There has been a definite evolution in the process behind making a restaurant reservation over the past decade. Years ago, you either showed up live or called ahead and a friendly person on the other end would scratch your name into a book. Now, the lucrative online reservation systems has blossomed and many restaurants are left to choose which system fits their business needs the best. In the end, the choice appears relatively seamless to the patron, but there are some interesting observations to make about this cutthroat business.
Some restaurants have gotten rather creative with the reservation process. State Bird Provisions in San Francisco, for example, offers reservations for dates two months later. The reservation process starts at midnight and I will admit I woke up at 3 am to try and secure a spot but was left unsuccessful and had to stand in line with the rest of the peasants. Others restaurants are asking for credit cards in advance and threaten charges if there is a cancellation too close to the reservation time.
No Reservations
Congratulations, you are a successful restaurant who is either relishing in the fact that people line up to get in or your establishment is so tiny that you have no problem hitting your capacity on a nightly basis and don’t need a system. You’re a pain in the ass because if you are looking to entertain clients, have a birthday or plan to propose to your girlfriend, you have to hope to hell that the stars align and you can get a seat without having to wait two hours. You probably will only seat people once the whole party arrives and you likely take cash only as well.
Reservation by Phone
Yes, there are restaurants which still see a phone as something you talk on as opposed to checking in, tagging friends and taking pictures. This system is not conducive to those who have a whimsical desire to make a reservation at 3 am. In all likelihood, restaurants who subscribe to phone only reservations are:
- long-standing eateries that have been using a reservation book since 1960 and damn well won’t change now.
- owned by control freaks who don’t think a computer could never do what a human can.
- likely to still hand-write bills and frown when you insist that the stub on the bottom is not a sufficient receipt for business purposes and begrudgingly copy one by hand upon request.
OpenTable
OpenTable is the patriarch (or matriarch) of online reservations systems. Once a monopoly, they were known for offering bonus points and a lack of a 7 pm slot on almost any night of the week at some restaurants. Although they still own the lion share of the business (but still only have 322 accounts in Toronto proper), they have responded to recent competition by undergoing a major rebrand focused on pillars which include warm and welcoming, inspired and reliable and fresh and current although it would be naive to think that all restaurants they work with have the same philosophy.You still get the opportunity to review the restaurant after and get the subtly threatening email if you don’t show up threatening that you might get banned if such indiscretions continue (even if the restaurant fails to record your attendance). Open table restaurants tend to include:
- those who fare better on tripadvisor than yelp. Tripadvisor uses open table as their reservations system.
- conglomerates such as O and B and The Khabouth empire since you can refer to affiliated restaurants in the event your first choice isn’t available.
- those whose names start with numbers or the letter a since they are listed in alphabetical order when searched by region.
- pricey restaurants in expensive hotels and those who wish they were pricey restaurants in expensive hotels.
Seatme
Now owned and operated by yelp, this reservation system is less centralized. Seatme does not have a master website like OpenTable but is meant to attract small business owners who either find open table too difficult, expensive or cumbersome. Unlike urbanspoon and tripadvisor, the yelp site itself does not pimp their online reservation system by embedding it in the reviews. Instead of going to a central site, one gets prompted to reserve via seatme when they go to the restaurant’s site looking for a table. On the consumer side, it is hardly distinguishable from other reservation systems but on the vendor’s side it promises a better and cheaper experience than Open Table.
Bookenda
At the end of 2014, yellow media (the yellow pages people) announced the acquisition of both bookenda and dine.TO. Bookenda is a online reservation that is gaining steam in pockets across Canada including the GTA. It’s membership is impressive; Pai, Thoroughbred, Rasa, People’s eatery, Ruby Watchco and Edulis are among the hot destinations under the bookenda umbrella. Like OpenTable, there is a reward program. Instead of saving points in the hope of someday attaining an elusive dining certificate, bookenda offers a variety of reward opportunities for as little as 400 points. Points are not only awarded for booking online but also if you post your reservation on facebook or make a comment about your experience on their site afterwards.
My Take
Long gone are the days of picking up the phone and dialing a rotary phone during business hours in the hope of securing a 7 pm reservation at your favourite eatery. Now, you can simply go on a smart phone, tablet or computer at anytime of day and secure anything but a 7pm reservation at any number of establishments. In some cases, you can be recognized for your loyalty with points which may lead to a glass of wine, a free appetizer or the ultimate prize of an OpenTable dining certificate.
I picture that scene from Anchorman when the rival broadcasters including the likes of Vince Vaughan and Tim Robbins assemble in the parking lot for a good old-fashioned brouhaha. In the restaurant world, the clans would be divided based on their reservation system. In one corner would be the no reservation group who ironically would need to wait outside the lot until space in the lot became available and the whole group was there. Their main artillery would be dirty looks and ignorance. The reservation by phone group may sport tin foil hats to prevent satellite interference and carry archaic weaponry reminiscent of Game of Thrones. The OpenTable entourage (although they would not likely show around peak dining hours) would be the largest, led by Michael Bonacini and includes fans of tripadvisor and urbanspoon wearing “Keep Calm and Use Opentable” T-shirts. Seatme peeps would be scattered throughout the parking lot like lone vigilantes. The bookenda bevy would likely be led by Lynn Crawford with patrons wearing red t-shirts symbolizing Canada which spell out “Bookenda is the New OpenTable” scrawled across the front in large white writing as they sipped free wine they got for 400 points.
In the end, the competitive world of online reservations has made it easier than ever for patrons to plan in advance when eating out. Of course, there are still a number of restaurants who feel that it is an honour and privilege to dine there and don’t mind making people wait for the experience. Otherwise, with some flexibility, one can plan a dinner without too much of a headache regardless of the system. A quick call to the restaurant might be necessary to secure the elusive 6-8 pm time slot but otherwise it is a pretty easy to book, show up and reap the rewards of a completed meal. You even have the opportunity, good or bad, to enlighten fellow diners about what you ate and how the experience was….without the need for pitchforks.
Fare..Eat..Ales 