Case Study - What The Fork

What The Fork was created to challenge the traditional online ordering model by giving restaurants a fairer, more sustainable alternative. As cofounder and product owner I built it from the ground up - from shaping the concept and commercial model to defining the platform experience, product roadmap and wider direction of the company.

The goal was clear: give restaurants more control over their own orders, customers and margins, without the excessive commission structures that dominate the market. Too many hospitality businesses were becoming over-reliant on third-party platforms that take a significant cut of every order while offering limited flexibility and little real ownership.

What The Fork was built to offer a better option: a smooth digital ordering experience that is more commercially sensible for the businesses using it. I defined how the platform should work from both sides - restaurant experience, end-customer journey, pricing model and day-to-day operational features.

I worked across product vision, prioritisation, user flows, feature planning and platform positioning so it was not just another ordering tool, but a more strategic solution for hospitality operators. A major part of the work was the commercial model: a lower-cost structure built around a capped monthly fee, a small service charge and a reduced restaurant fee rather than high commissions.

That structure is part of the product itself because it affects adoption, retention and how the platform is perceived. I also led wider business positioning - how What The Fork should be marketed, sold, branded and expanded - while keeping the product grounded in real operational needs: simple onboarding, clear pricing and dependable functionality for busy operators.

My director and ownership seat at What The Fork has ended. The company remains one of the two biggest products I built from the ground up.

Later Studio SC7 work on the client website includes partner onboarding, Stripe Connect and AI menu extraction. This project reflects what I do best: identifying a genuine market problem, building a product around it, and shaping the business, commercial model and platform experience together.