Tech Tracker: A burst of M&A to start the summer
American Express is buying TheFork for $700 million, and more restaurant tech news from June.
June 30, 2026
Temperatures are heating up across the country, and so is restaurant tech M&A activity.
This month’s edition of Tech Tracker looks at three acquisitions in June. Plus, an HR app gets Danny Meyer's stamp of approval, and loyalty comes to the phone lines.
Amex to buy European reservations giant
The credit-card company has a deal to buy TheFork, one of the biggest booking services in Europe, for $700 million in cash. TheFork is currently owned by TripAdvisor.
More than 50,000 restaurants in 11 countries use TheFork. It offers restaurant management, booking, and marketing tools for operators and a reservations app and website for consumers.
It would give Amex a reservations trifecta with Resy and Tock, which are set to merge this summer. Together, the booking services would encompass 75,000 venues. The deal would also mean more dining perks for Amex cardholders in Europe.
It’s the latest chess move in the increasingly competitive restaurant reservations market.
GoTab acquires Fishbowl
GoTab's POS system will add some marketing muscle with Fishbowl. The seasoned marketing platform will help operators do more with the data they collect through GoTab’s various ordering channels, which include kiosks, mobile ordering, and RFID tags.
Founded in 2000 as an email marketing service, Fishbowl is used by many large brands, including In-N-Out, Twin Peaks, and Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants. For those customers, service will continue as usual under GoTab.
GoTab’s tech is designed for entertainment venues like breweries, food halls, and eatertainment concepts. They'll still be able to use the marketing platform of their choice, but Fishbowl will offer the tightest integration.
Parts Town acquires 86 Repairs
The deal brings together two equipment-focused companies: Parts Town, which sells OEM replacement parts, and 86 Repairs, an app that helps restaurants manage equipment repairs and maintenance.
Joining forces will allow restaurants to take better care of their equipment “by connecting parts, service, and data more closely than ever before,” said Parts Town President Clint Holder in a press release.
Both companies are based in the Chicago area and have already been working closely together for several years.
Enlightened Hospitality backs Blink
Danny Meyer's investment fund invested $17 million in Blink, a "super app" for frontline workers. Blink also announced a big new customer in Shake Shack, which Meyer founded.
Blink is focused on improving employee communication and engagement. Its app includes a social media-like newsfeed, messaging, shift-swapping, access to form and policies, surveys, and more. It also allows management to keep tabs on things like employee feedback and productivity.
Blink is growing fast, adding more than 700,000 users in the hospitality industry last year, including a global deal with McDonald's.
Thanx and Kea team up for phone loyalty
What if you could get loyalty points by ordering from a restaurant over the phone? That's what Thanx (loyalty) and Kea (AI phone answering) are hoping to accomplish with their new integration.
For operators, the integration will provide more insight into orders that were previously anonymous. But they’ll have to be users of both Kea and Thanx to get the benefits.
About the Author
Joe Guszkowski
Senior editor, Restaurant Business
Joe Guszkowski is a senior editor with Restaurant Business covering technology and casual-dining chains.
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