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She Books Ahead. He Books Tonight.
Ten insights on how men and women book a table in Belgian restaurants.
HappyChef Datahub
Slightly more than half of all restaurant bookings in Belgium are made by a woman, and the difference between the two goes further than who picks up the phone. Women plan further ahead, book online more often and more often leave a note for the kitchen. Men book at the last minute more often, pick the weekend and a later dinner, and more often book a table for two. On other things, such as lunch or the size of the party, they hardly differ at all. These ten insights compare the two inside the same restaurants, using only the first name on the booking.
The Insights In This Article
- Women Make 52.1% Of Restaurant Bookings
- Women Book 6.5 Days Ahead, Men 5.2
- Men Book At The Last Minute 20% More Often
- Men Book A Table For Two More Often
- Men Pick Saturday, Women Pick Friday
- Lunch Is The Same For Both: 26.5% Against 26%
- Men Book Dinner Later
- Women Book Online More Often: 85.2% Against 81.9%
- Women Book More Often Late In The Evening
- Women Leave A Remark 15% More Often
Insight 1 of 10
Women Make 52.1% Of Restaurant Bookings
Of the bookings whose first name we could read (78% of all bookings with a name), 52.1% were made by a woman and 47.9% by a man. Online, women book 53.8% of tables; when the restaurant enters the booking itself, usually after a phone call, it is 47.6%.
| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| Woman’s name | 41.3% |
| Man’s name | 37% |
| Not classified | 21.7% |
- Period
- Visits from 1 January to 30 September 2026
- Datapoints
- 47,963
- Restaurants
- 34 Belgian restaurants
- Method
- The gender is read from the first name on the booking, the guest who made it, with a public first-name dictionary plus common Flemish and French-Belgian names. Names used for both men and women (Kim, Dominique, Chris, Sam…), family names and unreadable names are left out. Share of bookings with a readable woman’s or man’s name, per restaurant (at least 100 such bookings), averaged. The chart shows how all bookings with a first name split up.
Insight 2 of 10
Women Book 6.5 Days Ahead, Men 5.2
The typical woman books 6.5 days before her visit, the typical man 5.2 days. On average it is 11.5 days against 10. Women are also more often the ones who plan a month or more ahead: 11.5% of their bookings against 9.6% for men.
| Group | Women · Share | Men · Share |
|---|---|---|
| Same day | 19.3% | 23.9% |
| 1–2 days | 22.5% | 24.7% |
| 3–7 days | 23% | 21.6% |
| 8–14 days | 11.8% | 10% |
| 15–30 days | 12% | 10.2% |
| 31+ days | 11.5% | 9.6% |
- Period
- Visits from 1 January to 30 September 2026
- Datapoints
- 29,632
- Restaurants
- 31 Belgian restaurants
- Method
- The gender is read from the first name on the booking, the guest who made it, with a public first-name dictionary plus common Flemish and French-Belgian names. Names used for both men and women (Kim, Dominique, Chris, Sam…), family names and unreadable names are left out. Days between making the booking and the visit date, for bookings made online or entered by the restaurant from 1 October 2025 on (imported bookings have no real creation time). The comparison is made inside the same restaurants: each restaurant’s figure for women and for men is computed first and then averaged, each restaurant counting equally. Only restaurants with at least 30 bookings by women and 30 by men count.
Insight 3 of 10
Men Book At The Last Minute 20% More Often
32.4% of men’s bookings are made less than 24 hours before they sit down, against 27.1% for women. That makes the last-minute table 20% more common for men.
| Group | Women · Share | Men · Share |
|---|---|---|
| Booked less than 24 hours ahead | 27.1% | 32.4% |
- Period
- Visits from 1 January to 30 September 2026
- Datapoints
- 29,848
- Restaurants
- 31 Belgian restaurants
- Method
- The gender is read from the first name on the booking, the guest who made it, with a public first-name dictionary plus common Flemish and French-Belgian names. Names used for both men and women (Kim, Dominique, Chris, Sam…), family names and unreadable names are left out. Share of bookings made less than 24 hours before the reserved start time, for bookings made from 1 October 2025 on. The comparison is made inside the same restaurants: each restaurant’s figure for women and for men is computed first and then averaged, each restaurant counting equally. Only restaurants with at least 30 bookings by women and 30 by men count.
Insight 4 of 10
Men Book A Table For Two More Often
Men book a table for two in 52.6% of cases, women in 49.5%. Women more often book for three or more. On average the difference is small: 3.31 guests per booking made by a woman, 3.27 for a man.
| Group | Women · Share | Men · Share |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1% | 1.1% |
| 2 | 49.5% | 52.6% |
| 3–4 | 34% | 31.4% |
| 5–7 | 11.7% | 10.9% |
| 8+ | 3.8% | 4% |
- Period
- Visits from 1 January to 30 September 2026
- Datapoints
- 35,883
- Restaurants
- 35 Belgian restaurants
- Method
- The gender is read from the first name on the booking, the guest who made it, with a public first-name dictionary plus common Flemish and French-Belgian names. Names used for both men and women (Kim, Dominique, Chris, Sam…), family names and unreadable names are left out. Guests per booking (1–60): the average and the share of each party size. The comparison is made inside the same restaurants: each restaurant’s figure for women and for men is computed first and then averaged, each restaurant counting equally. Only restaurants with at least 30 bookings by women and 30 by men count.
Insight 5 of 10
Men Pick Saturday, Women Pick Friday
Saturday carries 29.1% of men’s bookings and 27.1% of women’s. Friday is the other way round: 25.3% for women, 23.4% for men. Over the whole weekend, Saturday and Sunday, it is 45.3% for men and 42.2% for women.
| Group | Women · Share | Men · Share |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | 4.8% | 4.9% |
| Tuesday | 6.8% | 6.7% |
| Wednesday | 7.8% | 6.8% |
| Thursday | 13.2% | 13% |
| Friday | 25.3% | 23.4% |
| Saturday | 27.1% | 29.1% |
| Sunday | 15.1% | 16.2% |
- Period
- Visits from 1 January to 30 September 2026
- Datapoints
- 35,883
- Restaurants
- 35 Belgian restaurants
- Method
- The gender is read from the first name on the booking, the guest who made it, with a public first-name dictionary plus common Flemish and French-Belgian names. Names used for both men and women (Kim, Dominique, Chris, Sam…), family names and unreadable names are left out. Share of each gender’s bookings that falls on each visit weekday. The comparison is made inside the same restaurants: each restaurant’s figure for women and for men is computed first and then averaged, each restaurant counting equally. Only restaurants with at least 30 bookings by women and 30 by men count.
Insight 6 of 10
Lunch Is The Same For Both: 26.5% Against 26%
Some things do not depend on who books. Lunch is 26.5% of the lunch and dinner bookings women make and 26% of men’s: practically the same.
| Group | Women · Share | Men · Share |
|---|---|---|
| Lunch, of lunch and dinner bookings | 26.5% | 26% |
- Period
- Visits from 1 January to 30 September 2026
- Datapoints
- 35,082
- Restaurants
- 34 Belgian restaurants
- Method
- The gender is read from the first name on the booking, the guest who made it, with a public first-name dictionary plus common Flemish and French-Belgian names. Names used for both men and women (Kim, Dominique, Chris, Sam…), family names and unreadable names are left out. Share of lunch (start between 11:00 and 14:59) among lunch and dinner (from 17:00) bookings. The comparison is made inside the same restaurants: each restaurant’s figure for women and for men is computed first and then averaged, each restaurant counting equally. Only restaurants with at least 30 bookings by women and 30 by men count.
Insight 7 of 10
Men Book Dinner Later
The average dinner booked by a woman starts at 18:51, by a man at 18:54. The difference sits in the late tables: 8.5% of men’s dinners start at 20:00 or later, against 7% for women.
| Group | Women · Share | Men · Share |
|---|---|---|
| Before 18:00 | 6.4% | 6% |
| 18:00–18:29 | 14.2% | 12.9% |
| 18:30–18:59 | 18.3% | 18.1% |
| 19:00–19:29 | 37.7% | 37.2% |
| 19:30–19:59 | 16.4% | 17.3% |
| 20:00 or later | 7% | 8.5% |
- Period
- Visits from 1 January to 30 September 2026
- Datapoints
- 24,515
- Restaurants
- 33 Belgian restaurants
- Method
- The gender is read from the first name on the booking, the guest who made it, with a public first-name dictionary plus common Flemish and French-Belgian names. Names used for both men and women (Kim, Dominique, Chris, Sam…), family names and unreadable names are left out. Reserved start time of dinner bookings (from 17:00): the average, and the share of each start-time band. The comparison is made inside the same restaurants: each restaurant’s figure for women and for men is computed first and then averaged, each restaurant counting equally. Only restaurants with at least 30 bookings by women and 30 by men count.
Insight 8 of 10
Women Book Online More Often: 85.2% Against 81.9%
Women make 85.2% of their bookings online themselves, men 81.9%. Put the other way: 18.1% of men’s bookings are entered by the restaurant, usually after a phone call, against 14.8% for women.
| Group | Women · Share | Men · Share |
|---|---|---|
| Booked online by the guest | 85.2% | 81.9% |
- Period
- Visits from 1 January to 30 September 2026
- Datapoints
- 29,848
- Restaurants
- 31 Belgian restaurants
- Method
- The gender is read from the first name on the booking, the guest who made it, with a public first-name dictionary plus common Flemish and French-Belgian names. Names used for both men and women (Kim, Dominique, Chris, Sam…), family names and unreadable names are left out. Share of bookings the guest made online (booking page, website widget or Reserve with Google) rather than the restaurant entering them, mostly after a phone call. Bookings made from 1 October 2025 on. The comparison is made inside the same restaurants: each restaurant’s figure for women and for men is computed first and then averaged, each restaurant counting equally. Only restaurants with at least 30 bookings by women and 30 by men count.
Insight 9 of 10
Women Book More Often Late In The Evening
12.8% of women’s online bookings are made between 21:00 and midnight, against 11.3% for men. Men book relatively more in the afternoon: 19.5% between 14:00 and 17:00, against 18.4% for women.
| Group | Women · Share | Men · Share |
|---|---|---|
| 00–06 | 0.8% | 0.8% |
| 06–09 | 5.7% | 5.4% |
| 09–12 | 17.9% | 18.3% |
| 12–14 | 13.8% | 13.2% |
| 14–17 | 18.4% | 19.5% |
| 17–19 | 15.9% | 16.8% |
| 19–21 | 14.8% | 14.7% |
| 21–24 | 12.8% | 11.3% |
- Period
- Visits from 1 January to 30 September 2026
- Datapoints
- 25,019
- Restaurants
- 30 Belgian restaurants
- Method
- The gender is read from the first name on the booking, the guest who made it, with a public first-name dictionary plus common Flemish and French-Belgian names. Names used for both men and women (Kim, Dominique, Chris, Sam…), family names and unreadable names are left out. Hour of the day (Belgian time) at which online bookings were made, as a share per time band. The comparison is made inside the same restaurants: each restaurant’s figure for women and for men is computed first and then averaged, each restaurant counting equally. Only restaurants with at least 30 bookings by women and 30 by men count.
Insight 10 of 10
Women Leave A Remark 15% More Often
18.3% of bookings made by a woman carry a note for the restaurant, such as an allergy, a wish for a table or a birthday, against 15.9% of bookings made by a man.
| Group | Women · Share | Men · Share |
|---|---|---|
| Left a remark for the restaurant | 18.3% | 15.9% |
- Period
- Visits from 1 January to 30 September 2026
- Datapoints
- 35,883
- Restaurants
- 35 Belgian restaurants
- Method
- The gender is read from the first name on the booking, the guest who made it, with a public first-name dictionary plus common Flemish and French-Belgian names. Names used for both men and women (Kim, Dominique, Chris, Sam…), family names and unreadable names are left out. Share of bookings with a remark for the restaurant (an allergy, a wish, an occasion). Placeholders such as “/”, “no” or “none” do not count. The comparison is made inside the same restaurants: each restaurant’s figure for women and for men is computed first and then averaged, each restaurant counting equally. Only restaurants with at least 30 bookings by women and 30 by men count.
How We Built This Article
Period
Visits from 1 January to 30 September 2026
Datapoints
10 insights, each resting on at least 24,515 datapoints (the largest on 47,963), from 30–35 Belgian restaurants.
Method
Anonymous aggregates over Belgian HappyChef restaurants, each restaurant weighted equally, with every figure over at least five restaurants and 1,000 datapoints.
About This Data
This analysis is based on Belgian restaurants that use HappyChef: 30–35 restaurants, depending on the insight. Restaurants that joined during the period are normalised so the growing number of restaurants never inflates a trend, demo and test accounts are left out, and placeholder values (an empty field saved as zero) are ignored.
Every figure is an anonymous aggregate. Each one combines at least five restaurants and at least 1,000 datapoints, no restaurant is named or singled out, and no name, email address, phone number or remark of a guest is ever published.
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