Horiifoodservice Launches First "Inbound Group Reservation Service" to Capture Demand from Foreign Visitors to Japan

Horiifoodservice Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Mito City, Ibaraki Prefecture, President and CEO: Akihisa Fujita, hereinafter referred to as "Our Company") has introduced the services provided by Table Cross Inc. (Headquarters: Shibuya Ward, Tokyo, President and CEO: Kaoru Jōbō, hereinafter referred to as "Table Cross"), the operator of the gourmet platform "byFood" for foreign visitors to Japan, and has officially begun attracting customers, including inbound groups.

This initiative marks Our Company's first endeavor in attracting inbound group customers and is being launched jointly by both companies. As a company introducing the service, Our Company will be responsible for the in-store reception system, while Table Cross will provide the customer acquisition and reservation platform for foreign visitors to Japan. By clearly dividing roles, we are establishing a system that reliably connects demand from foreign visitors to actual store visits.

Table Cross Inc., the operator of byFood, has accumulated expertise in attracting and facilitating visits from foreign tourists through collaborations with businesses in the tourism, media, and travel distribution sectors. Our Company will leverage this platform infrastructure, which has strengths in inbound customer acquisition, to accelerate the creation of opportunities for foreign visitors to Japan to dine at our establishments.

With the inbound market in Japan reaching record highs and over 40 million foreign visitors expected by 2025, a crucial theme for the restaurant industry's future growth is "how to be chosen by foreign visitors and convert them into actual customers." By introducing this service, Our Company will create an environment where foreign visitors, whether individuals or groups, can easily "reserve and visit" for their Japanese dining experiences, thereby fully engaging in capturing inbound demand.

Furthermore, mechanisms such as pre-payment and reservation management functions will be utilized as added value to ensure that customer acquisition leads to confirmed visits. We will also proceed with customer referrals by leveraging our broad and continuous inbound customer acquisition capabilities through overseas media, OTAs, and the video media "Japan by Food." Through this initiative, we aim to transform inbound demand from a temporary tailwind into sustained customer visits and sales growth.

【Message from Representatives】 Akihisa Fujita, President and CEO, Horiifoodservice Co., Ltd.: "Our company has continuously refined its core values of 'safety, security, and deliciousness.' By incorporating the strengths of byFood's multilingual support and pre-payment system, we will achieve highly reliable customer referrals while reducing the burden on our staff, enabling us to pursue profitable inbound operations. We will begin in the Kanto region and plan for phased nationwide expansion."

Kaoru Jōbō, President and CEO, Table Cross Inc.: "Horiifoodservice's operational quality and store network are significant strengths in providing a stable 'Japanese dining experience' to foreign visitors. With our investment base, we will co-create gastronomic tourism that contributes to regional revitalization through multilingual operations and highly reliable customer acquisition."

Company Profile: Table Cross Inc. Company Name: Table Cross Inc. Location: Shibuya Ward, Tokyo Representative: President and CEO Kaoru Jōbō Business Activities: Operation of the gourmet and dining experience platform "byFood" for foreign visitors to Japan. Table Cross operates "byFood," a platform that offers Japanese culinary experiences to foreign visitors. It has built a referral infrastructure connecting restaurants and foreign tourists through multilingual support, pre-payment, and group reservation management functions. The company has received investment from JTB Corporation, PR TIMES Inc., VELTRA Corporation, Shokunomirai No. 1 Investment Business Limited Partnership, and kemuri ventures LLC, and is expanding its customer acquisition and referral network for foreign visitors through business collaborations in the tourism, media, and travel distribution sectors. ■ Company Profile: Horiifoodservice Co., Ltd. Company Name: Horiifoodservice Co., Ltd. English Company Name: Horiifoodservice Co., Ltd. Representative: President and CEO Akihisa Fujita Location: 4th Floor, Carney Place Mito, 3-10-17 Jonan, Mito City, Ibaraki Prefecture, 310-0803 Business Activities: Chain development and operation of restaurants. URL: https://www.horiifood.co.jp/