Trend towards time slot reservations
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Dining with an eye on the clock
Go out to eat and then sit together longer? In Berlin this is sometimes not possible without further ado. Because restaurants sometimes allocate time windows of a maximum of two hours when making reservations. They also have good reasons for this, as the hotel and restaurant association explains. By Kira Pieper
- Restaurants in Berlin are increasingly making table reservations for a limited period of time
- With practice, they can host more guests in one evening and generate more sales
- Dehoga explains the time window method with the increasing cost pressure on the companies
- Consumer advice center has not recorded an increased number of complaints due to the reservation practice
Have a nice dinner in a restaurant? If you want to be sure of getting a seat in your favorite location, it is better to reserve in advance and preferably online with just a few clicks.
But during this process, the anticipation is sometimes dampened: Because many restaurants only allocate their tables for a period of two hours. This means that more guests can dine in one evening, which means more sales for the restaurateurs. But that also means stress for the customers: for some, three courses in two hours has little to do with a cozy meal and get-togethers.
Costs burden restaurateurs
Thomas Lengfelder, General Manager of the Hotel and Restaurant Association (Dehoga) Berlin, explains when asked by rbb24: “Unfortunately, the rapidly increasing costs in the areas of rent, energy, food and staff make this approach necessary.” Companies would have to find ways to get their calculations under control.
Several corona lockdowns and restrictions and, most recently, rising inflation hit the catering industry hard. According to the Federal Statistical Office, sales in the catering industry in 2022 were still 12.5 percent lower than in the pre-Corona year 2019.
Internationally common practice
According to a Dehoga survey [dehoga-bundesverband.de] the industry also suffers from immense cost pressure throughout Germany. According to this, companies currently describe the rising energy costs as the greatest challenge. According to the entrepreneurs, energy costs rose by an average of 71 percent in February 2023 compared to February 2022. Inflation also has an impact: the cost of food was 31 percent and that of beverages 20.5 percent higher than the previous year’s values.
In addition, the allocation of time slots has long been a matter of course in many international cities, says Dehoga Managing Director Lengfelder. And adds: If the customer chooses later timeslots, these are often not even necessary. In most cases, the guest can then stay longer or even stay until the end.
Not an issue at the consumer center
Complaints about the time window practice in Berlin restaurants have not yet been an issue at the Berlin consumer advice center, explains Simon Götze. He is a lawyer at the consumer advice center and adds when asked by rbb|24: As long as the conditions for the reservation are made clear in advance, the allocation of time slots is fine. After all, it would be up to the guests whether they want to accept the offer or not.
From a consumer law point of view, it should of course still be possible for a normal meal with a starter, main course and dessert to be eaten comfortably, according to Götze. Ingrid Hartges, General Manager of the Dehoga Federal Association, says: temporary reservations are not the end of German coziness. Good food, friendly service and a feel-good atmosphere are the decisive factors for the success of a restaurant.
