RESTAURANT RESERVATIONS WHEN TRAVELING

For many tourists, how they will eat during their trip is vital. Some people settle for cheap and quick travel food, while others like to visit only upmarket and comfortable restaurants. Recently, fans of various gastronomic tours have even emerged to try the most diverse and extravagant dishes. But it is crucial to remember getting into an excellent establishment can be difficult, and to do so, make restaurant reservations in advance.

WHY MAKE A RESERVATION AT A RESTAURANT?

This question arises for many people. Often exciting and famous restaurants or cafes are busy, and you can only get in by standing in a long queue or making an appointment. That’s what booking a table is all about.

Online Booking has become increasingly popular recently. It is relatively easy for customers and establishments can count on a new audience.

You should also note some unusual restaurants you can only go to after booking a table. These are primarily in tourist sites, such as famous TV towers with observation decks, restaurants with suspended tables 40 meters high, and ancient, remote castles.

WHERE TO BOOK

You can make reservations in several ways:

1. Contact the restaurant manager by telephone or e-mail;
2. On the institution’s official website or app;
3. Via the intermediary website or its app.

Keep in mind that each country has its popular booking sites. TripAdvisor, OpenTable, and Yelp are considered more international. To find a vegetarian or vegan restaurant, you can use this website HappyCow.

Important: Keep in mind that there are establishments where you can only book a table directly with the restaurant manager. Some establishments do not provide a table reservation service, and you can take the seat in a live queue.

HOW TO BOOK A TABLE

You don’t need special skills to make this. Booking a table is a relatively simple way to get into a restaurant you like without the hassle and waiting. Let’s briefly go over the steps:

Choice of establishment

Start by deciding where you want to go and with whom. Remember that you can make reservations at restaurants, pizzerias, grill houses, pubs, and other places. Carefully read the reviews of other people before choosing a place. Look at pictures of the food and the interior. Once you have chosen an establishment, check its website or other booking sites to see how the restaurant operates, how you can book a table, and if possible. Finally, check the menu carefully.

Date and time

It is essential to decide on the date and time of your visit. The earlier you make the reservation, the better the chance of getting into the restaurant on the date you want. Some restaurants have a time limit, e.g., only two to three hours for lunch or dinner. After that, you must leave the premises. These are restaurants with great viewing points in TV towers, skyscrapers, and other tourist sites.

Number of guests

It is crucial to decide on the number of guests. If you’re going to visit the restaurant with a couple of friends, there’s probably no seating problem. But if there are 15 of you, inform the restaurant so they can prepare a large table for you in advance. It is better to book for all guests, even if some of them have not yet specified whether they will come. Now let’s look at your restaurant reservation options.

Booking by phone or e-mail

- Call the restaurant in the morning to make a reservation for the evening if it’s a weekday.
- Call a couple of days or a week in advance if you go to a restaurant on the weekend.
- In some popular establishments, it must make reservations some months in advance.
- During the conversation, clarify all the information and make your reservations.
- Call the restaurant again if you have booked a table a month or more in advance, the day before your visit, to check that everything is still OK.
- You can also write a request for a reservation to the restaurant’s e-mail address. But the answer may not be instantaneous, and you will have to wait. It can happen that some establishments do not respond to this method of communication at all.

Online Booking

There are two options:

1. You can book a table on the restaurant’s official website or on its app (if any).

- - To do this, register on the website and log in with your username and password.
  - Then choose a date and time and give your contact details and number of people.
  - After booking, you will receive an e-mail or phone confirmation and how to cancel your reservation.

1. You can also reserve on intermediary websites or their app.

- - For a start, see if this restaurant has an online booking option.
  - If so, register on the website, log in with your username.
  - Next, choose the place you look for.
  - Choose a date, time, and enter your contact details and guests’ number in the request.
  - Once you have made your booking, you will receive an e-mail or telephone confirmation and how to cancel it.

The good thing about intermediary sites is that they offer coupons and various promotions to save a little money. You are awarded points you can spend on other services on that site.

Booking via Google

Many restaurants and local booking sites offer the option of making reservations directly through a Google search engine.

- To do this, search for the establishment in this search engine, and see if there is a table reservation option (the big blue button).
- If so, choose the date, time, and number of people.
- Then you place your order and receive confirmation of your Booking. It’s pretty convenient and straightforward.

Attention! There are usually links on Google to the website where you can make a reservation at the establishment if there is no such option.

IF YOU ARE LATE TO A RESTAURANT

When you have restaurant reservations and are running late, contact the restaurant manager and let them know. If you don’t, the restaurant staff may seat other people at your table.

Attention! Arrive at the restaurant at least 10 minutes before the appointed time. Inform the receptionist of your arrival. It is better to wait a little longer in the bar or lobby than to lose your table by being a little late.

If the delay is quite significant, it is advisable to cancel the reservation or reschedule it.

Important: Some restaurants require your credit card number when making a reservation. If you are late or don’t arrive at all, it can be charged as a cost. Be aware of such establishments!

Ordering food to your home or hotel

If you don’t feel like going out, or if you’re a guest, you can order food from an excellent restaurant directly to your apartment or hotel in most countries today.

1. You can do this by placing an order on the restaurant’s website or calling them on the phone.
2. Various intermediary websites provide food delivery services (e.g., Deliveroo, UberEats).

You can order food in most cases on such a company’s website or their app. Payment is mainly made by bank card. If you wish, you can tip the delivery person directly in the app or cash.

Food delivery companies are very affordable as they offer a wide choice from many establishments. You can see the ratings and reviews of the restaurants when choosing one. Restaurants with terrible reviews are usually removed from the website.

TYPES OF FOOD PLACES

Let’s take a brief look at what types of food establishments are found around the world:

Restaurant

The best of the food places We can find original, sophisticated interiors, exciting lighting, good crockery and table settings, and quality service. Restaurants usually always have their own unique, elaborate dishes from the chef on their menus. It should be clarified that these establishments are divided into luxury, top, and first categories. Restaurants are in a separate area, usually with parking for guests, or in a hotel, shopping center, train, cruise ship, etc. In some countries, restaurants are classified according to the number of forks. From one to five, where one is the most budget-friendly restaurant with minimum requirements, five is the most luxurious (even the furniture has to be of a proper standard). Some restaurants receive an additional award as a Michelin star. You can get one, two, or three stars.

- 1 star – the restaurant’s cuisine is quite good in its category
- 2 stars – excellent cuisine that deserves a special mention
- 3 stars – superb cuisine. This restaurant is recommended to visit on purpose. Stars are awarded primarily because of the chef’s excellent and quality work at a particular restaurant.

Restaurants can be of different types, such as

- Ethnic cuisine
- European and Asian cuisine,
- Fish restaurants
- Meat restaurants
- Vegetarian restaurants
- Vegan restaurants

In excellent restaurants, all meals are prepared in an equipped kitchen using fresh products. It is in these establishments that the restaurant reservation service we were talking about is most effective.

Café

It is one of the most common types of establishments around the world. Cafés usually have a limited range of food. There are no complicated or unique dishes. Some cafes do not have an equipped kitchen. Therefore, the dishes are prepared in half or served already cooked. You can find local cuisine in cafes. Here, the food is prepared from fresh products. The cost of food in a café is an order of magnitude lower than in a restaurant. The interior and service are not at the highest level, but there are often some very original cafés. A café can be narrowly focused, such as an ice-cream parlor or a youth and children’s café, where mainly students and families with children come. Many also offer reservations.

Cafeteria

This is a type of small café with a minimal number of employees. The range of food here is short. It is also a self-service establishment. Cafeterias are mostly near offices, shopping centers, dormitories, educational institutions, etc. There are tables for customers around the cafe. The principle of these cafeterias is simple: the customer takes a tray, buys food, and sits down at a free table.

Coffee House

This establishment offers a wide range of hot and cold drinks from coffee, tea, and cocoa in a relaxed and cozy atmosphere. You can also enjoy pastries, confectionery, and culinary specialties. Coffee houses serving spicy food and salads are less common. Often a coffee shop also serves alcoholic beverages. The coffee in these places is of outstanding quality. It is made with professional coffee machines or with a coffee maker. Besides the regular menu, there is a coffee list with descriptions of all coffee specialties. Some coffee shops roast their own coffee.

Pizzeria

This type of establishment comes from Italy and can be a pizza restaurant or a pizza café. A wide range of them and other Italian pasta dishes are a must on the menu. There is always an equipped kitchen and oven to prepare fresh pizzas and salads. The interior is usually homely and cozy, in the Italian style. Services and prices are decent. The most popular among them offers a reservation service. If you go to an authentic pizzeria in Italy with an Italian “pizzaiolo,” get ready to go on a diet, as authentic Italian pizza is delicious, and you’ll probably be back for more!

Bar

The focus here is on selling alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. Many bars also offer snacks, quick hot and cold dishes, desserts, pastries, and baked goods. Snacks and other prepared foods are often available. These establishments do not have an equipped kitchen, and there is no separate sink for greasy dishes. Products are sold through the bar, which is always present in these places. Many bars also have different tables. The interior is usually in muted tones; the level of service depends on the individual installation. Bars can also have different focuses, such as

- Beer bars
- Grill bars
- Sports bars
- Wine bars
- Video bars

Others fall into this category

- Night bars
- Cocktail bars
- Disco and karaoke bars

Fast-food restaurants

Here you can get a quick and cheap meal that is simple and quick to prepare. You can also order it for taking away. Today, it is possible to divide such restaurants into international chains (e.g., McDonald’s, Burger King, KFC, Subway, Wendy’s, Taco Bell, etc.) and local ones. International establishments offer burgers, fries, various poultry dishes, vegetable salads, pasta, simple desserts, ice cream, and more. These restaurants have a handy home delivery function or hotel delivery. It is also possible to order and receive food from the comfort of your car. As far as local fast food is concerned, this place offers a quick and inexpensive food meal. You can also find some international food on the menu. They are usually in high-traffic areas, such as shopping centers, city centers, or tourist areas. The food can easily be classified as travel food – it is fast, cheap, and calorie-dense.

A quickie or a snack bar

You can satisfy your hunger quickly and cheaply there. However, the range of dishes can be relatively modest. You’ll find sandwiches, salads, burgers, juices, tea, coffee, milkshakes, and mineral water on the menu. A place like this often offers local, national cuisine that requires little effort to prepare.

Buffet

A buffet is not a separate installation; it can be in a restaurant or café with a full kitchen or an educational, sporting, or cultural venue during an event. You can also find a buffet in many hotels, in a separate room when you go for breakfast. Or in Chinese wok restaurants. Food in the buffet is usually arranged on hotel tables, and there may be a few tables for guests. The buffet is often self-service. In terms of food served, these are instant meals, pastries, baked goods, other foods, and drinks in factory containers for consumption on the spot.

Dining room

This type of catering establishment involves self-service. The canteens have an equipped kitchen for preparing food in large quantities. Canteens are usually on or near the premises of large organizations, offices, or factories. There are also canteens in many educational buildings. The menu is simple and caters to many customers at certain lunchtime hours. The cost of the food is reasonably cheap, and the quality of the food is sometimes excellent. You can buy food individually or order a daily menu with the main dish, snack, dessert, and a drink.

Cooking

This is an establishment with its own culinary production and sells its own cooking, flour, pastry, bakery products, semi-finished products, and purchased food products (e.g., packaged drinks, ice cream, etc.). Many of the cookeries have a small café where you can eat in a relaxed atmosphere.

Tavern

It is a mixture of restaurants, café, and bars styled like the old days. It has its own immediate interior and atmosphere, and the venue is often decorated with antiques and photographs. Food is often locally produced, prepared in an equipped kitchen. Prices on the menus vary depending on the establishment’s level; most are pretty affordable, and the food quality is good.

Kiosk or food truck

It is simple, a non-mobile kiosk or a mobile food truck, in which simple food is prepared. It is often referred to as street food. You can find it at various festivals and fairs and near schools and offices. These kiosks come in a variety of sizes. They can be fitted with special small equipment, or a complete kitchen can be built in. Food is usually sold here for take-away. Sometimes there are a few tables near the kiosks or food trucks where you can eat. The dishes can range from local, national dishes to internationally popular ones, such as sandwiches, hot dogs, hamburgers, shawarma, tacos, nachos. Open small kiosk carts are ubiquitous in Asian countries and food trucks in North America, especially in the US. On the plus side, the food is being cheap and quick to prepare. On the downside, in some countries, it can highlight the unhygienic conditions in the kiosks.

Pancake House

This is a type of specific eatery. Pancake houses are located both in kiosks and in small premises with a kitchen and adequate ventilation. The main dish here is pancakes, which are often prepared in front of the customer. They can be sweet. Besides pancakes, the menu may offer various drinks, coffee, tea, juices, milkshakes, light salads, snacks, ice cream, and freshly baked goods. This type of establishment is prevalent in France and Russia.

Café tapas or tapas bar

This type of café or bar is mainly found in Spain. With a drink (alcoholic or non-alcoholic), you can choose a small snack from the menu. In the south of Spain, most bars include such an appetizer in the drink’s price. In other regions, tapas’ cost is separate from the alcohol and is not linked to it.

Sushi restaurant or Sushi bar

This type of establishment is not part of a typical restaurant or bar. Japanese sushi is prepared and served right in front of the guest. The customer sits down by the chef’s table (itamae), who cooks for them. Sometimes you can choose your own chef. Although this establishment originates from Japan, such sushi restaurants and sushi bars can increasingly be found in different parts of the world. In Japan, getting into Michelin-starred sushi restaurants is difficult. You must make restaurant reservations well before your visit. Typically, the establishment accepts up to 10 people. If you get into such a restaurant, you can only order drinks, and the sushi is prepared at the chef’s discretion. All the fish and rice in such sushi restaurants are always fresh, and the taste is fantastic!

Kebab Café or Doner Kebab

It is a café-enjoy eating place, except that the main dish here is a kebab variation. It is based on meat cooked in different ways and supplemented with vegetables. This dish originates from the Middle East, Central Asia, and Transcaucasia and is very popular in Turkey, Azerbaijan, and other eastern countries.

Take-away establishments

Many countries have establishments that are equipped with a kitchen and an oven. They only serve take-away food. You can call ahead and order the food you want. Then you can come, pay for it, and pick it up. Or you can go straight in and order what you want, pay, wait and collect your order. Most offer simple, quick meals (e.g., pizza, pasta, salads, light soups, sushi, noodles, sandwiches, etc.).

TYPICAL CUISINES

You will find some travel food that many people love in many places, which refers to a particular cuisine.

Everyone has their taste, but the cuisine of some countries is more loved.

- Some of the most common cuisines you can find in the restaurants are European countries, mainly Italy, France, Greece, Spain, and the UK.
- Italian cuisine deserves a special mention, as it is not just a widespread cuisine, but also the most popular in the world (somewhere more, somewhere less).
- You should also note American cuisine’s prominence, chiefly North American, Mexican, Brazilian, and Argentine cuisines.
- You can now find restaurants serving Asian cuisines (mainly Japanese, Korean, Chinese, and Indian) and South Asian cuisines (such as Thai, Indonesian, Filipino, and Vietnamese) in almost every country.
- A particular note is for Lebanese cuisine, the most famous from the Middle East.

TRAVEL MEDICAL INSURANCE

Travel medical insurance is foremost a tourist’s policy that can save the carefree traveler from significant expenses should they suddenly need medical care. It usually includes medical and medical-transportation expenses, doctor’s appointments, medication, often dental emergencies, and essential additional services. So, if you’re worried about your gastrointestinal tract, you might take out travel insurance. Remember that the cost of medical services varies from country to country, and sometimes they are costly.

Travel insurance is also compulsory when applying for a visa. It may also be required at the border control when entering some countries without a permit.

All insurance companies have different coverage amounts, but it is advisable to buy a policy with at least USD 50,000 in coverage. In most cases, this is enough money to cover the tourist’s medical treatment.

WHAT ELSE TO CONSIDER WHEN CHOOSING A RESTAURANT AND TRAVEL FOOD

Many famous cities sell travel cards that offer discounts not only on tickets to the city’s attractions but also to cafes and restaurants. The deals and facilities are often quite good:

- If you plan to visit a restaurant with children, check with the establishment whether they have a children’s menu or whether they can prepare food suitable for your child’s needs.
- If you are allergic to certain foods, check the menu and the food composition beforehand. In case you need special meals, inform the restaurant staff in advance. Also, take your medication with you, just in case.
- You are unsure about a particular establishment’s sanitary conditions; it is better not to take the risk and find another.
- Remember that in many Asian countries the food is quite spicy.
- Every country has its online food guides. These guides have useful apps that list restaurants and cafes with ratings and reviews. Please don’t be lazy and read up on them before you travel.
- In high-risk countries (with low water quality), buy and drink only bottled water, preferably from reputable brands. Be sure to check that the bottle has not been previously opened.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, here are some basic rules when booking a table at a restaurant:

- Check the restaurant’s menu on their website and see what kind of cuisine they serve.
- Don’t forget to make a reservation in advance, especially if it is popular with the public.
- Don’t be over 5 to 10 minutes late; otherwise, you will lose your reservation.
- Don’t forget that you can arrange for food to be delivered directly from the restaurant to your flat or hotel room in many countries.
- Some restaurants are bustling daily, so they rarely provide a reservation service.

We hope you can now easily make restaurant reservations well in advance during your holiday. Just don’t forget to read the reviews before you visit. Enjoy your meal!