{"id":4858,"date":"2015-06-21T11:16:34","date_gmt":"2015-06-21T10:16:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/english.thesunrisetoday.com\/?p=4858"},"modified":"2015-06-21T11:16:34","modified_gmt":"2015-06-21T10:16:34","slug":"first-saudi-online-restaurant-booking-site-picks-up-speed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english.thesunrisetoday.com\/index.php\/first-saudi-online-restaurant-booking-site-picks-up-speed\/","title":{"rendered":"First Saudi online restaurant booking site picks up speed"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"First<\/a>Saffiya Ansari:<\/strong> A trio of hungry-for-change Saudi entrepreneurs have kick started the country\u2019s first online restaurant reservation portal, YoTable.com.
\nLaunched last month, the system allows users in Jeddah \u2013 soon to be followed by other cities \u2013 to book their table online when heading out for a meal and is available in both English and Arabic.
\nThe brainchild of Rashed Islam, Reda Islam and Mahmoud al-Said, the site fills a gap in the market, according to one of its founders.
\n\u201cWe identified a problem, there was a gap in the market and it\u2019s a problem that many people face when trying to book a restaurant \u2013 myself included,\u201d Rashed Islam told Al Arabiya News.
\nWhen trying to book a table \u201cphones go unanswered and all-in-all it can be quite a frustrating experience,\u201d he added.
\n\u201cWe came up with a much simpler system whereby you can store all the details in your online account so when you make a booking, it\u2019s instantly passed to the restaurant. You can even put in a special request that\u2019s passed to the restaurant,\u201d he said.
\nThe system allows users to amend their booking online and even provides a number for the restaurant, a feature which shows \u201cwe are not in competition with the old system but, rather, we want the experience to be as flexible and as convenient as possible for the restaurant and the diner,\u201d according to Islam.
\nThe site splits its restaurant options into categories based on national cuisines, with everything from sushi to Lebanese mezze and is mobile friendly, desktop friendly and tablet-appropriate.
\nMeanwhile, developers are currently working on an Android and iOS app to make the service more widely available to Saudi Arabia\u2019s tech-savvy populace.
\nBoasting the Arab region\u2019s highest number of active Twitter users, Saudi Arabia is no doubt a prime hotspot for online services, so why has it taken so long for businesses to catch on?
\n\u201cWe book everything online these days, we book our flights online, we book our hotels and cars online. It may just be a case that we are a little bit behind in Saudi Arabia when it comes to start-ups,\u201d Islam stated.
\nAnother \u201churdle\u201d the trio faced was convincing restaurants to sign up to the service with the first restaurants on the database being offered a six-month free trial.
\nThe reaction has been positive, Islam said, with more than 1000 diners signing up in the first two weeks.<\/p>\n

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