Increasingly, more people are relying on the convenience of mobile devices and apps to schedule appointments, make bookings, and plan their lives.
The restaurant industry is no exception. With the emergence of new booking and restaurant reservation apps, more customer’s lives are revolving around their smartphone.
Recommending the right apps can help you earn more business and become an authority in your niche. After all, helping your customers discover great places to eat is a value-add. Not that you want to direct regulars to your competition, but knowing you are a forward-thinking business, your customers will come to trust and rely on your recommendations more.
Here are five amazing online booking apps your diners will love to use.
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Reserve
Using Reserve, users can choose the specific date and time they want to dine, and what their party size will be. After choosing a location (or multiple locations) they want to eat at, they simply wait for confirmation. After one booking is confirmed, all the others are automatically cancelled. If no restaurant can accommodate, the app suggests other times the user can book at. Users can also bid on in-demand tables if they’re willing to pay a little extra for that special occasion.
The customer’s bill is automatically processed with the credit card they have on file, which is convenient and easy.
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NoWait
NoWait allows customers to see how long their wait time is going to be at a specific restaurant. They can also add themselves to the waiting list if they know they want to dine there.
Additionally, restaurants can greet people at their doors, enter the wait time and the party’s name and number into the app. The customer will then receive notifications on wait time while they’re out doing something else (i.e. window shopping), and get a text when their table is ready.
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Rezhound
For people who would like to be notified of when a reservation cancels and a table spontaneously becomes available, there’s Rezhound.
Rezhound searches OpenTable for newly released reservations at specific restaurants, as well as the date and time. Users can choose to be notified by phone or email when something becomes available. The only catch is that they must rush over to OpenTable to make the booking themselves, meaning there is no guarantee they will get it. Fortunately, this service is free to use.
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Settle
Settle is a free app that allows customers to book, pre-order, and pay the check – all before they ever step a foot into the restaurant. For anybody that’s constantly on the go and doesn’t have a lot of time to organize their lives, this app is a godsend.
Per Tech Times, people spend more than 60% of their time at restaurants waiting to order and check out. Settle is for those who are on the go, want to eat well, but simply don’t have the time. Users can spend more time enjoying the dining experience instead of waiting for their food and for the bill.
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Find. Eat. Drink.
Are you tired of visiting restaurants that have great online reviews, but whose food or service just didn’t measure up?
With Find. Eat. Drink., users can find out what restaurants top the list of the best chefs, bartenders and connoisseurs. You can also create your own custom lists if you so desire. If you’re trying to uncover some hidden gems, this is the app you’ve been waiting for.
Final Thoughts
Reserving at a restaurant has never been more convenient. There are plenty of innovative and convenient apps that serve different purposes depending on what diners are looking for. More than likely, they will be exposed to dining experiences they never knew existed through these apps.
Online booking apps make the customer feel like they are in control, and makes reserving tables more fun. You can increase the discoverability of your restaurant by catering to these apps as well.