iens.nl / SeatMe

Iens B.V., operating as Iens.nl, established itself as a dominant force in the Dutch online restaurant discovery market after its founding in 1998. The platform provided a comprehensive guide for diners, featuring an extensive collection of restaurant reviews and ratings, which grew to include 200,000 reviews with thousands more added weekly.

The company's service offering was significantly enhanced in 2012 when it merged with the Dutch restaurant reservation service, SeatMe. This integration created a multifaceted platform allowing users not only to discover and review restaurants but also to make direct online bookings. SeatMe provided the underlying technology for reservations on the Iens platform while also operating as an independent booking service. The combined entity catered to a substantial user base, attracting 20 million annual visitors and featuring a network of over 20,000 restaurants, with 1,550 of them being directly bookable through the SeatMe system.

A major turning point in the company's trajectory occurred in January 2015 when it was acquired by the global travel giant, TripAdvisor. The acquisition was a strategic move by TripAdvisor to solidify its presence in the European restaurant reservation and review sector, integrating Iens and SeatMe under the leadership of its French subsidiary, La Fourchette. Following the acquisition, the platform continued to operate under its well-known local brand for several years. In 2020, as part of a broader international branding strategy, TripAdvisor rebranded Iens to TheFork, aligning the Dutch service with its global restaurant reservation platform.

Keywords: Iens, SeatMe, TheFork, restaurant reviews, online restaurant booking, Dutch restaurant platform, TripAdvisor acquisition, La Fourchette, food tech, hospitality technology, restaurant discovery, online reservations, dining guide, restaurant ratings, European tech, menu platform, booking system, online dining