Livebookings takes on Groupon

Online table reservation company Livebookings has launched a new daily deals website in a bid to take on Groupon in the restaurant and pub sector.

The new service will run under its consumer restaurant reservations brand Bookatable as the Branded Bookatable Dining Deals.

It aims to target dining enthusiasts with pre-matched criteria to exclusively sourced dining dealss rather than bargain hunters looking for a cheap meal.

Restaurants that run a Dining Deal will be able to capture diners' data and designate specific times for tables to be booked for the deal. Customers will not be required to print off a paper voucher.

Restaurants will receive some payment within 7 days and will only incur costs after the customer has dined.

"Despite its rapid adoption, the current deals market is a bit like drinking from a fire hose — some of what you get is good but the majority is not," said Colin Tenwick, chief executive of Livebookings.

"It has created unpredictable costs, reduced profit margins and presented significant operational difficulties for restaurants. We want our customers to be drinking from a champagne glass not a fire hose.

"The new Bookatable Dining Deals platform builds on our unique experience, helping the restaurant industry regain control of their tables, their bookings and their business to increase profit predictably while providing consumers with a new best of breed dining deals experience, offering tailored dining experiences based on their preferences and requirements.

"We believe that Bookatable Dining Deals represents a balance between being good for the restaurant and good for the consumer and is the first of a new generation of deal platforms."