discounts in about twenty big cities.

In 2011, LaFourchette generated over €100 million in revenues to its partner restaurants.

Advisors

Legal :

Serena Capital and Partech International : Karen Noël (Morgan Lewis) et Morgan Hunault Berret (Pinot Villechenon) et
Company : Matthieu Lochardet (Edge)
Founders : Marc Fredj (Reed Smith)

Financial :