Livebookings reveals top eating out bugbears

27th October 2009, 10:57am

Half of Brits are being put off returning to restaurants due to the rising trend of 'optional' service charges being automatically added to their bill, according to new research from Livebookings.

Other top bugbears include being provided with a limited-time booking slot (31%) and being billed for bread that they didn't ask for (22%).
 
On a positive note, 38% say they haven't cut back on their meals out and that they are just choosing to spend their money more wisely - 10% now visiting less expensive restaurants. Over half (56%) are also fans of special offers such as 50% off or buy one get one free.

The research also revealed that waiters could now be getting a rougher ride from diners, with nearly a quarter (22%) of Brits admitting they're more likely to moan about poor service due to the economic downturn.

Further findings showed that 16% prefer the convenience of the internet when booking their meal, compared to 45% who like speaking to someone over the phone. This shows the rising importance to UK restaurants of having an online booking function, only 7% are currently doing this.

David Norris, chief operating officer, for Livebookings said: "It seems an increasing number of restaurants have been adopting customer service ideas traditionally found in the best and most expensive venues. From the results of our research, many of these changes such as service charges and limited-time booking slots have not been met with universal approval."

"We encourage restaurants to start collating customer feedback using an online database, meaning they're able to make any significant changes safe in the knowledge that their diners will approve. It will also enable them to send customers special offers so they can keep their dining room busy."

A total of 2,000 Brits took part in the survey.

Related Articles:

• 10 Feb 2012 - Livebookings secures deal with Gordon Ramsay’s Bread Street Kitchen
• 23 Jan 2012 - Livebookings seated record number of diners in December
• 11 Jan 2012 - Livebookings teams up with Mastercard
• 08 Nov 2011 - Livebookings joins forces with Square Meal
• 26 Sep 2011 - Livebookings makes it through to The Sunday Times Microsoft Tech Track 100
• 30 Aug 2011 - Giraffe restaurants partner with Livebookings
• 18 Aug 2011 - Livebookings launches new deals marketing platform for restaurants and consumers
• 12 Aug 2011 - Livebookings celebrates its 20 millionth diner
• 03 May 2011 - Livebookings reveals continued strong growth in online restaurant reservations
• 30 Nov 2010 - Online restaurant marketing expert Livebookings expands its team to drive growth
• 08 Sep 2010 - Livebookings partners with IENS restaurant guide
• 25 May 2010 - Livebookings launches Barometer for restaurateurs
• 12 May 2010 - Livebookings hosts first Academy event in Manchester
• 17 Mar 2010 - Online restaurant marketing expert Livebookings launches second Academy
• 10 Mar 2010 - Livebookings appoints chief technology officer to develop services offered to restaurants
• 24 Feb 2010 - Livebookings and Restaurantdiary team up
• 19 Feb 2010 - Livebookings reveals partnerships with top restaurants
• 07 Dec 2009 - Restaurant marketing expert Livebookings holds its final Academy this week
• 06 Nov 2009 - Livebookings announces its fourth academy event
• 12 Oct 2009 - Livebookings appoints key account manager
• 30 Jun 2009 - Success for Livebookings' third academy event
• 18 Jun 2009 - Livebookings announces third Academy event
• 15 Apr 2009 - Livebookings Academy to launch
• 30 Mar 2009 - New marketing director at Livebookings
• 17 Feb 2009 - Online restaurant bookings surge
• 09 Feb 2009 - Livebookings experience online surge

Click here to submit a comment!

Have your say!

To comment on this article, simply enter your name and email and send us your views. Please note that your comment will appear publicly below this article once it has been processed. For enquiries please email info@eatoutmagazine.co.uk.