Dining habits in Scotland’s capital are revealed

A new survey says that the most popular way to dine in Scotland’s capital is dinner for two people at 7pm.

OpenTable, the world’s leading online restaurant booking service, has revealed insights into Edinburgh’s dining habits.

The research shows that Edinburgh diners like to plan ahead when it comes to dining out, with only 15% of restaurant goers making a last-minute reservation just 90 minutes before their dining time.

Whilst they do not like to make last-minute reservations, Edinburgh foodies are keen to have on-the-go accessibility to restaurant bookings with almost half (48%) of all OpenTable reservations in the city originating on a mobile device rather than via desktop.

OpenTable has also unveiled the most popular type of restaurant reservation amongst Edinburgh habitants, with the vast majority of reservations being made for two people, with dinner reigning supreme as the most popular meal (46%), and 7pm being the preferred dining time.

OpenTable recently revealed that the popularity of bookings has significantly changed for breakfast, brunch and afternoon tea across the UK, with all three seeing a lively boost in the last two years.

However, insights into the Edinburgh dining habits show that dinner still outshines daytime alternatives as the preferred meal time amongst diners.

Edinburgh is seen internationally as a top foodie destination with 45% of online restaurant bookings being made by intrepid explorers visiting the city, and 46% of destination diners travelling internationally to sample its culinary fayre.

Overall, diners in Edinburgh are a loud and loving bunch, with more than 12,000 reviews submitted last year producing an overwhelmingly positive average of 4.4 out of 5 stars.

In 2017 classic Scottish fayre proved to be the most popular choice for Edinburgh diners, followed by British, steak, Italian and French cuisine rounding out the top five choices.

Adrian Valeriano, vice-president, Europe, for OpenTable, said: ‘Edinburgh is a melting pot of quality dining destinations from Michelin-starred restaurants to its lively street food scene.

‘With new restaurants opening on a regular basis, Edinburgh has established itself as one of the most exciting dining destinations for both UK diners and those from further afield.

‘We are excited to continue working closely with our partners in the city to bring them local and international diners and opening up this culinary hot spot to an ever growing and discerning audience.’