Major upgrade for First Table
Leading Queenstown hospo tech business First Table has launched a new feature which displays real-time availability for all its partner restaurants.
The company, much-loved for its signature early bird 50% off dining offers, is one of the brightest stars of the Queenstown Lakes startup scene, now reaching 1.5 million foodies across the world.
Now diners can check the platform for real-time booking availability at any time - with and without the First Table discounts.
Founder Mat Weir saw a gap in the market when, one night, he was trying to find a restaurant for himself and his friends and realised there wasn’t one website or app that people could use to find restaurant table availability in real-time.
It dawned on him that because First Table had the partner restaurants and the connectivity, that the company could build and offer a search engine that enabled people to find any table all in one place.
Why hasn't someone done this already?
"It’s bloody hard," Weir says. "It’s technically challenging to search for table availability in real time across multiple restaurant systems.
"But this update goes beyond just technological advancements; it’s about streamlining the process for diners to effortlessly search, find, and book restaurants with complete confidence, all from one platform.
"We’ve developed the technology to make this possible, and I'm excited for our Queenstown community, who have been with us from the start, to experience it."
Queenstown is the first city to have the feature turned on, with Christchurch to follow in the coming months.
Weir says the plan is to evolve the First Table brand from being an early bird 50% off platform, attracting off-peak diners to restaurants, into the "first place to book any table", bringing in full-price diners.
Queenstown’s Jervois Steak House was one of the first restaurants to participate in the pilot last year.
Restaurant Manager Briony Holmes says being one of the first to use First Table's regular bookings feature has really paid off.
"The direct integration with our booking system makes managing bookings seamless and effortless," she says.
"It’s fantastic how this new feature not only helps with those booking the early bird offer but also with new regular diners. We are seeing more regular bookings every week, which goes to show it brings us additional exposure.
"We’re genuinely excited about what’s next with First Table’s new search tool. It’s going to make a big difference in how we reach new guests and optimise our table occupancy."
First Table is unique in that it integrates with seven major restaurant reservation systems, meaning live availability for consumers is displayed, and reservations are inserted seamlessly into a restaurant booking system.
The First Table app can be downloaded from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store.
