I am a planner. I’m the kind of person who plans everything out, and who gets minor panic attacks when things don’t go as planned. I’m trying my best to be a little more spontaneous, but I thrive when I know what’s going to happen next. This trait of mine extends to dining. When I was still with my boyfriend, we would discuss where we’ll eat on the weekend as early as Monday.
Because of this, I always make reservations. I hate it when I’ve psyched myself up the entire week that I’ll eat in the new Japanese restaurant and arrive there with the place packed. I used to call restaurants’ landline numbers to book a table, but now I can make restaurant reservations using an app. Thank you, Seats, for existing.
Seats lets you book tables at partner restaurants for free. What I like about the app is you don’t have to call a landline number, an important factor when you decide what to eat when you’re outside the house. All you need to do is search for the restaurant by category (big groups, buffet, breakfast, lunch, dinner healthy, cocktails, and after work) or by location, enter the number of seats and the time, and you’re booked. The time comes in 15 minute increments so there’s a lot of legroom for adjustments.
There are background details to let you get a taste of what you’ll eat, and some restaurants have menus uploaded already.
To date, you can make reservations in Single Origin, SumoSam, Vikings, Niu, Four Seasons Hotpot City, John and Yoko, Dekada, Sandaime, Black Pig, Bulgogi Brothers, Coca Restaurant in SM Aura, Crystal Jade, Farmacy, Ganso Shabuway, Mango Tree, Mona Lisa Ristorante, Museum Cafe, Nikkei, Neil’s Kitchen, and many more.
For my first try, I decided to book a table at John and Yoko in Alabang. My Russian friend Alex was visiting from London so I decided to let him have Japanese food.
The booking was easy: I put the number of guests, the date, and the time. There was a space for notes (like if you need a highchair), and for promos if you have one. I received a text and email reservation.
We arrived at John and Yoko ahead of the reservation, but we were quickly welcomed and ushered to our table. According to the manager, they receive the Seats notification in real-time, which means your reservation goes through right away. I’m also anxious and have a general distrust of technology, so this pleased my old-fashioned heart.
I’ve been to John and Yoko several times and I enjoy their inventive take on sushi, and my friend liked the Rock and Roll Sushi, which had shrimp, and the Bacon Wagyu Rice, which had three of the best things to happen to gastronomy: bacon, wagyu, and rice.
My planning heart was happy with Seats. I no longer have to worry how I’ll eat when I make up my mind when I’m out of home, which would also have a positive effect on my phone bill. There are tons of restaurants to choose from at Seats, and I’m looking forward for the app to fatten up its lineup.
By the way, Single Origin recently opened a branch in Rockwell, and you can use my promo code and get P200 off your bill if you book a table using Seats from October 22 to November 22. Will write about my experience soon!
Seats is available on the App Store and the Google Play Store