GURUNAVI

What GURUNAVI does

GURUNAVI (ぐるなび), legally Gurunavi, Inc., is a Japanese public company (tyo:2440) founded in 1989 and headquartered in Tokyo that operates a nationwide online restaurant guide and reservation platform. The platform enables Japanese consumers to search partner restaurants by area (all 47 prefectures), cuisine genre (居酒屋, 焼肉, イタリアン, and many others), and occasion-specific preferences, then make online reservations through gnavi.co.jp and dedicated iOS and Android apps. The company also publishes a substantial content library including menus, photos, and user reviews for its partner restaurants, with vertical sub-brands such as 大人のレストランガイド (business dining), こちら秘書室 (reception/dinner support), and PREMIUM GOURMET CLUB (paid membership).

The technical core is a two-sided reservation and content platform with a restaurant search directory spanning 30,000+ partner venues. The system integrates with the Rakuten loyalty ecosystem, allowing users to accrue Rakuten points on reservations made through the 'Rakuten Gurunavi' service variant, and reaches consumers via Rakuten distribution channels. Distribution is concentrated on owned web and mobile surfaces and Rakuten cross-promotion, with limited global footprint — the service is a single-country (Japan) offering.

Gurunavi's business model combines transaction-based revenue (restaurant-side reservation commissions), advertising and premium listing fees from restaurant partners, and affiliate/revenue-share from mobile app distribution. Consumer access is free; monetization is concentrated on the B2B side. Recently the company has returned to operating profitability after several years of losses, while operating a stable headcount in the 1,001-5,000 employee range and continuing to invest in content-led engagement (e.g., the January 2026 user survey on 'Food 100 Years from Now').

Name

GURUNAVI

Legal name

Gurunavi, Inc.

Website

https://gnavi.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Gurunavi (ぐるなび) is a publicly traded (tyo:2440) Japanese online restaurant guide and reservation platform founded in 1989, connecting Japanese consumers with 30,000+ partner restaurants across all 47 prefectures via web, mobile apps, and Rakuten point integration.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Restaurant Reservation Platform

NAICS

Other Travel Arrangement and Reservation Services (56159)

akta.pro primary industry

Restaurant Reservations & Dining Booking Platforms (BPAMAIAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Restaurant/Table Reservation & Booking Engines (THALADAH), Online Booking & Reservation Platforms (B2B/B2C) (THALAMAA)

Keywords

• Restaurant reservation platform
• Online restaurant guide
• Restaurant search directory
• Dining booking service
• Restaurant discovery platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Toho

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Restaurant Reservation Commissions: Gurunavi earns transaction fees from restaurant partners when customers make reservations through the platform. The platform features a point system where users earn Rakuten points on reservations.
2. Restaurant Advertising and Listings: Restaurants pay for premium listings, promotional placement, and advertising within the platform to attract more customers.
3. Mobile App Distribution: Distribution of the Rakuten Gurunavi app through Apple App Store and Google Play, generating revenue through partnership with Rakuten.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

GURUNAVI operates a Japanese online restaurant guide and reservation platform where consumers can search restaurants by area, cuisine genre, and dining preferences across all 47 prefectures, view menus/photos/reviews, and make real-time table reservations. The service is offered free to consumers, who can also earn Rakuten points on bookings, while restaurant partners pay for premium listings, advertising, and reservation commissions.

Product overview

GURUNAVI operates a dual-branded restaurant discovery and reservation platform consisting of the core ぐるなび (Gurunavi) service and the Rakuten-integrated 楽天ぐるなび version. The platform serves as a comprehensive online restaurant guide covering over 30,000 partner restaurants across Japan, offering search by area and cuisine genre, table reservation capabilities, and a points-based loyalty program. The company also provides dedicated mobile applications for iOS and Android. The platform features restaurant listings across diverse dining categories including izakaya, yakiniku, Italian, Japanese cuisine, BBQ, beer gardens, and more, with services for both individual diners and corporate party bookings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 大人のレストランガイド: Business dining guide for business scenes from everyday use to client entertainment
• こちら秘書室
• PREMIUM GOURMET CLUB

Products and services

• Gurunavi Restaurant Reservation & Guide Platform Comprehensive Japanese online restaurant guide and reservation platform allowing users to search restaurants by area, cuisine genre, and preferences, view menus/photos/reviews, and complete real-time table reservations across 30,000+ partner restaurants in all 47 prefectures of Japan. Free for consumers.
• Rakuten Gurunavi (楽天ぐるなび) - Reservation with Rakuten Points The Rakuten-branded version of Gurunavi's reservation service integrating with Rakuten's loyalty points system, allowing users to earn Rakuten points on restaurant bookings through the same nationwide platform.
• Gurunavi Mobile App (iOS/Android) iOS and Android mobile applications providing restaurant search and reservation functionality on-the-go, integrated with Rakuten point earning, distributed via App Store and Google Play.
• PREMIUM GOURMET CLUB Membership Service Membership service offering access to various gourmet experiences nationwide across Japan for paying members.

Quantifiable outcome

• 69.2% of surveyed users believe substitute seafood will become commonplace in the future

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• RakutencoreGTM or Marketing PartnerGurunavi operates as part of the Rakuten ecosystem, with its service branded as 'Rakuten Gurunavi' (楽天ぐるなび). The partnership integrates Rakuten point system, allowing users to earn Rakuten points on restaurant reservations. The app is distributed through Rakuten's channels and promoted to Rakuten's extensive customer base in Japan.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Tripadvisor: Tripadvisor owns TheFork and operates a global restaurant review and reservation ecosystem, making it a broad incumbent comparable to Gurunavi's restaurant discovery and booking platform business.
• OpenTable: OpenTable is the largest global restaurant reservation platform, providing an analog of Gurunavi's core reservation and diner-management services across international markets and serving as a direct functional comparable.
• Yelp: Yelp is a major restaurant-discovery and review platform that has expanded into reservations and restaurant advertising, overlapping with Gurunavi's restaurant-listings and restaurant-side monetization model.
• Resy (American Express): Resy is a US-focused restaurant reservation platform owned by American Express, providing a digital reservation, diner-data, and restaurant-marketing model closely analogous to Gurunavi's Rakuten-integrated offering.
• TheFork (Tripadvisor): TheFork is Tripadvisor's restaurant reservation brand, offering a similar transaction-fee and restaurant-discovery model to Gurunavi across European markets. It is a comparable established incumbent in the same category.

Regional players

• Toreta: Toreta is a Japanese restaurant CRM and reservation-management SaaS provider targeting the same restaurant-partner base as Gurunavi from the B2B side, operating exclusively in Japan.

Direct peers

• Retty: Retty is a Japanese restaurant recommendation platform driven by user-generated reviews, directly overlapping with Gurunavi's restaurant-discovery and reservation value proposition in the domestic market.
• Hot Pepper Gourmet: Hot Pepper Gourmet is a Recruit-owned restaurant search and reservation platform targeting the same Japanese consumer and restaurant-partner base as Gurunavi, with a particular focus on beauty and entertainment cross-promotion.
• Tabelog: Tabelog is Japan's leading restaurant review and discovery platform, operated by Recruit Holdings. It directly competes with Gurunavi for restaurant discovery traffic, reservations, and restaurant-side advertising spend in the Japanese market.
• Hitosara: Hitosara is a Japanese restaurant reservation and review platform focused on premium and hidden-gem restaurants, directly competing with Gurunavi for higher-end dining bookings in Japan.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/gurunavi_global
• Facebookfacebook.com/GURUNAVI.JapanRestaurantGuide

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments5 records

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

Frequently asked questions about GURUNAVI