How TOKii increased restaurant bookings by an estimated 45% with TheFork

Discover how TOKii, the Japanese restaurant at London's five-star Prince Akatoki hotel, uses TheFork to attract more diners, increase bookings and turn first-time visitors into repeat guests.

Murray Dougall has spent almost 20 years working in marketing, including around a decade in hospitality. He joined Prince Akatoki a couple of years ago to oversee the hotel's marketing, including TOKii, its Japanese restaurant, and The Malt Lounge & Bar.

Located within the five-star luxury hotel in London, TOKii serves authentic Japanese cuisine with a contemporary twist, bringing together Japanese and British influences through dishes and experiences such as its Japanese-inspired afternoon tea.

With a refurbishment planned ahead of its relaunch at the start of next year, it's an exciting time for the restaurant, and as TOKii prepares for its next chapter, making sure more people know about the restaurant remains a priority.

Since using TheFork, TOKii estimates that its restaurant capacity has increased by around 45%, with Murray attributing the vast majority of that growth to bookings generated through the platform.

The challenge: Getting noticed in a competitive market

Despite being part of a five-star hotel, TOKii isn't necessarily somewhere people discover from the street. For Murray, the challenge was getting the restaurant in front of diners who might not know it exists.

“TOKii and the hotel are very central, but on a quieter side street, which makes for a better ambiance but less natural footfall” into the restaurant, he explains.

In a competitive market like London, relying on people to discover the restaurant on their own isn't enough. TOKii needed to reach more diners, generate additional bookings and give new guests the opportunity to experience the restaurant for themselves.

The restaurant already used another ERB to manage reservations, so the aim wasn't simply to introduce another way of handling bookings. It was to increase visibility and bring in additional business.

The solution: Reaching more diners with TheFork Manager

TOKii added TheFork as another channel for reaching diners and generating reservations. Murray says the platform was an attractive option because it offered an opportunity to increase visibility without taking on significant costs if bookings didn't come through.

He also found TheFork Manager straightforward to use, despite his background being in marketing rather than restaurant operations.

Around seven or eight members of the team, including Murray, use the platform. The front-of-house team handles reservations and guest enquiries day to day, while Murray uses the marketing tools and reporting to understand performance and inform decisions.

“Visibility and trackability” are what Murray values most about TheFork Manager. He can see how many people are booking, when they're coming, which discounts they're using and whether they're new or returning guests.

This information helps TOKii understand what's driving demand and make changes accordingly. For example, the team initially offered relatively few time slots through TheFork. After seeing bookings come in despite that limited availability, it decided to open up many more.

The restaurant also uses TheFork Festival to increase its visibility and attract additional bookings during promotional periods.

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The results: More bookings, repeat guests and better-informed decisions

An estimated 45% increase in restaurant capacity

Since the start of the year, TOKii estimates that its restaurant capacity has increased by around 45%, with Murray attributing the vast majority of that growth to TheFork.

The restaurant monitors the commissions it pays against the business generated, particularly when guests book using promotional discounts. Even when a guest receives a 50% discount, Murray believes the additional business can make the offer worthwhile.

“It's still getting people through the door, and they're coming back and enjoying it.”

Guests who discover TOKii through TheFork don't necessarily book through the platform every time. Some return through TheFork, while others make direct reservations, giving the restaurant further opportunities to build relationships with its customers.

Murray says the results have made the platform worth keeping, with the team reviewing its performance and costs each month.

More repeat visits and a growing customer base

The impact extends beyond the initial booking. TOKii has seen an increase in repeat visitors in TheFork's reporting, alongside steady growth in its own loyalty scheme since opening up more availability.

For Murray, this is an important part of the value TheFork brings. It helps the restaurant reach people who might not otherwise have discovered it, while giving the team the opportunity to encourage those guests to return.

Better insight into booking behaviour

Murray regularly checks booking volumes, popular time slots, discount levels and the balance between new and returning guests. Together, these figures provide a useful snapshot of the restaurant's performance.

The data also helps TOKii understand how different offers influence demand. For example, the team has seen a drop in bookings at a 30% discount compared with a 50% discount, providing useful insight into what attracts diners in its market.

These insights have helped the restaurant make more informed decisions about availability and promotions, rather than relying solely on assumptions about what guests want.

Murray also uses the reporting to understand demand across different parts of the business. TOKii's afternoon tea, for example, is treated as a separate offering, allowing the team to identify its strongest days and time slots and adjust its approach accordingly.

Less time preparing for commercial meetings

Having booking and marketing performance data available through TheFork Manager has also made Murray's reporting more efficient.

He uses the information to prepare for food and beverage commercial meetings, with the time required for preparation now cut by at least half.

For the wider team, the reservation calendar provides a clear overview of daily covers, helping management understand how booking volumes change from one day to the next.

Murray also says the restaurant's improved no-show rate has increased his confidence in bookings received through TheFork. While he attributes this improvement only partly to the platform, that confidence can help the team make more informed decisions about staffing. When bookings are strong, they can plan accordingly; when demand is quieter, they can avoid scheduling more staff than necessary.

Why TOKii continues to use TheFork

For TOKii, TheFork's value comes down to the business it generates. Murray sees TheFork as an important part of its strategy for attracting diners in London, the additional bookings and visibility generated through TheFork make it a valuable part of the restaurant's overall approach.

Murray made his position about TheFork clear:

“TheFork is a crucial and highly effective part of our visibility strategy in the London market.”

With a refurbishment and relaunch on the horizon, continuing to attract new diners and build a loyal customer base will remain important for TOKii.

And when asked what he would tell another restaurant considering TheFork Manager, Murray keeps it simple:

“TheFork works, it brings people to our restaurant.”

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