The Ledger, Issue No. 8 · November 6, 2026
Your reservation button has one job
Most surveyed diners said they go to a restaurant's own website to book.
The stat
Toast's Restaurant Reservation Data article reports that 65 percent of diners surveyed go straight to a restaurant's website to book. It cites two blind surveys of 850 U.S. adults, fielded March 14, 2024 and July 16, 2025, and does not say which one produced this figure. It gives a margin of error of 3 to 5 points on average at 95 percent confidence. The surveys record stated behavior, with no completed-booking count or independent-restaurant breakdown, and Toast sells reservation software.
The idea
Put the action that fills a table where guests can see it early. On a phone, the reservation button should open straight to the date and party-size step. Each extra tap is one more place a guest can give up.
Try this week
Borrow a friend's phone. Start on your homepage and go as far as the final confirm screen without using the site's menu. Count the taps, check the date and party size, and fix the first spot where the path stalls.