It's Better to Make Restaurant Reservations By Phone Than Online

Much to the relief of the introverted and socially anxious, digital advances of the modern era have made it increasingly easy to avoid human interaction. From ordering takeout to finding a date, apps have made it easier than ever before to get by without directly speaking to another human being.

Unfortunately, it turns out that if you want the best results, actually speaking to a person is often still your best bet in many cases. This is apparently true when it comes to making restaurant reservations, anyway. While a slew of apps exist to help you book a table online at many restaurants, Eater reports that online platforms like OpenTable and Resy don’t always show you all available reservation options (or the best tables).

However, your perfect table may be just a phone call away. According to Eater, there are many advantages to picking up the phone instead of scrolling through an app when it comes to making a reservation. For one, you may be able to get a table by calling even if a reservation doesn’t appear to be available online, because a hostess may be willing to give you a table typically reserved for walk-ins or agree to call you if another table opens up.

Also, as Eater notes, calling to make a reservation at restaurants where reservations aren’t handled through popular online platforms “opens up a whole other category of restaurants” where you may even be more likely to snag a better seat since you aren’t competing with the hungry masses on Resy.

While it isn’t exactly surprising that talking to an actual human likely yields better results than interacting with a digital interface, talking is hard, and even the more social among us probably tend to prefer the convenience of an app over the phone. Unfortunately, it turns out the world still rewards those brave enough to pick up the phone and call.

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