What would you think if restaurants google you after you make a reservation? Two thirds of respondents to a survey in the United States said they would be fine with such a practice which exists.
We have not come across any such statistics for Europe so we need to look at a recent survey carried out by OpenTable for a new e-book Technology and Dining Out 2015. 31 per cent said they found the suggestion creepy and intrusive. 40 per cent thought it was no problem and 24 per cent actually said it is a good thing.We can think of many reasons why this would be a good thing but wonder whether the figures for Europe would be similar particular given the difference in views on privacy in Europe.
In today’s world of social media where anyone has the potential to become a food critic by reviewing restaurants on sharing platforms, it would seem like standard practice for a restaurant to look for information about their clients. Moreover, it also helps to enhance a user experience.
Just like customers spend time online searching for a restaurant, it makes sense that this also happens vice-versa.
Topics covered in the book as announced by Open Table (we don’t have a copy) include:
- How big a role your guests think technology can play at enhancing the dining experience across concepts, from fine dining to counter service
- What diners do online most frequently before they dine out – and what it means for restaurateurs everywhere
- What diners wish they could do using technology prior to the meal
- How diners feel about restaurants researching them in advance online, on the spectrum of ‘creepy’ to ‘cool’
- What details diners wish restaurants knew about them
- How often diners claim to use their phones in restaurants
- The most popular uses of smartphones for meal-related activities while at the restaurant
- What diners think of emerging in-meal technologies like on-table touchscreens and mobile payments
- How diners most commonly use technology following a meal
- How likely consumers say they are to download restaurant-specific mobile app
Next time you make a reservation at a restaurant and are heading to the restaurant for a dinner, you may be thinking what they already know about you when you get there.
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