NI restaurants sign up for discount internet booking

Belfast diners can check out some of the City’s finest restaurants at discounted prices thanks to a unique on-line booking service that has just been launched in Northern Ireland.

The www.5pm.co.uk website is the biggest restaurant booking service on the internet with more than 950 UK restaurants registered. Now, for the first time, the site has expanded its membership to include Belfast restaurants and that’s good news for local diners.

More than a dozen Belfast eateries have signed up to the site which gives members the opportunity to post special offers and daily discounts on to the site in order to boost business during quiet periods.

John Walsh, Marketing Director for the Belfast Visitor and Convention Bureau (BVCB), was instrumental in bringing www.5pm.co.uk to the City.

He said: “The site is basically a yield management tool for restaurants.

“Local restaurants can use www.5pm.co.uk to manage their business, allocate seats and maximise sales. All restaurants have quiet periods during the day or early evening and this site allows them to allocate a certain number of seats at select times which are available at special discounted rates.

"Users can then log on to see what special offers are available in the various restaurants across the City, and go out for an enjoyable meal.

“It’s a free service and it helps people to enjoy top class meals in superior restaurants at a great value price. It’s one of those nice situations where both the customer and the restaurant benefit."

Even better news for Belfast restaurants is that the BVCB has negotiated a six month free membership period and grants of up to £500 for businesses wanting to include their own micro-site – allocated on a pound per pound spent basis.

Among the Belfast restaurants to sign up are Irene and Nan’s, Nick’s Warehouse, Shu, Oxford Exchange Grill Bar and Tatu.

(MB)