Ambl – the first-ever platform matching diners and drinkers with real-time availability – has officially launched in London to boost consumer confidence when dining and drinking out spontaneously and bolster hospitality’s bottom line.
The brand-new, free app has been built with the joy of spontaneous dining at its very core. It connects ‘in the moment’ users geographically in a matter of seconds to venues with real-time availability in the near or desired vicinity of up to two miles, eliminating any concerns of being turned away and securing reservations with up to 30 minutes notice; something leading booking apps do not currently offer.
Users can personalise their booking based on party size, type of venue and distance and then select one of two options: Broadcast, which is where all venues within the search criteria respond to the booking enquiry and Search, which is where consumers can browse the venues who have availability. The app also lets users build a list of their favourite venues, heightening the chance of visiting those with typically long waiting lists and snapping up the best offers through opting-in via the app.
Phase one of the launch will see 100 restaurants located in the Square Mile area of London such as Hawksmoor, Bob Bob Ricard, Mber, London Cocktail Club and The Alchemist using the platform for the first time, following a process of onboarding and training. Over the coming months, Ambl will use insights from this initial batch of restaurants to iron out any technical issues and build upon its offering, before moving onto phase two.
Aaron Solomon, CEO and Co-Founder of Ambl, comments: “Ambl’s USP is in its ability to connect spontaneous moments of dining and drinking out with brilliant venues who have real-time availability. This means being able to access tables at popular London restaurants and bars, as well as being a quick and simple guide to finding local gems.
“All of the team at Ambl are massive fans of dining out and we believe we have designed a solution that removes the headache of having to plan weeks in advance to ensure you secure a table, or it’s the opposite – you’re on a last-minute date or catch up with friends and it becomes a minefield trying to find that right place that’s free at the right time.”
Co-founded by a team of three Londoners in July 2021, Ambl has since grown by an incredible 400 percent and been supported by a growing number of high-profile investors within the hospitality and business sector: including Jon Spiteri, of Sessions Arts Club; Mark Gordon, serial entrepreneur; and Paul McKenna, Managing Director, of Red Branch Hospitality.
An additional 1,300 venues are already signed-up and waiting in the wings for Ambl’s wider rollout out across London by the end of the year and the wider UK next year; with a roster of prolific venues including D&D London, Drake & Morgan and JKS.
Simon Gaske, CMO for Ambl – and former LateNightLondon.co.uk and Novus – adds: “London is one of the top places to go for food and drink because of the sheer variety of eateries and experiences however one of the biggest nuisances is when you can’t get seated when you want to be. This is why Ambl is so fantastic. It genuinely is the solution that is going to change the way we eat and drink out – forever! It’s been created based entirely on consumer behaviour and unlocks the joys of spontaneous living at the tap of a button.”
Ambl comes at a critical time for the hospitality sector, which creates £130bn in economic activity. The latest industry reportsuggests that more than a third (35%) of UK hospitality businesses could go bust early next year as they face a deadly combination of huge hikes in property rental and energy bills, staff shortages, up to forty percent rise in food costs due to inflation and supply chain disruption, and the prospect of recession – all at the vital time of the peak Christmas trading period looming. Plus it is still recovering from the last-minute and same-day cancellation culture brought on by the pandemic and costing £17.6bn a year.
Ambl’s mid to long-term ambition is to expand to international markets, taking the UK model and scaling it. The additional and recently-secured £1m funding will be invested into supporting Ambl’s market launch, its marketing activity and help build out schemes that reward venue partners.
For more information about Ambl, visit www.ambl.co or visit the app store to download.
