Wagamama takes bookings for the first time in 34 years

Wagamama is ending more than three decades of walk-in-only dining. Restaurant Online reports the group will now take reservations for tables of any size at all of its restaurants, following a trial and what it describes as customer demand for more flexibility.

What changes - Bookings on the day or in advance, for everyday visits as well as occasions - Channels: OpenTable, the Wagamama website and its Soul Club app, plus phone for larger groups - Parties of 20 or more book directly with their chosen restaurant - The festive set menu is bookable now, at £23 for two courses and £28 for three

Chief marketing officer Claire Farrant called same-day, any-party-size bookings "a really significant moment" for the business.

Why it matters A walk-in model trades visibility for simplicity: no no-shows to chase, but no forward view of demand either. Putting a national estate on a reservations platform gives the group cover data it has never had, and a direct booking channel through its own app at the busiest point of the year. The tension sits at site level, where communal benches and quick table turns now have to live alongside held tables.

What it means for operators: when a brand built on the queue decides bookings are how to lock in festive revenue, walk-in-led groups should ask what their own diary data is worth before December.