Tummyrumble

Potential of restaurant bookings and more coverage of Tablefinder

Swedish web site emerge wrote a piece on Tablefinder based on the launch of their (beta) web site and services. The article contains a description of Tablefinder features (search for open tables, real time booking for added guest convenience, system in the restaurant to help restaurants streamline their routines and save time, loyalty system called "dineros" to award frequent bookers) and a brief analysis of future potential. Says emerge on potential (my translation from Swedish):

"Personally I don't think the consumers will readily change their booking behavior since the reasons for personal treatment and the ability to make extra requests will remain for a long time. I also have a hard time seeing exponential growth of the system which will require a lot of manual work to tie up restaurants and change their routines."

I, of course, disagree.

We (Livebookings) already see consumer behavior change. Every month for the past two years we have seen a (small but steady) growth of cover levels (term: a "cover" is a guest booked in at a restaurant). Last month, compared to January of 2006, saw a 73% growth of cover levels...

links for 2007-02-20

• Gordon Ramsay at the London | February 2007 | Harden's Newsletter
  GORDON RAMSAY continues to make more headlines in London than the rest of the cheffy world put together, and – thanks to his recent opening on Manhattan – he’s recently been getting quite a lot of coverage in the Big Apple too. The initial reviews w
  (tags: restaurants news reviews livebookings partners)
• Table planner
  As MD of restaurant booking site Toptable, Chris Wood is anticipating a year of growth following its second year of profit. Nic Howell finds out what's cooking
  (tags: competition livebookings partners restaurants news)
• Web site promises 1st-rate tables fast | Journal Gazette | 02/19/2007
  Interesting article showing how busy restaurants create openings for others to build a business: Need a table at a great restaurant in a hurry but don’t quite have Brangelina’s pull? The Web site www.primetimetables.com says it can get you impossible-
  (tags: restaurants livebookings news partners)
• Ten Blogging Hacks | Micro Persuasion
  Since my last three “hack” posts on bookmarklets, RSS and Technorati were so popular, I thought I would follow up with my ten favorite blogging hacks. Don't ask me why, but I like the number 10. These work on most if not all of the major weblog platfo
  (tags: blogging hacks tips productivity tools)
• Eat Smarter: 10 Simple, Healthy Food Swaps - Runner's World Nutrition
  Runner's World has a good piece on how to eat healthier: There are healthy options on every aisle of course, but we often stick to what we know. However, by simply swapping one type of pasta for another, or choosing fruit that hasn't been flown halfway ar
  (tags: health fitness food tips buy inspiration)
• Current style in web design
  I agree with the author of this piece. Good web design today looks better than ever: This is where I try to sum up the current state-of-the-art in graphic design for web pages, and identify the distinctive features that make a web page look fresh, appeali
  (tags: accessibility design web2.0 web fashion inspiration layout css tips)
• Full Contact Spice Grinder | ELSEWARES // Independent Art & Design
  Beautiful piece, I have to get one of these: This revolutionary mortar & pestle is an efficient kitchen tool as well as a beautiful sculptural form. Trust us, you'll enjoy playing with it just as much as actually using it.
  (tags: design kitchen shopping buy giftidea hardware)

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Online restaurant bookings booming in Sweden

It seems online restaurant bookings are really taking off in Sweden. As of late two rather new shining stars have started to rise on the Internet heaven: Tablefinder out of Gothenburg and the fairly newly formed Livebookings Network, a merger of the Stockholm-based Profitable.net AB and the London-based Livebookings Ltd.

Tiroler Hut, best wishes to Dom

Tirolerhut, best wishes to Dom
Originally uploaded by Manne.

Dominic is moving to Berlin to spearhead the Livebookings expansion in northern Europe. So to send him of proper, bierhalle stylee, we are having dinner and irresponsible amounts of beer at a place called Tirolerhut in a basement in Bayswater.

Now, you can joke as much as you like about German food, sauerkraut und bratwurst, but I am still impressed when someone delivers 16 litres of beer in one go...

So far food is actually ok. And now the entertainment starts. Oh god. Yodeling.

Nordic Bakery to open in central London

Nordic Bakery to open in central London
Originally uploaded by Manne.

This just in! I have no idea who these people are or what they will do, but the mere thought of getting proper cinnamon buns, dark coarse bread, chocolate balls (they even have a Wikipedia page) and, please oh foodie gods I implore you, Swedish sticky cake ("kladdkaka" recipe, delicious photo) makes my knees in weak and my taste buds vibrate with anticipation.

Nordic Bakery, Golden Square, London: www.nordicbakery.com.

Annelie, thanks for the link!