EZTABLE

EZTABLE is an online restaurant reservation platform founded in Taipei in April 2008. The company was created by Alex Chen, Brooky Yen, Jerry Yen, and Peter Hsieh after they observed that restaurant reservations in many Asian markets were still commonly handled by telephone. Inspired by the U.S. reservation platform OpenTable, the founders sought to build a digital service that would make it easier for diners to discover restaurants, reserve tables, and, where supported, prepay for meals. The service began operating in August 2008 with a limited selection of restaurants. Its model combined consumer-facing reservation tools with restaurant-partner services and an online-to-offline approach: users could search by factors such as time, location, and cuisine, while participating restaurants could receive reservations and connect their physical dining operations with digital demand. EZTABLE offered access through its website and mobile applications for iOS and Android. The company expanded beyond Taiwan into other Asian markets, including Hong Kong, Thailand, and Indonesia. According to the cited Wikipedia description, more than 10,000 restaurants had used or been represented through EZTABLE across these markets since its founding. The platform's activities therefore extended beyond a simple booking directory, incorporating reservation management, online payment or prepayment functionality, dining promotions, and related consumer offerings such as gift cards. EZTABLE attracted outside investment during its early growth. In 2012, AppWorks and Rose Park Advisors invested US$1.5 million. Rose Park Advisors was founded by Harvard Business School professor Clayton M. Christensen and his son Matthew Christensen. In January 2015, EZTABLE disclosed a US$5 million funding round led by MediaTek, with participation from United Microelectronics Corporation, food company I-Mei, AppWorks, and Rose Park Advisors. In 2016, Japanese hotel and restaurant reservation company LKYU invested US$8.8 million, with the stated objective of supporting cooperation and tourism between Japan and Taiwan. The business also experimented with physical customer touchpoints. In March 2016, EZTABLE opened a store in Taipei's Nangang Software Park. The location allowed customers to make reservations, learn about the company's two applications, and scan QR codes associated with EZTABLE gift cards. This initiative illustrated the company's online-to-offline positioning, linking digital reservations and mobile products with an in-person retail environment. EZTABLE's core proposition is convenience for diners and digital demand generation for restaurants. It occupies a position between restaurant discovery, reservation technology, prepaid dining, and local-commerce services. Its main products have been its web reservation platform, mobile applications, restaurant search and booking functions, and associated gift-card or dining-commerce offerings. The available reference material does not provide a detailed account of the company's current ownership, executive leadership, financial performance, or present operational scale, so those fields are left unreported.

EZTABLE was established in Taipei in April 2008 by Alex Chen, Brooky Yen, Jerry Yen, and Peter Hsieh. The founders were influenced by OpenTable and identified an opportunity in Asian dining markets, where customers often still made restaurant reservations by telephone. Their objective was to create a digital platform that could centralize restaurant discovery and reservations while giving restaurants a way to receive and manage online demand. The website began operations in August 2008 with a relatively small restaurant selection. EZTABLE's service allowed users to search according to time, location, and cuisine, then complete reservations online. For participating restaurants, the platform represented an online-to-offline distribution channel: digital discovery and booking were converted into visits to physical dining venues. The service later added or supported prepayment for meals, helping formalize transactions before a customer's visit. EZTABLE developed across multiple Asian markets. The reference material identifies Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand, and Indonesia as markets in which the platform operated, and states that more than 10,000 restaurants had been included across those markets since the company's founding. Consumers could access the service through the website as well as applications for Apple's iOS and Google's Android operating systems. The company raised external capital as it developed its platform. In 2012, AppWorks and Rose Park Advisors invested US$1.5 million. In January 2015, EZTABLE disclosed a US$5 million round led by MediaTek, joined by United Microelectronics Corporation, I-Mei, AppWorks, and Rose Park Advisors. In 2016, LKYU, a Japanese hotel and restaurant reservation company, invested US$8.8 million. The parties stated that they hoped the relationship would help promote tourism between Japan and Taiwan. EZTABLE also pursued a physical manifestation of its digital service. In March 2016, it opened its first brick-and-mortar store at Taipei's Nangang Software Park. Customers could use the store to make restaurant reservations, find out about EZTABLE's two applications, and scan QR codes for EZTABLE gift cards. The store was consistent with the company's broader online-to-offline strategy, although the available source does not indicate how long it operated or whether the format was expanded. Its service portfolio has centered on restaurant search, reservations, and prepaid dining. The business has also been associated with mobile applications and gift-card offerings. The supplied references do not establish a current chief executive, ownership structure, financial performance, or detailed status of individual products. Accordingly, those matters remain unspecified rather than inferred.

• 2016

  LKYU investment

  [1]EZTABLEen.wikipedia.org

  Japanese reservation company LKYU invested US$8.8 million in EZTABLE.

• 2016

  First physical store opens

  [1]EZTABLEen.wikipedia.org

  EZTABLE opened a store in Taipei's Nangang Software Park to support reservations, app education, and gift-card interactions.

• 2015

  MediaTek-led funding round

  [1]EZTABLEen.wikipedia.org

  EZTABLE disclosed a US$5 million funding round led by MediaTek and backed by several existing and strategic participants.

• 2012

  First identified investment round

  [1]EZTABLEen.wikipedia.org

  AppWorks and Rose Park Advisors invested US$1.5 million in EZTABLE.

• 2008

  EZTABLE is founded in Taipei

  [1]EZTABLEen.wikipedia.org

  Alex Chen, Brooky Yen, Jerry Yen, and Peter Hsieh co-founded EZTABLE in April, creating a Taiwan-based digital restaurant reservation business.

• 2008

  Website operations begin

  [1]EZTABLEen.wikipedia.org

  The EZTABLE website began operating in August with a limited selection of restaurants.

A digital dining and online-to-offline platform connecting consumers with restaurants through search, reservations, prepayment, mobile applications, and related dining-commerce services.

• Online restaurant reservation platform · 2008

  EZTABLE website

  The website is EZTABLE's core consumer-facing service. It enables users to discover restaurants using criteria such as time, location, and cuisine, then make reservations online. The platform has also supported prepayment for meals, connecting digital booking with transactions at participating restaurants. It began with a limited restaurant selection in 2008 and later served markets in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand, and Indonesia.

• Mobile dining application

  EZTABLE mobile applications

  EZTABLE offered two mobile applications for iOS and Android. The applications extended the platform's restaurant discovery and booking functions to mobile users and formed part of the company's online-to-offline model. The available reference does not identify the applications by separate product names or provide current information about their availability.

• Dining gift and commerce product

  EZTABLE gift cards

  EZTABLE gift cards were associated with the company's dining-commerce activities. At the Taipei physical store, customers could scan QR codes connected with gift cards. The supplied source does not specify the denominations, redemption rules, or current availability of the cards.

• 2016

  Open a physical customer-facing storeStrategy

  Background

  EZTABLE pursued an online-to-offline approach and sought to connect its digital services with physical dining-related customer interactions.

  Action taken

  The company opened its first brick-and-mortar store at Taipei's Nangang Software Park, where customers could make reservations, learn about its applications, and scan gift-card QR codes.

  Aftermath

  The available source documents the store's opening but does not establish whether the format was expanded or its later operating outcome.

  Source

• 2008

  Adopt an online-to-offline restaurant reservation modelStrategy

  Background

  The founders identified continued reliance on telephone reservations in Asian markets and drew inspiration from OpenTable's digital reservation model.

  Action taken

  EZTABLE launched a web-based service for restaurant search and reservations, later incorporating meal prepayment and mobile access.

  Aftermath

  The platform expanded from an initial Taiwan restaurant selection into additional Asian markets, although the supplied material does not provide a complete current operating assessment.

  Source

1. 1EZTABLEen.wikipedia.org