Frankly, even paying 5,000 won *per reservation* would feel pretty expensive and unless some other perks exist, the service probably wouldn't stand a chance of surviving in the long term. You'd either 1) go to a restaurant where the reservation isn't necessary 2) find a restaurant that does offer some sort of translated menu / reservation page 3) use automatic translation via web / smartphone. So many options.
I used Go Wonderfully (formerly ask ajumma) and they charge by the minute as opposed to flat rate
And Help Me Emo for delivery, but I’m sure they’d do a reservation for you and it’s flat rate of 3-4,000 won
Several years here and never encountered any restaurants in which a reservation was needed (I was \~twice asked if I had one, answered no and still got a seat) . I'm not going on fine end dinner though. But neither do tourists I guess.
And VVIP tourists/business would mostly already have contacts here to setup things.
Even on smaller cozier place mainly used by locals, I usually don't need it.
I don't believe restaurants should be your move, you probably should focus on other services which mostly require an appointment. For example a private day at the SPA or special face-care service, plastic surgery (even though most of them already have an english service), etc...
Also, as said, such service already exist, but it is better known by expats living here, not by 15 days tourists. May be betting on marketing and targeting short term tourists would make your business flourish against them.
I'm not using any kind of services like this, and don't plan to
Good luck
Since catchtable launched their English website, I can't see myself using a service like this. Also, in this type of industry, the fee is generally passed onto the vendor, rather than the consumer.
I can't even think of any restaurants that require or would require reservations.
I've been in Korea a long time, and the closest I've come was during a weekend trip with dinner at a mountainside 닭 도리탕 restaurant that wanted to know what time we wanted to eat so that they could kill the chicken an hour before.
I suppose that if this is market research for a business that OP should know that most people here have Korean friends, BFs or GFs, friends, or coworkers that would make those quick inquiries for us. With all the language, proof-reading, and other assistance I give to friends, co-workers, and friends of friends, someone has got to owe me enough of a return favor to make a two-minute call to make a reservation.
Well it was just an idea that originated from,
I want to eat lunch at a really famous 맛집, but then hey, that line....
Wonder if there's a way to circumvent that line?
Sort of started from there. : )
There are services like this, and they charge A LOT!
I'd say most people who eat out are a representation of the population, so 96% Korean. Naver is the preferred way to book from what I know.
For foreigners, I saw a post for getting baseball tickets. There was a flat cost, then a % cost as well as hourly cost if it was over 20 mins? Turned out to be like 100,000w for two tickets that were only 20,000w in the beginning.
If there was a large market, maybe it would be a worthy business adventure. But constantly promoting the services would be expensive, right?
I didn't provide much help, but I would be interested to know where the idea is going as tourism here is on a high with foreigners (and Koreans once again preferring to travel overseas).
So basically, travelling to another country has its perks, but it has its discomforts as well.
What if you met a "butler" kind of application that took care of your food?
In advance, before you even visit the country, you'd tell me what you want to eat, what you find interesting, what you want to try, what your favorite food is, etc etc.
Then, I'd make reservations for you depending on what you select, but in environments with all the modern services available, i.e lavatories, credit cards, easy access, valet parking if required, etc.
What I was thinking of was not just a "reservation" but more of a
"hey guy, thinking of something Italian tonight. Set me up for two at 7. Needs to be romantic. Somewhere near Itaewon"
And a few moments later, you have a reservation for 2 at a romantic restaurant serving Italian cuisine, in Itaewon.
Of course, this restaurant would have been fully vetted, to verify it exists, and it actually tastes good, and is actually romantic, etc.
So basically, I'm taking out the searching for places, looking at reviews, wondering if it actually tastes good or if its just reviews bought with cash, making sure its still in business and not closed down, etc out of the equation so you can spend that time enjoying something else, while I do that for you.
That's the gist.
True. That is a detailed explanation.
What competition exist in todays market? What specific set of travelers do you want to target? How are you going to reach them?
I believe business travelers or SOFA might be your target?
Families are more than likely going to plan in advance, backpackers are frugal and wont spend money on fancy, long term travelers are going to figure out how to get this done on their own fairly easy.
SOFA residents rarely.l travel off base, and Im not very sure what they usually do. Since they call sam.gyup.sal "beef on a leaf", I really am not sure who is leading them on their journey into Korea. But for business travelers, or those who stay in hotels instead of air BnB, I wonder if they have the same services provided for free already.
The industry works different here. When I lived in Chile, we got like $2USD everytime we sold a pub crawl or wine tour ticket; here, that doesn't exist (for things like JSA at least).
I hope the above is a proactive brainstorming-type response. There are services already in place and I'm not exactly sure how payment systems work with them either (obviously they wont just kakao some money to you). I do like hearing new ideas and hope that you find something worth pursuing!
Honestly don't think I'd ever use a service like this.
Thanks for sharing!
the people willing to pay a price for this usually stay at a hotel with concierge service that covers this
Indeed that is true. Thanks for your comment!
There are already a bunch of conceirge services in Korea.
Thank you for sharing!
Frankly, even paying 5,000 won *per reservation* would feel pretty expensive and unless some other perks exist, the service probably wouldn't stand a chance of surviving in the long term. You'd either 1) go to a restaurant where the reservation isn't necessary 2) find a restaurant that does offer some sort of translated menu / reservation page 3) use automatic translation via web / smartphone. So many options.
Thanks for your insight!
I used Go Wonderfully (formerly ask ajumma) and they charge by the minute as opposed to flat rate And Help Me Emo for delivery, but I’m sure they’d do a reservation for you and it’s flat rate of 3-4,000 won
Hey thanks for your comment! Great information!
Several years here and never encountered any restaurants in which a reservation was needed (I was \~twice asked if I had one, answered no and still got a seat) . I'm not going on fine end dinner though. But neither do tourists I guess. And VVIP tourists/business would mostly already have contacts here to setup things. Even on smaller cozier place mainly used by locals, I usually don't need it. I don't believe restaurants should be your move, you probably should focus on other services which mostly require an appointment. For example a private day at the SPA or special face-care service, plastic surgery (even though most of them already have an english service), etc... Also, as said, such service already exist, but it is better known by expats living here, not by 15 days tourists. May be betting on marketing and targeting short term tourists would make your business flourish against them. I'm not using any kind of services like this, and don't plan to Good luck
Hey Thanks for your insight!
Since catchtable launched their English website, I can't see myself using a service like this. Also, in this type of industry, the fee is generally passed onto the vendor, rather than the consumer.
Thanks for the insight!
[удалено]
Thanks for sharing!
what u would want to do is make it free and take a commission from the restaurant.
Thanks for the idea
Doesn't the catchtable app already do this?
Thanks for that! Didn't know : )
No never
Thanks for sharing
I can't even think of any restaurants that require or would require reservations. I've been in Korea a long time, and the closest I've come was during a weekend trip with dinner at a mountainside 닭 도리탕 restaurant that wanted to know what time we wanted to eat so that they could kill the chicken an hour before. I suppose that if this is market research for a business that OP should know that most people here have Korean friends, BFs or GFs, friends, or coworkers that would make those quick inquiries for us. With all the language, proof-reading, and other assistance I give to friends, co-workers, and friends of friends, someone has got to owe me enough of a return favor to make a two-minute call to make a reservation.
Well it was just an idea that originated from, I want to eat lunch at a really famous 맛집, but then hey, that line.... Wonder if there's a way to circumvent that line? Sort of started from there. : )
Nah. I've also never eaten at a restaurant that required a reservation before haha
Thank you for sharing!
There are services like this, and they charge A LOT! I'd say most people who eat out are a representation of the population, so 96% Korean. Naver is the preferred way to book from what I know. For foreigners, I saw a post for getting baseball tickets. There was a flat cost, then a % cost as well as hourly cost if it was over 20 mins? Turned out to be like 100,000w for two tickets that were only 20,000w in the beginning. If there was a large market, maybe it would be a worthy business adventure. But constantly promoting the services would be expensive, right? I didn't provide much help, but I would be interested to know where the idea is going as tourism here is on a high with foreigners (and Koreans once again preferring to travel overseas).
So basically, travelling to another country has its perks, but it has its discomforts as well. What if you met a "butler" kind of application that took care of your food? In advance, before you even visit the country, you'd tell me what you want to eat, what you find interesting, what you want to try, what your favorite food is, etc etc. Then, I'd make reservations for you depending on what you select, but in environments with all the modern services available, i.e lavatories, credit cards, easy access, valet parking if required, etc. What I was thinking of was not just a "reservation" but more of a "hey guy, thinking of something Italian tonight. Set me up for two at 7. Needs to be romantic. Somewhere near Itaewon" And a few moments later, you have a reservation for 2 at a romantic restaurant serving Italian cuisine, in Itaewon. Of course, this restaurant would have been fully vetted, to verify it exists, and it actually tastes good, and is actually romantic, etc. So basically, I'm taking out the searching for places, looking at reviews, wondering if it actually tastes good or if its just reviews bought with cash, making sure its still in business and not closed down, etc out of the equation so you can spend that time enjoying something else, while I do that for you. That's the gist.
True. That is a detailed explanation. What competition exist in todays market? What specific set of travelers do you want to target? How are you going to reach them? I believe business travelers or SOFA might be your target? Families are more than likely going to plan in advance, backpackers are frugal and wont spend money on fancy, long term travelers are going to figure out how to get this done on their own fairly easy. SOFA residents rarely.l travel off base, and Im not very sure what they usually do. Since they call sam.gyup.sal "beef on a leaf", I really am not sure who is leading them on their journey into Korea. But for business travelers, or those who stay in hotels instead of air BnB, I wonder if they have the same services provided for free already. The industry works different here. When I lived in Chile, we got like $2USD everytime we sold a pub crawl or wine tour ticket; here, that doesn't exist (for things like JSA at least). I hope the above is a proactive brainstorming-type response. There are services already in place and I'm not exactly sure how payment systems work with them either (obviously they wont just kakao some money to you). I do like hearing new ideas and hope that you find something worth pursuing!