Omakase

What Omakase does

GMO OMAKASE株式会社 (operating as OMAKASE, branded OMAKASE byGMO) is a Tokyo-based vertical SaaS company founded in April 2017 as a subsidiary of GMO Internet Group. The company's core product, the OMAKASE platform, is a cloud-based reservation and customer management system purpose-built for high-end and 'reservation-difficult' restaurants — predominantly Michelin-starred and other in-demand venues in Japan that struggle with continuous phone-based booking demand during service hours. The platform provides fully automated reservation acceptance, automated pre-visit confirmations at one week and one day, automated cancellation fee processing via pre-registered cards, automatic waitlist rebooking of cancelled slots, and customer relationship management that tracks visit histories, allergies/aversions, receipt names, cancellation rates, and a 'difficult customer pairing' feature to prevent guest conflicts.

OMAKASE monetizes via a ¥390 (tax-inclusive) per-reservation transaction fee to customers or restaurants. GTM is sales-led: a field sales team targets popular restaurants for onboarding, while a dedicated inbound sales team handles international visitors and inbound-facing restaurant partners. The company has expanded the product surface beyond core reservations into takeout/delivery (launched 2020 during COVID-19), an inbound tourism reservation service for international visitors (launched 2023), OMAKASE DINING exclusive event reservations, and the 'First Dish' (はじめての一皿) cultural experience program (announced June 2026). Distribution has been internationalized through a December 2024 partnership with Catchtable (Wad Corp., South Korea) covering 500 member restaurants.

Beyond transactional SaaS, GMO OMAKASE has built a community and brand layer centered on Japan's top culinary ecosystem: it operates the OMAKASE Scholarship (¥200,000 per recipient, launched April 2024) for culinary students with exchange events at Michelin 3-star venues, hosts industry events and Michelin Guide Tokyo 2026 plaque ceremonies, and maintains strategic ties with restaurant groups such as I1Company Holdings (Kagurazaka Ishikawa, Tora Shiro) and luxury hospitality partners including AMAN TOKYO, JANU TOKYO, and Banyan Tree Higashiyama Kyoto. The company received funding from Nomura Holdings in May 2024 and is led by Representative Director Asai Shuhei.

Name

Omakase

Legal name

GMO OMAKASE株式会社

Website

https://omakase-japan.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

GMO OMAKASE operates the OMAKASE reservation and customer management platform for high-end, reservation-difficult restaurants in Japan, charging a ¥390 per-booking fee. It serves Michelin-starred venues and luxury hospitality partners and has expanded into inbound tourism and cultural experience products.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Restaurant Reservation Management Platform

NAICS

Other Travel Arrangement and Reservation Services (56159)

SIC

Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

Restaurant/Table Reservation & Booking Engines (THALADAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Reservation & Waitlist Management Services (HSACALAO), Restaurant Reservations & Dining Booking Platforms (BPAMAIAK)

Keywords

• Restaurant reservation platform
• Reservation management software
• Dining booking service
• Fine dining reservations
• Restaurant CRM platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Reservation Transaction Fee: Per-booking transaction fee charged to customers or restaurants for each reservation made through the OMAKASE platform. The fee was set at 390 yen (including tax) following a service refresh.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Omakase operates a cloud-based restaurant reservation management platform connecting hard-to-book, often Michelin-recognized Japanese restaurants with diners. The platform automates reservation acceptance, customer relationship management, pre-visit confirmations, cancellation/no-show fee processing, and waitlist rebooking, reducing operational burden on restaurant staff and providing diners with a simple digital booking experience.

Product overview

Omakase (GMO OMAKASE株式会社) operates a unified restaurant reservation management platform called OMAKASE (also branded as OMAKASE byGMO). The core offering is a reservation system connecting hard-to-book restaurants with customers, featuring automated reservation acceptance, customer management, and cancellation handling. The platform has expanded to include takeaway/delivery services, an inbound tourism reservation service for international visitors, the OMAKASE DINING event reservation program, and the educational 'First Dish' cultural experience initiative. All services are delivered through the omakase.in platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• OMAKASE (OMAKASE byGMO) A restaurant reservation management service connecting hard-to-book, often Michelin-recognized restaurants with customers. Provides automated reservation acceptance, customer management, pre-reservation confirmation automation, and automatic cancellation/no-show fee processing. Solves operational burdens for restaurant staff while providing customers with a simple reservation method.
• Takeout & Home Delivery (店頭受取/ご自宅配送) A takeaway and home delivery service launched during COVID-19 allowing customers to enjoy restaurant-quality cuisine from premium partner restaurants at home.
• Inbound Reservation Service (インバウンド予約サービス) An international customer-facing reservation service targeting inbound tourists to Japan, partnering with Japanese restaurants and luxury hotels to facilitate bookings for international visitors.
• First Dish (はじめての一皿) An educational experience program connecting participants with Michelin-starred restaurants to learn about Japanese food culture, dining etiquette, and the stories behind dishes.

Quantifiable outcome

• Automated cancellation rebooking saves restaurants from last-minute empty tables

Named customers11 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Catchtable (Wad Corp.)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 December 2024Catchtable, developed by South Korea's Wad Corp., launched a beta restaurant reservation service in Japan in partnership with Omakase Japan Eatinerary. The initial rollout includes 500 Japanese restaurants, all OmakaseJE members rated 3.5+ on Tabelog, with bookings confirmed via email within 24 hours. This partnership enables Catchtable to offer Japanese restaurant inventory while expanding Omakase's international distribution through Catchtable's platform.
• 株式会社I1Companyホールディングス (I1Company Holdings)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerI1Company Holdings operates renowned Michelin-starred restaurants including Kagurazaka Ishikawa (15+ consecutive 3-star years), Tora Shiro, and Ren. They are a special cooperator for the OMAKASE scholarship program, hosting exchange events at their restaurants and serving as an employer for scholarship recipients. The partnership bridges aspiring chefs with Japan's top culinary professionals.
• 公益財団法人 公益推進協会 (Public Interest Incorporated Foundation Kousuiikyo)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKousuiikyo serves as the administrative partner for the OMAKASE Scholarship program, managing application collection, selection, and disbursement of the 200,000 yen per-recipient grants to culinary students since April 2024.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• OpenTable: Global restaurant reservation platform (owned by Booking Holdings) offering reservation SaaS to restaurants and discovery/booking to consumers. Directly comparable in product scope and target market to OMAKASE, with international premium dining brand presence.
• Toreta: Japanese restaurant management SaaS offering reservation, customer, and revenue management tools. Closest direct peer to OMAKASE on the restaurant-side SaaS layer, with overlapping automation features (reservations, confirmations, no-show handling).
• Resy (American Express): US-focused premium restaurant reservation platform owned by American Express, specializing in difficult-to-book restaurants and concierge-style dining experiences. Closest Western analog to OMAKASE's high-end positioning.
• Tabelog (Kakaku.com): Japan's dominant restaurant discovery and online reservation platform, operated by Kakaku.com. The most direct competitor for restaurant-side SaaS and consumer-side reservation demand in Japan, with vastly larger traffic scale than OMAKASE.
• Catchtable (Wad Corp.): Korea's leading reservation platform operated by Wad Corp. and an OMAKASE partner since December 2024; operates a near-identical product model for high-end restaurants in Korea and now serves as a cross-border distribution channel for OMAKASE's Japan inventory.
• Gurunavi: Major Japanese restaurant information and reservation platform with deep coverage of premium establishments. Competes with OMAKASE for restaurant onboarding and consumer-side booking, particularly in upscale dining categories.
• Hitosara: Japanese restaurant reservation and review platform focused on high-quality dining establishments. Competes with OMAKASE in the upscale reservation segment and offers comparable consumer-side discovery and booking flows.
• TheFork (Tripadvisor): Europe's leading online restaurant reservation platform owned by Tripadvisor, offering SaaS tools for restaurants and consumer-side booking. Comparable business model and product scope to OMAKASE's reservation-management platform.

Broad incumbents

• Hot Pepper Gourmet (Recruit): Operated by Recruit, one of Japan's largest restaurant marketing and reservation platforms with broad SMB coverage. While not focused on premium dining, it competes for restaurant marketing budgets and consumer demand-side attention relevant to OMAKASE's expansion path.

Regional players

• Ikyu Restaurant (Ikyu Corporation): Premium Japanese online restaurant reservation service operated by Ikyu Corporation, integrated with the Ikyu luxury travel and hospitality platform. Directly comparable in upscale Japanese dining focus, though primarily domestic and tied to Ikyu's travel funnel.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Omakase