TheFork Review 2024: Can you find cheap eats on TheFork app?

Finding good places to eat when traveling in a foreign country would have been a painstaking task if not for the technology. Thankfully, there are apps to locate and review places to eat, connect guests with chefs, and make reservations at restaurants around the world. 

Some travelers like to plan everything well in advance, including where to eat every day. It also gives you plenty of time to research, check reviews, and choose restaurants that serve the food you like. In this case, a restaurant reservation app is super helpful.

We previously reviewed apps like EatWith, to see whether they're worth using to locate good food while abroad. Today, we'll be reviewing a similar app called TheFork. TheFork by Trip Advisor is one such popular app, especially in Europe. Read our TheFork review to determine if it's the right choice for you!

What is TheFork?

Founded in 2007, TheFork is an online restaurant reservation platform that lets you browse and book a dining experience in cafés, restaurants, and eateries. TheFork has grown as a leading platform ever since its partnership with TripAdvisor in 2014. 

It is now available in 22 countries in Europe, Australia, and Latin America, with 80,000 restaurants listed on the app for reservation. The TheFork app is available for both iOS and Android devices. 

TheFork's Loyalty Program

When you make a reservation from the app or refer TheFork to one of your friends, the loyalty program rewards you with points called "Yums." In return, you can use the Yums earned to claim discounts or offers at restaurants that accept Yums. 

It helps frequent users of TheFork to save money. However, many customers had left disappointing reviews stating how most restaurants don't accept Yums points, making the earnings you recieved futile.

How do I search for a restaurant on TheFork?

On the homepage, you get the option to search for restaurants by location. You can specify the cuisine type restaurant name or go with all restaurants for a wider choice. Also, select the date, time slot, and the number of guests if you only need the restaurants available for your requirements. 

If you don't provide filters, the app will provide you with a list of all restaurants, some of which might be closed or fully booked on the day. Of course, you can always check the availability by clicking each restaurant and viewing the reservation calendar.

You can filter the search results further by average rating, average price, TheFork advantages, dietary requirements, cuisine type, setting and ambiance, payment options, neighborhoods, and many more. 

What we liked about TheFork.

• Variety of Choices

TheFork is particularly beneficial for those traveling in Europe. You will find plenty of restaurants to choose from, at varying price ranges. It's a great platform to find a restaurant that offers a particular cuisine you want to try – be it Mexican, Thai, Japanese, Caribbean, or anything else. You can also search for restaurants by vibe like romantic, family-friendly, traditional, trendy, etc. The reviews left by past users help you gain a good idea of the service quality as well.

• Highly Convenient

TheFork lets you book up to three months in advance and doesn't charge any fee for the bookings made. You don't have to go through the hassle of calling the restaurant or standing in queues. A big added benefit to this app is that you can apply multiple filters at once to specify and find the restaurant you'd like to go to. 

Specific dietary requirements, such as gluten-free, halal, kosher, organic food, vegan, vegetarian dishes, saves users the time and effort to look up reviews or call the restaurants. TheFork Pay has enabled contactless payment allowing users to save their credit card details in the app and pay quickly. 

What we think TheFork can do better.

• Flawed booking system

We came across many negative reviews about TheFork that highlighted its faulty and unreliable booking system. In many instances, users didn't receive the restaurant's bookings, but restaurants had sent the confirmation to the customer. There were also a lot of complaints about double bookings. People can be very skeptical about using TheFork for bookings. There's no definite guarantee that your booking is actually made. This issue can be problematic and inconvenient.

• Problematic app and website 

TheFork app is also buggy and crashes quite frequently, making it difficult to browse and search for restaurants. At times, customers couldn't place the booking or make the payment via the app due to technical errors. Users have also encountered technical errors when applying a discount code, leaving a review, or unsubscribing from the service. Both the mobile app and website need a lot of improvement. 

• Poor customer support

TheFork is infamous for its customer service. If you face any issue, the chances are that it will take a long time to get it resolved through the customer support team. They are not very responsive and usually don't take prompt action despite acknowledging the issue. TheFork needs to improve the service to persuade people to use it. 

Is TheFork worth it?

While the concept is excellent, the platform has some severe flaws to fix. The majority of TheFork reviews were not in favor of the platform due to problems relating to usability and reliability. After all, those are the primary reasons for using a restaurant reservation app in the first place. However, a fraction of customers have had no problem using the TheFork app and continue to use it happily. So, it could be worth giving a try! 

Rating: 2.5/5

Pros

• Wide choice
• Great filters to narrow your search
• Convenience 

Cons 

• Faulty booking system
• Poor customer support
• Unreliable app and website
• No incentive from the loyalty program‍
  

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