Mother's Day 2016 bookings rise by a quarter, says Bookatable

Restaurant bookings for Mother's Day (6 March) have increased by almost a quarter this year compared with 2015, with lunch and afternoon tea most popular, according to booking platform Bookatable.

The website found that bookings for this year rose by 23% compared with 2015, with the most popular slot for lunchtime (6 March), with 60% of all bookings for this time. Afternoon tea accounted for 15% of bookings.

Conversely, families appeared unwilling to get up early on Mother's Day, with just 2% of bookings for breakfast or brunch.

Afternoon tea at the Ritz hotel in London (pictured) was the most popular option on that day, while Aqua Shard in London skyscraper the Shard, Betty's tearoom in Harrogate, the Georgian restaurant in Harrods Knightsbridge, afternoon tea at Hanbury Manor in Hertfordshire, and lunch at the OXO Tower Brasserie on London's South Bank were also in the top 10 options.

The 2016 figures also marked an upward trend of Mother's Day bookings, which had risen by 61% when compared with the 2014 number.

Joe Steele, chief executive of Bookatable, commented: "It's wonderful to see that so many people are choosing to dine out on Mother's Day. A special meal out or afternoon tea is certainly a great way to treat your mum."

Bookatable lists restaurants in over 39 countries, taking bookings from 34 different countries. Acquired by Michelin in January this year, it also allows restaurants - from the high-end Pied Á Terre to the casual PizzaExpress - to make bookings using its system on their own sites.

Mobile restaurant bookings rise 141% >>
Michelin acquires Booktable >>