Summer 2025/26: What South Africa’s biggest dining season tells us

As we move into winter, it’s worth taking a step back and looking at what happened over the summer.

This past summer wasn’t just busy – it was telling. The way diners booked, searched for restaurants, and showed up shifted in ways that matter for how restaurants plan, market, and operate going forward.

With millions of bookings flowing through Dineplan between November 2025 and March 2026, we’ve unpacked what those patterns mean for you.

A strong season – beyond just growth

Over the summer, 3.5 million reservations were made through Dineplan, seating around 15 million diners. That’s a 14.6% year-on-year increase.

Even when factoring in platform growth, the average standalone restaurant still saw covers increase by 10%.

What this points to is fairly clear: Dining out isn’t slowing down – it’s firmly back in people’s routines. And with continued inbound travel, South Africa remains a highly active dining market.

The shift to real-time decision making

One of the biggest changes we’re seeing is when people decide to book.

• The Dineplan app grew 30% year on year
• We recorded 15.7 million views over the season
• 13% of all bookings were made on the same day

Diners are no longer planning days in advance. They’re browsing, comparing, and booking closer to the moment – often based on availability, mood, or a last-minute plan.

What this means for you: If your restaurant isn’t easy to find and book in real time, you’re missing a growing share of demand.

Discovery is driving bookings

Search behaviour is where things get particularly interesting. The most searched categories this summer were:

• Fine dining
• Breakfast
• Italian
• Seafood
• Steakhouse

But more importantly, 79% of diners didn’t search for a specific restaurant. They started broad – filtering by area, availability, cuisine, or specials – and made decisions from there. That means most diners aren’t arriving with you in mind. They’re choosing from what’s visible in the moment.

The opportunity: Discovery is now one of the biggest drivers of new bookings – especially when it comes to tourists and first-time guests.

Fridays still matter (but how people plan them has changed)

Booking behaviour continues to follow a familiar rhythm – with a few nuances.

• Peak booking time: 11 am – 1 pm (when plans become bookings)
• Most popular dining time: 7 pm on Fridays

The peak time for making reservations is right in the middle of lunch service, when restaurants are least available to answer phones. Fridays are also the busiest day for booking creation, linking directly to the short-lead, last-minute habits we’re seeing from diners across the platform.

Fridays and Saturdays remain the anchor of the week, with average table sizes sitting at around 4.5 guests per booking – consistent with previous summers.

People are still using dining out as a way to connect and socialise. What’s changed is how quickly those plans come together.

Key calendar moments still dominate

Even with the rise in spontaneous bookings, certain dates continue to outperform.

• Valentine’s Day was the busiest day of the season, seating 21% more diners than any other day
• The first full week of December saw the highest booking volumes overall

These moments still drive demand at scale – and remain key opportunities to plan around.

What this means going into winter (and beyond)

If there’s one takeaway from this summer, it’s this: Diners are more active – but also more flexible. They’re:

• Booking later
• Browsing more
• Choosing based on what’s available right now

For restaurants, that shifts where the focus needs to be:

• Visibility – showing up when diners are searching
• Availability – having accurate, real-time booking slots
• Ease of booking – removing friction at the point of decision

The restaurants that perform best aren’t just the most well-known – they’re the easiest to discover and book in the moment.