Tock Looks Back On And Celebrates 10 Years As An Industry Disruptor

Forbes

15-07-2025

Tock, a restaurant booking platform that pioneered prepaid dining reservations, is celebrating its tenth year in 2025. The tool aims to decrease reservation abandonment, contributing to potential cost savings. Its introduction a decade ago disrupted the restaurant industry and marked a shift in reservation management.
Tock's origin story starts with a frustrated restaurant owner. Nick Kokonas, the co-founder of three-Michelin-starred Alinea in Chicago, was facing challenges. Even as one of the most sought-after fine dining destinations in the country, Alinea continued to experience hurdles like last-minute cancellations and no-shows.
Dr. Larry Yu, a professor of hospitality management at The George Washington University, has commented that 'the general understanding in the U.S. restaurant industry is that about one out of five customers often do not show up for restaurant reservations. Effectively a 20% no-show rate across restaurants, pubs, and bars in the U.S.'
This reservation absenteeism had a major impact at Alinea, where the tasting menu dinner can cost upwards of $300 a head. Kokonas realized that other big ticket experiences—like concerts, hotels and flying—all had systems in place to deter last-minute cancellations and no-shows. So, he set out to bring the same level of accountability to the restaurant industry.
Kokonas created an in-house system that required people who wanted to reserve a table at Alinea prepay for their meal. This approach provided greater consistency in managing inventory, staffing and revenue. The restaurant's no-show rate was basically eliminated. This success soon attracted interest from other restaurateurs and in 2014, Kokonas transformed the platform into an independent company, Tock.
Tock data suggests that requiring some form of upfront commitment—whether a deposit, credit card hold, or full prepayment—can significantly reduce no-shows. Even a small deposit at the time of booking tends to lower absenteeism, with fully prepaid reservations showing the most dramatic impact.
'We saw an opportunity to completely rethink reservations,' Matt Tucker, head of Tock, said in an email. "At Alinea, a no-show wasn't just inconvenient. It was costly. Instead of continuing with the status quo, we introduced our own product, Tock, and prepaid bookings to the industry. Tock gave restaurants financial certainty, reduced friction for the guests and the restaurant, and allowed us to treat reservations more like
ticketing for an experience.'
The prepaid reservation system began with Alinea, and eventually evolved. Tock has now been adopted by more than just restaurants—wineries, pop-ups and experience-driven businesses are using the system to gain stronger guest commitment. According to Tock, there are now over 7,000 businesses that use and benefit from the system.
When reflecting on some of the first restaurants to use Tock, Tucker says they all had something in common, they were "innovators who wanted to challenge
the norms."
"Whether it was OTOKO in Austin rethinking omakase, or Cow by Bear
throwing anonymous dinner parties in San Diego, these restaurants valued
experience," Tucker said in an email, "Tock let them monetize that experience in a thoughtful, sustainable way.'
The Tock 10- The Firsts
To commemorate its birthday milestone, Tock is looking back on its 10 years with 'The Tock 10.' This monthly collective celebrates 10 businesses that use the tool and groups them together under a common theme. The "Tock 10-The Firsts" list highlights some of the first restaurants who believed in the benefit of Tock and adopted the tool.
Alinea (Chicago, IL)
Lazy Bear (San Francisco, CA)
Staplehouse (Atlanta, GA)
Kadence (Orlando, FL)
Spoon and Stable (Minneapolis, MN)
otoko x watertrade (Austin, TX)
Cow by Bear (San Diego, CA)
Smyth (Chicago, IL)
OSAKANA (New York, NY)
Inn of the Seventh Ray (Topanga, CA)
• On what the model unlocked for growth:
o 'For many of these restaurants who were early adopters to pre-paid
reservations, it meant consistency and creativity could coexist. They had
predictable revenue, more control over service, and fewer operational
headaches.'
• On the broader shift in hospitality:
o 'The best dining experiences are more than just a meal. They're curated,
intentional, and often interactive. The restaurants in the original Tock 10
understood that early. They paved the way for how restaurants operate today.
Tock gave them the tools to succeed on their own terms.'
• On what's to come:
o 'We evolve with our partners. The needs of the hospitality industry are
constantly changing, and we listen and deliver.'