"We'll change everything about the restaurant industry by focusing solely on the food, while ensuring customers can fully enjoy the dining experience."
Recent large-scale hiring and organizational restructuring with a C-level structure… Preparing to build a super platform for the restaurant industry.
We are continuously developing new innovative services, including digitalization of stores and provision of gourmet insights and information.
"Except for the real-time reservations and remote waiting systems introduced by catchtable over the past decade, and the attempts by some startups to offer table-top ordering, the restaurant industry hasn't changed much from a decade ago. Now, catchtable aims to lead operational innovation across the entire restaurant industry."
Catchtable, which has established itself as Korea's leading restaurant reservation platform, surpassing 10 million cumulative members in just five years since its launch, is accelerating its efforts to build a "restaurant industry super platform" encompassing both B2B and B2C. This is why it recently established a C-level structure and embarked on a large-scale talent recruitment drive.
Catchtable has been on a steep growth curve. Starting with 100,000 users when its B2C service launched in September 2020, it reached 5 million monthly active users (MAU) by 2024 and surpassed 10 million cumulative members by 2025. With over 10,000 affiliated stores nationwide, it has established itself as the largest reservation platform in Korea. Its waiting service, launched in 2022, has also become a must-have for food lovers. Catchtable's reservation and waiting services have grown to the point where most food lovers utilize them.
Catchtable has achieved both quantitative and qualitative growth. Its selection as the official booking supporter of the Michelin Guide for two consecutive years solidified its position in the premium gastronomy market. Notably, by 2025, all 40 Michelin-listed Korean restaurants will be available for reservations through Catchtable, solidifying its unrivaled position as a premium reservation platform.
Despite these achievements, CEO Yong started by saying that there is still a lot of work to be done.
"Catchtable has grown to some extent, but when you look at the food service market, it seems like we haven't even reached 10% of what we need to do. There's still a lot of work to be done and many challenges to overcome."
We met with CEO Taisoun Yong at the Ward office in Pangyo, Gyeonggi Province, to discuss how catchtable, a leader in the digitalization of the domestic restaurant industry, will evolve beyond a reservation platform into a "restaurant super platform."
“With 1,000 passionate team members”
Recently, CEO Yong's biggest focus has been recruiting. Last month alone, 25 new employees joined Catchtable. Such a large-scale talent acquisition is unusual for a startup. Why did he establish a C-suite structure and pursue such an aggressive hiring strategy in April?
Last April, catchtable hired COO Jaehong Kwon, formerly of Woowa Brothers, and established a new C-level structure comprised of CEO Taisoun Yong, COO Jaehong Kwon, and CPO Seokhwan Kim. CEO Taisoun Yong will focus on presenting the overall vision and establishing strategic direction, while COO Jaehong Kwon will oversee organizational management. Kwon is an expert in building systems required by large organizations, such as data-driven goal setting, systematic performance management, and efficient decision-making structures. CPO Seokhwan Kim will ensure that these systems align with catchtable's culture of innovation.
Establishing a C-level structure is essential for breaking through the growth threshold and systematically preparing for future growth. Evolving into a large organization requires a systematic management system that goes beyond the capabilities of individual entrepreneurs.
CEO Yong said he wanted to create a company where all 1,000 employees work passionately.
"I want to work with talented individuals. I hope those interested in the restaurant industry or those who want to solve difficult problems one by one will take an interest in catchtable. Above all, I hope passionate people will join us. A hundred people working together can create a hundred changes, but a thousand people with the same passion can create ten thousand changes. The problem is that passion wanes as the scale grows. That's why we aim to be an organization where passion grows together, not just numbers."
Think and practice 'more and more'
CEO Yong emphasized that the key to innovating the world is to always think and act from the customer's perspective.
"I believe innovation ultimately comes from the accumulation of small improvements. To deepen those improvements, the key is to constantly think from the customer's perspective, asking, 'How can we make things more convenient?' and 'How can we make things better?'"
Recent innovative services also come from this 'more, more, more' philosophy.
The "0 Won Deposit" system, introduced in December of last year, is an innovative service that significantly reduces the burden on customers while maintaining its effectiveness in preventing no-shows. This innovation stems from a keen understanding of the practical inconvenience of deposits in Korea, a society with a strong social gathering culture. The system operates on a foundation of trust. After registering a card, reservations can be made without actual payment, and cancellation fees are automatically charged only in the event of a no-show. The "0 Won Deposit" system goes a step further than the existing deposit system, which was designed for convenience, and embodies the catchtable "The The The" philosophy, addressing the customer burden.
The "Reservation Success Guarantee," introduced last month, provides compensation of up to 1 million won if the reservation confirmation differs from the pre-arranged information upon arrival. While the reservation-related incident rate is extremely low—less than 0.01%—this service was created with the utmost care, driven by the need for thorough management.
Providing a seamless dining experience
Mr. Yong declared that he would eliminate counters from restaurants.
Waiting in line at the counter or waiting for a waiter to pay after a meal is the last obstacle to the dining experience. To address this issue, catchtable introduced its CatchPay service in July of last year.
Once a customer registers their card on the catchtable app, payment is automatically processed after dining at their reserved restaurant, eliminating the need for a separate payment process. This is the same experience as getting off a Kakao Taxi upon arriving at your destination without any additional payment.
Table turnover also improves, as customers naturally leave after finishing their meal. This significantly improves operational efficiency, as bottlenecks caused by counter waiting are eliminated, especially during busy periods.
CEO Yong explained, "'Counterless stores' represent a fundamental shift in dining culture beyond mere technological innovation. Catch Pay is the starting point and key driver of that change."
To provide customers with a better dining experience, Catchtable is constantly pursuing innovation. Long lines and slow turnover are chronic problems in the restaurant industry. To address these issues, we sought ways to reduce wait times and increase turnover. This led us to develop a new service that combines waiting and QR ordering.
This system sends text messages to customers as their turn approaches, prompting them to select their menu and complete payment in advance. The system then delivers the food as soon as they're seated. Customers can utilize their waiting time to choose their menu, and the immediate arrival of their food boosts customer satisfaction. Since the restaurant can serve customers the food they've already ordered as soon as they're seated, the time spent on each table is significantly reduced. This also saves time during order processing, menu explanations, and additional ordering. Since the payment process is already complete, customers can leave immediately after their meal.
A Revolution in Reliable Gourmet Information… Rebuilding the Review Ecosystem
Mr. Yong has another important challenge to address: the reliability of restaurant reviews.
Beyond paying agencies to buy fake reviews, even more serious are the manipulations restaurants engage in directly with customers. As these fabricated reviews pile up, actual customers are deprived of accurate information and experience disappointing dining experiences. This ultimately leads to a vicious cycle that undermines trust in the entire restaurant industry and discourages consumption.
Currently, the catchtable platform has virtually eliminated abuse targeting stores. This is because, based on years of accumulated data and pattern analysis, the company has developed a proprietary system that identifies and blocks fake reviews. However, catchtable's goal goes beyond simply blocking abuse. It aims to foster an environment where genuine gourmets can write high-quality reviews and fundamentally improve the review ecosystem by accumulating more expert evaluations.
By combining catchtable's reservation, waiting, and payment data with its clean review system, the most accurate and reliable restaurant information platform can be created. The AI learns and makes recommendations based on clean review data and reliable data free from abuse, ensuring high accuracy and reliability. Based on this data, catchtable plans to provide personalized recommendations that comprehensively consider individual preferences, travel companions, purpose, and budget. This service is expected to be a completely different level of service than existing ratings or review-based searches.
Expansion into a super platform encompassing B2B and B2C
Starting with a reservation system, customers could make reservations via app instead of phone. They then introduced a wait service to eliminate the inconvenience of waiting in line. Catchpay eliminated the final inconvenience of waiting to pay at the counter. But catchtable isn't stopping there, and plans to accelerate the digitalization of its stores.
Catchtable envisions a future where all data is connected and automated. For example, in the case of a fine dining restaurant, Catchtable already has real-time information on reservations for the week and, based on past data, understands order patterns for each menu item. By comprehensively analyzing this information, AI can accurately calculate the amount of ingredients needed today. No need to worry about, "How many tomatoes do I need today?" Simply confirm the system-calculated quantity, press Enter, and the order will be automatically processed. Furthermore, complete automation is possible. The AI will learn reservation patterns and inventory status on its own, automatically ordering the necessary ingredients and processing payments without any intervention from the owner.
CEO Yong emphasized, “If this environment is created, stores can focus solely on improving food quality and service, which will elevate the overall restaurant industry.”
Catchtable plans to significantly expand its service offerings, currently limited to popular restaurants requiring reservations or waiting, to encompass all dining options, including walk-in establishments. This expansion aims to provide a unified service that manages the entire dining experience on a single platform. By comprehensively analyzing vast amounts of reservation, waiting, and payment data, Catchtable will provide customers with valuable culinary insights. This ranges from practical information like seasonal menus, regional restaurant trends, and time-based wait times to personalized taste analysis.
Gourmet communities are also essential for expanding into a super platform. By creating a space where true gourmets can gather and share quality reviews and information, we believe this will contribute to a virtuous cycle of naturally producing high-quality content. Catchtable's B2C expansion could also significantly contribute to the globalization of K-food. By providing accurate restaurant information and a reliable review system, it will help foreign visitors to Korea experience the true flavors of Korean cuisine.
"Catchtable aims to become a super platform for the restaurant industry, encompassing both B2B and B2C, creating synergy between the two sectors. What sets catchtable apart is its focus on the restaurant industry. We're focused solely on how to enable customers to enjoy a more enjoyable culinary experience, how to enable restaurants to operate more efficiently and focus on delivering delicious food, and how to grow the restaurant industry through these efforts."
As the company celebrates its 10th anniversary next year, CEO Yong revealed specific plans.
"We plan to begin preparing, one by one, starting next year for listing or M&A in 2030."
A happy world created by gourmet food
His belief that "food is one of the greatest sources of happiness in life" is embedded in all of Catchtable's services. I realized that these innovations are not simply technological improvements, but rather the embodiment of a philosophy aimed at enriching people's culinary experiences.
As catchtable, a leader in digital innovation in the restaurant industry, evolves beyond a simple reservation platform into a "restaurant super platform," the future is clear: a world where restaurants focus solely on preparing food, while customers enjoy a more convenient and enriching culinary experience. And catchtable will be at the center of this.
It's exciting to see what innovations Catchtable's philosophy of "thinking more, thinking more, and executing more" will bring in the future, and how their dream restaurant ecosystem will become a reality. What's certain is that CEO Yong and Catchtable are dedicated to creating a happier world through food.
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