Restaurant bookings from mobile devices increase by a third since 2011

Restaurant bookings from smartphones and tablets have increased by over a third in three years, with most coming in after daytime working hours, according to a new survey.

Booking website Bookatable polled 850,000 of its users, and found that 41% of Britons now book restaurants via a smartphone or tablet device, compared to 7% who were doing so in 2011. This is an increase of 34%.

The figures also suggested that much of these bookings are coming from "after work" diners, with the average smartphone or tablet booking taking place at 7.07pm, compared to the average desktop booking time of 12:21pm.

Diners spend an average of 11 minutes searching for a restaurant table before booking, while 44% were happy to make reservations for places they hadn't been before.

Almost two thirds (61%) of women said they always book on their mobile, compared to 39% of men.

However, those booking via smartphones or tablets spend on average around £10 less (£27.63) than those booking via desktop computers (£37.78).

Chief executive of Bookatable, Joe Steele, said that the increase in smartphone restaurant booking indicated a major shift in the marketplace and that consumers were more likely to make restaurant decisions on the go.

He said: "It is simply more convenient for diners [to book on the move], and in a world of instant gratification we expect no less from our restaurant booking experiences."

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