Restaurants’ peak season isn’t just around the corner — as far as holiday events are concerned, it’s already here. We looked at data from 2015 to see the trends and patterns around holiday events: when diners (and party planners) start shopping, where there’s the highest demand, and more. We found that inquiries around private dining and events actually peak in October, so now’s the time to start driving event leads! Get started with OpenTable Private Dining here, and read on for a deeper dive on the data.

2015 PRIVATE DINING INQUIRIES

Our Private Dining platform allows restaurants to drive leads via email or phone. While leads come in all year long for occasions like anniversaries, birthdays, and showers, leads are highest in October, with November not far behind.

EVENT TYPES

We know people are planning for the holidays because we can see what types of events they are requesting (note that the chart above reflects inquiries made via email only). In October and November, corporate and holiday events make up a larger percentage of the inquiries. In September, holiday events make up only 10% of total email inquiries; in October they are 18% and in November, they’re 23%.

LEADS BY METRO

Predictably, our largest markets see big spikes in private dining requests via email ahead of the holidays. While most metro areas saw the largest volume in October, Los Angeles, Houston, and Toronto peaked in November.

We know when people are inquiring, but when are they actually hosting their events? The majority of email leads in September, October, and November 2015 were booking dates for December, but more than 20% were seeking dates in November. Plus, well over 100 people were looking to book an event for December 2016 — a full year out. Book out your event spaces early, and enjoy a smooth, successful holiday season.