Hong Kong's second Restaurant Week, running until Sunday, asks diners to make a technological leap of faith by ditching phone and face-to-face reservations and booking tables online instead.
The reservations are organised by international online dining guide platform DiningCity.com, and more than 60 restaurants are taking part, including Al Molo, Jimmy's Kitchen, Bombay Dreams and Yat Tung Heen. Some are offering three-course lunches from HK$98 and dinners from HK$258.
Hong Kong businesses are tapping into the growing demand for online restaurant reservations, an approach that is commonplace in New York, London and Sydney. Launching this week, restaurant reservation portal Gourmei.com tempts Hong Kong diners to book online with free appetisers or a glass of champagne, and promises to connect gourmets with hidden culinary gems. Popular dining guide OpenRice has also rolled out an online reservation service, TableMap, which provides instant confirmation for more than 100 participating restaurants and a Dining Point programme that enables customers to redeem restaurant vouchers and gifts.
Hong Kong-based restaurant group Dining Concepts - which manages Bistecca, BLT Burger and Craftsteak - introduced iPad and iPhone reservations this month following the success of its online reservation service introduced five years ago. And Asia-Pacific fine dining portal Eat2eat - which, like TableMap, enables diners to make reservations with immediate confirmation and has no booking fee - recently launched a free Android app for reservations.
Diners are sometimes asked to give credit card details or a deposit to guarantee bookings - a practice already employed on busy nights of the year such as New Year's Eve, or for large parties. But as rival businesses compete for market share, Garry Bisset, director of marketing at Dining Concepts, says, this won't become the norm.
'On Valentine's Day, we do ask for a credit card guarantee online - some people prefer to come in and pay a deposit - but we don't want to impose on customers by asking them for a guarantee or deposit, especially when it's just a normal day,' he says.
Scheduled seating - when a restaurant dictates the times diners sit down - is also in place for busy occasions or in-demand dining experiences. Sydney-based foodie Anne MacPherson, jewellery designer and director of Annie Mac Designs, believes the practice is on the rise.
