Innovations in tech have changed our lives in a number of ways. One example is how easy it is nowadays to make a restaurant booking via a mobile app.
Before reservation apps were adopted by venues and customers alike, booking a table could be pretty challenging – especially at popular restaurants or during special occasions and times of year, like the holiday season.
Customers would have to wait for the restaurant to open to make a phone call, and, in many cases, find that the line was engaged due to high demand.
Making a reservation while visiting a foreign country could also be tricky in the pre-app era, since tourists were often unable to access a phone line or make international calls.
Fortunately, those days are over. A number of apps are available to make the reservation process as easy as possible. You can book a New York Food tour with minimal effort before you even get into town, for example, thus saving valuable time which could be better spent strolling around town and having fun.
Simply downloading an app to your mobile device provides quick and easy access to the many restaurants and food-related activities available at any location around the world. Booking an intimate New York food tour, or making a reservation at a fancy restaurant in Brooklyn, now only takes a few minutes and can be done at any time of day or night.
Finding the right application
The internet is full of reservation apps, which can make it tough to settle on the best one for your specific requirements.
Most people don’t have the time to download and try out every single app in order to decide which one suits them best.
To help you choose the best reservation application, we have created a list of ten of the best according to user reviews.
All the apps listed below are available to download from just about every app store, at no charge, to your phone or tablet, and are compatible with iOS, Microsoft and Android devices.
Top ten reservation applications
- Yelp
Founded in 2004, Yelp is an American company primarily dedicated to publishing crowd-sourced reviews of local businesses, to connect users with high-level services and products.
Yelp-owned properties include the Yelp.com website and its mobile device applications, as well as Yelp Reservations, a service specifically tailored for table reservations.
Yelp Reservations is one of the most used apps in the US, although the latest customer reviews note that recent updates have affected user experience significantly.
- OpenTable
OpenTable is an online restaurant reservation service based in California, which launched in 1998 covering a small amount of San Francisco restaurants, and later expanded to the rest of America and the world. Users can make reservations easily at no cost, while restaurants pay a small fee for each reservation.
According to user reviews, OpenTable is an intuitive, user-friendly application that allows users to complete their reservations efficiently.
- TheFork
Founded in 2009, TheFork is an Australian company providing a cloud-based restaurant reservation service. It is the leading company of its type Down Under and, as well as providing reservation services, the app grants users discounts and bonuses while they book.
User reviews suggest that TheFork is relatively easy to navigate, allowing users to check availability in real-time and make reservations and confirmations instantly, at any time.
- I know the chef
“I know the chef” is an app that specializes in top-quality restaurants in Miami, Chicago, and New York City with a premium subscription for hard-to-get reservations.
User reviews for “I know the chef” highlight its usefulness for securing tables at otherwise unattainable restaurants.
- BigDish
Founded in 2016, BigDish is an Asian company which aims to provide a complete service for restaurant customers. Using the BigDish app, users can make a reservation, order a delivery or place a takeout request.
Menu samples are readily available, and customers frequently have access to amazing discounts, even with a free subscription.
Users say that BigDish is intuitive, and provides all the information required to make a reservation with minimum hassle.
- Tock
Tock allows users to arrange reservations any time and anywhere, but it is also helpful for placing takeout or delivery service orders. Tock’s cohesive system helps users deal with restaurants efficiently when ordering food or eating out.
As for user reviews, customers have been known to complain that they can’t make a reservation on Tock without setting up an account on the app first.
- Eat App
Launched in 2015, the Eat app is a worldwide restaurant reservation platform which allows users to explore restaurants and check table availability in real-time.
- Reply
Founded in 2014, Resy is a US company dedicated to online restaurant reservations. Resy’s network mainly covers London, New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.
Resy has an excellent overall rating among users, who typically describe it as functional and always available, while highlighting the quality of the app’s customer service.
- Quandoo
Quandoo is one of the most convenient global apps to offer an info-free restaurant reservation service.
The app lets users explore restaurants quickly, check the menu and make a reservation in no time.
Quandoo’s overall user rating is positive, with most customers mentioning its broad catalog of restaurants, and considerate suggestions.
- ReserveOut
ReserveOut is the leading Asian restaurant reservation app. Its user-friendly interface allows customers to easily explore the local food scene, and instantly book a table at any time – at no cost for end-users.
ReserveOut is positively reviewed, with its users highlighting the efficient and responsive interface which makes booking a table such a straightforward process.
