Expansion of support services for restaurants

「Under this plan, the company has once again adopted becoming a “true supporter of restaurants” as its vision and is pursuing two company-wide policies: transforming the value it provides, by changing restaurants' perception of the company from a “customer acquisition media platform” to a “management supporter,” and expanding its restaurant network as the foundation for medium- to long-term growth.」

「Regarding the expansion of the marketing agent business, the company began providing coupon information to Google Business Profile (GBP) in May and is strengthening customer acquisition support for participating restaurants through their GBPs.」

「In addition, by building a portfolio of services for restaurants extending beyond the operation of “Rakuten Gurunavi,” the company is evolving its core restaurant support business into a more robust source of earnings.」

「In addition, for the mobile ordering service ぐるなびFineOrder, which enables customers to place orders and make payments using their own smartphones, the company began integrating with the POS system of Qualica Inc., which is adopted by many food service companies regardless of format, with the aim of expanding proposals to major chains. As of the end of September 2024, the number of contracted companies was 115, compared with 64 at the end of the same month of the previous year.」

「In light of these circumstances, the company recognizes that the issues to be addressed in developing the food service industry and, ultimately, enhancing corporate value are to help create an environment in which restaurants can continue providing consumers with the experiential value unique to dining out, and to transform existing services and establish new services that contribute both to sales growth and to more efficient restaurant operations.」

「In its medium-term business policy for the fiscal years ending March 2024 through March 2026, the company aims to become the “best partner for restaurant DX” and is focusing on four priority measures: making ぐるなびFineOrder its second core service, transforming the ぐるなび website, establishing a marketing agent business, and expanding DX services.」

「Regarding initiatives related to priority measures in the second quarter, contracts for the mobile ordering service ぐるなびFineOrder have progressed not only among major food service chains but also in café and other formats where joining the company's traditional promotional support services had been difficult. As of the end of September, the number of contracted companies was 64, compared with 44 as of the end of March 2023, and the number of locations adopting the service at contracted companies is also increasing steadily.」

「Contracts for the mobile ordering service ぐるなびFineOrder have progressed not only among major food service chains but also in café and other formats where joining the company's traditional promotional support services had been difficult. As of the end of June, the number of contracted companies was 52, compared with 44 as of the end of March 2023, and the number of locations adopting the service at contracted companies is also increasing steadily.」

「To achieve this, the company formulated a medium-term business policy covering the fiscal years ending March 2024 through March 2026, designating the following initiatives as priority measures.」

「In the business support area, the number of companies adopting the mobile ordering service ぐるなびFineOrder has been steadily increasing. To further increase the number of adopting companies and locations, the company is also working to expand functions, including the range of connected POS systems, and to strengthen support to promote smooth use at participating locations.」

「Through this partnership, the company aims to expand opportunities to acquire new customers, enhance comprehensive restaurant support services beyond promotional services, and develop employees through personnel exchanges. Specifically, it has begun proposing that Tempos customers newly join its services and proposing Tempos products and services to restaurants that have joined the company's services.」

「Through this partnership, the company aims to expand opportunities to acquire new customers, enhance comprehensive restaurant support services beyond promotional services, and develop employees through personnel exchanges.」

「The company has set out as its medium-term vision the evolution from a company supporting restaurant promotion into one supporting restaurant management, and is working to expand services that help address labor shortages and improve management efficiency, including outsourced operations and digitalization support, for restaurants facing the changing business environment described above.」

「The company also opened in advance, on 17 November, the ぐるなび仕入モール, an e-commerce site dedicated to the procurement of food ingredients and supplies for business use, which helps both restaurants and suppliers develop new business relationships, ahead of its full-scale opening in spring 2022.」

「In expanding support services for restaurants and creating new businesses, the company is focusing particularly on building and strengthening mobile ordering services, services supporting the ordering and supply of ingredients and other materials, and delivery services.」

「In the first quarter, as part of expanding its support services for restaurants, the company entered into an absorption-type company split agreement with Rakuten Group,Inc. on 23 April to succeed to the takeout and delivery businesses whose use by consumers had expanded and become habitual during the COVID-19 pandemic, and proceeded with preparations to launch the services on 1 July. In addition, for the mobile ordering system ぐるなびFine Order, which enables customers to place orders and pay using their smartphones, providing contactless service and improving restaurant operating efficiency, the company began advance sales to selected restaurants on 8 April ahead of the full-scale rollout from July.」

「Amid a challenging and uncertain business environment for the food service industry, including restaurants, the company aims, under the purpose described above, to evolve into a company that supports restaurant management itself and to contribute to the sustainable development of the food service industry, thereby enhancing corporate value.」

「In addition to participating in the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries’ “Go To Eat Campaign” as an online restaurant reservation operator from October, the company began collaborating in November with “LINE Reservations,” provided by LINE Corporation. As part of developing and strengthening services in response to changing restaurant issues, the company began providing a new service plan in June that bundled support needed by restaurants during the COVID-19 pandemic, including generating takeout revenue, improving the efficiency of customer and seating management, and communicating information effectively. It also undertook support for restaurants’ procurement of food ingredients by accepting an operating mandate for “Gurunavi FOODMALL — Farm to Restaurant to Table,” an e-commerce site for domestically produced food ingredients for restaurants that was launched in July as part of a recovery initiative implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.」

「By building multifaceted management support for restaurants, including assistance with ordering and procurement of food ingredients, and supporting the food-service industry beyond restaurants, we will accelerate the pace of the recovery in performance and link it to renewed growth.」

「To support restaurant management in the With/After COVID-19 environment, the company prepared to provide services flexibly and rapidly in response to changing restaurant issues. Specifically, it strengthened operational support services by introducing a new plan bundling services that support revenue generation through takeout and efficient information dissemination, and by adding card payment brands to the “Gurunavi Pay” multi-payment service as cashless payments became increasingly encouraged under new lifestyles. It also began expanding the service area by using agents.」

「In addition to these activities, we will prepare for long-term business growth by considering and testing the provision of value in new areas such as personnel and restaurant development, with the aim of delivering multifaceted management support to restaurants.」

「During the current fiscal year, we have focused on restoring our ability to attract customers through the expansion of online reservations and strengthening operational support aimed at providing multifaceted management support to restaurants, in order to achieve a recovery in performance and renewed growth.」

「The company has adopted the corporate mission of “preserving and nurturing Japan’s food culture” and aims, over the long term, to support restaurant management as a whole, rather than limiting its support for restaurants, the custodians of food culture, to promotional activities.」

「In addition to personnel, restaurants face diverse challenges, including the efficient procurement of management resources such as properties and food ingredients and responding to growing demand for prepared meals. The company will therefore continue expanding and providing services needed by restaurants across every aspect of restaurant management, from opening a new location through withdrawal.」

「The company steadily expanded its support areas by expanding the operation of external media, including “Gurunavi” restaurant pages and social media, and outsourced services for handling and managing telephone and online reservations on behalf of restaurants. It also began providing nationwide a product supporting employee training through collaboration with partner companies.」

「The company expanded its “outsourced operations service,” which manages external media such as “Gurunavi” restaurant pages and social media, as well as telephone and online reservation intake and management, on behalf of restaurants. It also began selling nationwide in August the “Customer and Employee Satisfaction Improvement Program,” provided by MS&Consulting Co., Ltd., to member restaurants as support for recruiting and training employees.」

「To improve this situation promptly and return business performance to a renewed growth trajectory, during the current fiscal year we are strengthening operational support that helps address labor shortages, expanding our methods of reaching users, and strengthening communication with restaurant operators.」

「In addition, the company will provide restaurants with the services they need throughout every aspect of restaurant management, from opening a new location to withdrawal, including the procurement of management resources such as properties and personnel, which it has already begun addressing, as well as employee training.」

「The company is also expanding operational support services beyond promotional activities that improve the efficiency and productivity of restaurant operations. In addition to launching services such as the “Gurunavi POS+” POS register system and “Gurunavi Pay” multi-payment service, it adopted the reservation ledger of 株式会社トレタ as “Gurunavi Ledger” and began selling it in October. In addition to launching a property-search website for prospective restaurant operators, the company is preparing, through collaboration with other companies, support for recruiting and training personnel, including improving employee retention. By providing services covering every aspect of restaurant management, it aims to support more restaurants.」

「Specifically, in operational support beyond restaurant sales promotion, we began providing the POS register system “Gurunavi POS+” in April, followed by the linked multi-payment service “Gurunavi Pay” in June and the self-order system “Gurunavi POS+ Table Top Order” in August. We are expanding services that improve restaurant operating efficiency and productivity. We also launched the property search website “Gurunavi PRO Restaurant Property Search” for prospective restaurant operators in June. By providing services involved in every aspect of restaurant management, rather than limiting our role to traditional sales promotion support, we aim to support more restaurants.」

「First, as an operational support service for restaurants, the company began providing the “Gurunavi POS+” POS register system on 25 April and launched the “Gurunavi Pay” multi-payment service, which integrates with “Gurunavi POS+,” on 26 June. In addition, it began providing “Gurunavi PRO Restaurant Property Search,” which supplies information on commercial properties to people planning to open restaurants. By providing services covering every aspect of restaurant management, rather than limiting its offering to conventional promotional support, the company will support more restaurants.」

「Going forward, we will provide multifaceted support throughout every stage of restaurant management, from preparing to open a restaurant through closing it, by combining a support structure of 1,000 people with the application of the latest technologies.」

「Specifically, to further strengthen and expand its business foundation, the company added Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture, in July and Utsunomiya, Tochigi Prefecture, in September to its sales-office network, bringing the total to 21 offices. It also entered into partnership agreements with Osaka City in June, and Sapporo City and Shizuoka Prefecture in November, bringing the total number of partner local governments and other organizations to 11. In these regions, the company is developing services that support restaurants and promote regional economies, including by holding seminars on measures to address inbound demand.」

「During the current fiscal year, the company intends to further strengthen its support for restaurants by expanding the regions in which its services are provided and offering multifaceted support to restaurants, while focusing on building new businesses and services to achieve medium- to long-term growth. Specific initiatives included entering into a comprehensive regional revitalization partnership agreement with Osaka City on 14 June, and establishing new sales offices in Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture, on 5 July and Utsunomiya, Tochigi Prefecture, on 28 September, thereby strengthening and expanding the foundation for future business development.」

「During the current fiscal year, we are working to further strengthen sales promotion services for restaurants by expanding the regions in which our services are offered and providing multifaceted support to restaurants. At the same time, we are focusing on building new businesses and services to achieve our medium- to long-term growth.」

「Going forward, while continuing to strengthen this core business, we will seek to expand the areas in which we support restaurants.」