ComeDine.co.za SA’s Newest Online Restaurant Booking Site

There’s no doubt about it, since the financial crisis of 2008/9, eating out has become something of a luxury for most people. Food prices are up; petrol prices are up; electricity prices are up – and what this boils down to is that there’s less disposal income to spend on non-essentials. And, of course, this has hit the restaurant industry hard.

The sobering fact is that 80% of restaurants situated in shopping malls are behind with their rent, and restaurants across the board are struggling to get customers to their tables. Despite this, the average establishment still misses up to 40% of incoming calls, either because the lines are busy, the staff are engaged elsewhere or it simply isn’t open yet. As importantly, many calls aren’t answered by the right person, and the customer’s first impression is, well, less than stellar.

The old adage about thinking smart couldn’t be more appropriate under these circumstances, and overseas trends provide valuable lessons. Over 70% of all restaurant bookings in the UK and the USA are now made online, which is a clear indication that customers see great value in the ease and efficiency of accessing information about restaurants online, and in being able to make a booking with a click - whether it’s from their desktop, laptop or smartphone.

Back home, there are now more than seven million internet users in South Africa; users who are relatively affluent and who therefore fall into the primary target market for restaurants. And usage trends closely follow those overseas. Not only are more people looking for information online, more are shopping online and making bookings for restaurants and other leisure activities online.

So what’s the quickest, easiest and most cost-efficient way for a restaurant to reach this market? ComeDine has the answer.

Launched in November last year, ComeDine is a new web site devoted to restaurants of every size, shape and flavour. The first of its kind in the country, it provides food lovers with the opportunity to browse all of the latest, the best, the classic and the trendy restaurants in their area and (yes!) to make a booking online. That means they don’t have to worry about queuing at the new ‘must-visit’ spot during the holidays or about struggling to get a table at the best restaurants when they’re trying to impress a new client or an important date.

Currently servicing the areas of greater Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban, ComeDine is the ultimate in convenience, and not only offers diners the chance to browse all of the options available to them and to book a table, but to receive a confirmation of their booking via SMS.

The good news for restaurants is that they aren’t required to change anything in terms of how they take bookings. No computer required or new software, all bookings are made from the ComeDine call centre over the phone.

Already a favourite amongst the Twitterati, ComeDine also offers rewards called Tjips for frequent users, and encourages diners to post reviews of the restaurants they’ve visited. Never before has word-of-mouth worked so well!

Come Dine has developed its own proprietal software in-house, which means that it’s quick to adapt to changing needs and trends. In fact, one of the directors, Martin Rose, has just returned from a four-year stint of living in London, where he was a developer for Europe’s largest online restaurant booking provider, LiveBookings. So, as the saying goes, it’s all good. And what could be better than using a marketing extension where you only pay if a booking is made and meals had? The fee charged is a mere R7 per diner.

“Listings are free, so there’s no reason not to be on ComeDine,” says the second of the site’s directors, Greg Whitfield. “If we don’t send business to the restaurants, there is no cost. Over and above that we provide a very interactive experience by engaging consumers through online competitions, polls, newsletters and an active social networking presence. “We invite all restaurants to come join the world of measurable marketing where the bottom line is considered and they only pay when they benefit”.

To browse ComeDine and experience the benefits it offers, visit www.comedine.co.za. To sign up with ComeDine you can email them at signup@comedine.co.za.