Online table booking has only become an established trend in the past 10 years, but it is becoming an increasingly popular method of organising plans for eating out. Technology, demographics, and the importance of special offers all contribute to the changing behaviours towards online restaurant bookings. The booking experience itself is fundamental to the consumer. Diners prefer to have a direct and reliable interaction with your business, whether you run a pub or a restaurant, rather than using a third party booking process. This infographic breaks down current behaviours and trends that businesses need to consider when using online restaurant table booking software.

1. “
THE IMPORTANCE OF
DIFFERENT PLATFORMS
OFFERS AND
COMMUNICATION
While the preferred platform for online bookings
is still the PC at home, more consumers are using
mobile devices to find and book tables as the world
becomes increasingly fast-paced and connected
Although those aged above 35 do make online table
reservations, special offers and email updates have little
influence over their decisions, whereas the ‘new wave’ of
tech-savvy consumers prefer this type of communication:
70% of consumers
who book tables online
prefer to do so via the
venue’s own website
25% of consumers use social
media to find special offers
For ABC1 diners aged
18-34, who eat out weekly,
the percentage who want to
book online soars to 80%
47% prefer this method
as it is direct and reliable,
while 43% like the ease
and convenience
41% of ‘new wave’ consumers like
to receive weekly news from their
favourite venues directly.
of those booking online eat out weekly.
of 25-34 year olds will complete online
reservations via their smartphone.
of those who eat out at least weekly will book tables
online, in comparison to a mere
of under 34s say special offers
affect their choice
or
who eat out once every
two or three months.
60%
45%
51%
13%
59%
54%
of online bookers use their smartphone to complete a reservation while
they’re out and about and tend to visit the venue’s own website to make
that booking, rather than use any third party booking process.
of 18-24 year olds and
Quick and convenient:Attitudes and behaviours towards online table bookings
In order to keep up with these increasing numbers, those
in hospitality need to ensure the online table booking
software they use meets the demands of consumers.
DEMANDS AND
EXPECTATIONS
DEMOGRAPHICS
AND FREQUENCY
Business owners and managers also need to be aware of
the changing demographic who are booking tables online
This demographic is aligned to the higher frequency with
which younger people eat out. However, regardless of age
it is people who eat out frequently that book tables online.
The highest percentage of diners who say they
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come from the
household income bracket
13%
51%
50%
£100,000+
‘always’
‘sometimes’
always look for offers
50%
KEY POINTS TO REMEMBER:
In order for restaurants and pubs to keep on top of the trends, good online
restaurant table booking software is a must. Owners and managers need to:
Talk to the right
audience within
their consumer
group
Make the online
table booking
process on
your website as
seamless and
easy as possible,
keeping the best
deals and menus
exclusive.
Create a system
that is usable
across different
platforms, keeping
mobile in mind.
Understand that
offers can be an
important part of
the booking mix,
but it’s not always
about finding the
cheapest deal.