UK-based firm offers online restaurant booking system

MANILA, Philippines - ResDiary, a UK-based online restaurant booking specialist, has partnered with local tech firm Govago Inc. to offer its system to more than 500 restaurants in the Philippines for bookings and other consumer needs.

Govago president Dennis Ng said the ResDiary system will revolutionize the restaurant industry by moving it to the digital era.

He said unlike in the UK and the US, many restaurants in the Philippines still use the old process and are still not digitized.  On the other hand, in other countries, the restaurant industry has already crossed the digital age.

“Philippine restaurants are still stuck in the dark ages to a large extent. I think the industry has evolved and grown and has become a bit more digitized over the past years, but the vast majority of restaurants in Philippines are still using a pen and paper diary to manage their bookings,” Ng said.

However, Ng said restaurant owners and consumers can benefit significantly by incorporating a digital system.

Govago is a Filipino start-up company focused on bringing new and advanced technology into the Philippines.

ResDiary, on the other hand, is a company based in Glasgow and has presence in over 4,500 restaurants in 17 countries.

The goal is to give restaurants the benefit of real-time booking through their websites, Facebook and Twitter accounts as well as telephone and walk-in booking.

“This agreement is an important entry point into the Philippine markets in which the restaurant sector is on a dramatic upward trajectory,” said Mike Conyers, ResDiary founder.

“ResDiary has worked hard to put this agreement in place as it recognizes that to maintain growth, it has to target areas in which the restaurants and hospitality sector is healthy and expanding,” he said.