Who Owns Tock?
Tock is owned by American Express Company (NYSE: AXP), which acquired the platform from Squarespace in 2024 for $400 million. Tock is a Chicago-based reservation, table, and event management platform founded in 2014 by Nick Kokonas and Brian Fitzpatrick. In 2026 American Express merged Tock's venues into Resy and began retiring the Tock consumer brand.
Parent Company
Acquired
2024
Status
Publicly Traded
Headquarters
Tock Timeline
GlobalOfficial Website
Who Owns Tock?
- Parent Company: American Express Company
- Ownership Type: Wholly owned
- Acquisition Year: 2024
- Company Type: Publicly Traded
- Stock Ticker: NYSE: AXP
| Brand | Parent Company | Ownership Type |
|---|---|---|
| Tock | American Express Company | Wholly owned |
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History of Tock
- Founded: 2014
- Founders: Nick Kokonas, Brian Fitzpatrick, Grant Achatz
- Acquired by American Express Company: 2024
Tock grew out of a restaurant's own problem. Nick Kokonas, co-owner of Chicago's Alinea with chef Grant Achatz, calculated that the restaurant spent $140,000 a year on reservation staff and lost $260,000 a year to no-shows and cancellations. He built a ticketing-style system that sold prepaid seats like events rather than taking free bookings, and founded Tock in 2014 with Brian Fitzpatrick, the founder of Google's Chicago engineering office.
The prepaid and deposit model was radical for fine dining and worked. Tock expanded into general reservations, table management, events, and wineries, and during the pandemic it pivoted fast into takeout ordering, saving many of its fine-dining clients.
Squarespace bought the company in 2021 for a reported $400 million-plus, and Kokonas departed in 2022. When Squarespace refocused on its core business, it sold Tock to American Express in 2024 for $400 million, roughly what it had paid. Under Amex, the platform's restaurant software continued under the Resy product family, and its 8,000 venues, including more than 1,200 wineries, moved into Resy during the 2026 consolidation.
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About American Express Company
Who founded American Express? Henry Wells, William G. Fargo, and John Warren Butterfield merged their express freight companies into American Express on March 18, 1850 in Buffalo, New York. Wells and Fargo also co-founded Wells Fargo two years later.
Is American Express a bank? Yes. It has operated as a bank holding company since 2008 and issues cards and deposits through American Express National Bank, a Utah-chartered industrial bank.
What companies does American Express own? Its notable owned businesses include the reservation platforms Resy and Tock, mobile ordering company Rooam, and fraud prevention firm Accertify. It also holds a minority stake in American Express Global Business Travel.
Does American Express own OpenTable? No. OpenTable is owned by Booking Holdings. American Express owns its main rivals, Resy and Tock, and has proposed buying the European platform TheFork for $700 million.
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How does American Express make money? Through merchant discount fees on transactions, annual card membership fees, and net interest income on revolving card balances. Card fees are the fastest-growing line.
Where is American Express headquartered? At 200 Vesey Street in the Battery Park City area of Lower Manhattan, New York. In 2026 the company announced a plan to develop and occupy a new headquarters at 2 World Trade Center.
- Founded: 1850
- Headquarters: New York, New York, United States
- Company Type: Publicly Traded
- Stock: NYSE: AXP
- Revenue: $72.2 billion (FY2025, revenues net of interest expense)
- Employees: Approximately 76,800
Where Is Tock Made / Based?
- Headquarters: Chicago, Illinois, USA
Tock Categories & Tags
Brands Owned by American Express Company
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Tock Ownership: Pros & Cons
Advantages
- +Amex ownership plugged its venues into the largest premium card member base
- +Prepaid model remains differentiated for high-value dining and events
- +Merger into Resy gives its restaurants a larger combined diner network
Considerations
- -The Tock consumer brand is being sunset inside Resy
- -Founder Nick Kokonas departed in 2022, before the Amex deal
- -Two corporate owners in five years disrupted product continuity
Sources & Further Reading
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Competitors to Tock
These competing brands operate in the same categories and provide similar products or services. Compare key attributes to understand market positioning and competitive landscape.
| Brand | Parent Company | Country | Founded | Market Position | Primary Market | Gender Target |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doordash | USA | 2011 | Mass market | Global | All Genders | |
| Yelp | USA | 2013 | Mass market | United states | All Genders | |
| American Express | USA | 2014 | Mass market | Global | All Genders |
Learn More About Competitors
Travel HospitalitySevenRooms
Owned by DoorDash, Inc.
Restaurant CRM and reservation platform acquired by DoorDash for $1.2 billion in June 2025.
restaurant-reservationsguest-crmhospitality-technology
Travel HospitalityYelp Reservations
Owned by Yelp Inc.
Restaurant reservation service within Yelp's Guest Manager suite, descended from the 2013 SeatMe acquisition.
restaurant-reservationswaitlist-managementdining
Travel HospitalityResy
Owned by American Express Company
American Express-owned restaurant reservation platform, now absorbing Tock venues and exceeding 25,000 bookable restaurants.
restaurant-reservationsdininghospitality-technology
Competitive Analysis
Market Positioning: Tock competes with 3 brands in the same categories, ranging from mass market to luxury positioning.
Geographic Distribution: Competitors are headquartered across multiple regions, indicating global competition in this market segment.
Brand Heritage: Competitor brands range from established heritage brands to newer market entrants, with founding years spanning several decades.
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Independent Alternatives to Tock
Looking for brands with different ownership structures? These similar brands are not owned by American Express Company, giving you alternative choices that support different corporate structures.
Travel HospitalityAce Hotel
Owned by Seibu Prince Hotels Worldwide, Inc.
Boutique lifestyle hotel brand founded in Seattle in 1999, owned by Japan's Seibu Prince Hotels Worldwide since September 2025, with nine hotels worldwide.
hotelsboutique-hotelslifestyle-hotels
Privately Owned
Ace Hotel is privately owned, unlike Tock which is under a publicly traded parent company.
Travel HospitalityAquaventure Waterpark
Owned by Kerzner International Holdings Limited
141-acre water park at Atlantis Paradise Island in the Bahamas, featuring high-speed slides, river rides, and marine habitat experiences, operated by Brookfield Asset Management.
water-parkresort-attractionbahamas
Privately Owned
Aquaventure Waterpark is privately owned, unlike Tock which is under a publicly traded parent company.
Travel HospitalityAtlantis Resorts
Owned by Kerzner International Holdings Limited
Luxury integrated resort brand operating properties in the Bahamas, Dubai, and China under two separate ownership structures, with new resorts announced for the Maldives and Saudi Arabia.
luxury-resortsintegrated-resortshospitality
Privately Owned
Atlantis Resorts is privately owned, unlike Tock which is under a publicly traded parent company.
Travel HospitalityBest Western Plus
Owned by WorldHotels (formerly BWH Hotels)
Upper-midscale hotel brand of member-owned cooperative WorldHotels (formerly BWH Hotels), the largest flag in the Best Western family.
hotelsupper-midscalehospitality
Privately Owned
Best Western Plus is privately owned, unlike Tock which is under a publicly traded parent company.
Travel HospitalityDolphin Cay
Owned by Kerzner International Holdings Limited
14-acre marine habitat and conservation center at Atlantis Paradise Island offering dolphin encounters and marine education programs.
marine-habitatdolphin-encounterconservation
Privately Owned
Dolphin Cay is privately owned, unlike Tock which is under a publicly traded parent company.
Travel HospitalityFinns Beach Club
Owned by FINNS Bali Group
Beachfront entertainment venue in Canggu, Bali, known for infinity pools, dining, and sunset events. Operated by PT Pantai Semara Nusantara.
beach-clubhospitalitybali
Privately Owned
Finns Beach Club is privately owned, unlike Tock which is under a publicly traded parent company.
American Express Company Stock Information
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