Frequently asked questions

First Table is a restaurant discovery website offering 50% off the food bill for the first table at breakfast, lunch or dinner at our partner restaurants. It’s the perfect incentive for food lovers to try new and exciting restaurants while saving money by dining during off-peak times. 

Participating restaurants list their first tables for breakfast, lunch or dinner – showing seven days of availability on our website. To secure a table: find a restaurant, select your date and time and book a First Table for a small booking fee of $8 to $15 to get 50% off the food bill for two, three or four people.

Regular Table is a real-time restaurant booking feature that allows you to make restaurant bookings for free, at any time, without the First Table offer. This means if you missed the first table of the night, you can still make a normal reservation at a restaurant of your choosing.

A Regular Table booking is exactly what it sounds like! You are choosing to dine at everyday prices, without the First Table offer. There is no fee for booking a Regular Table, and reservations are for one or more diners.

Not all restaurants offer Regular Table. If there’s a restaurant you would like to see on our platform, please suggest a restaurant.

Our concept is a real win-win for diners and restaurants – we bring people together to enjoy new dining experiences and support restaurateurs by filling their off-peak tables.

Our partner restaurants pay nothing to be on the platform – using their first table (or last table) as a promotional tool to reach new customers and to fill (otherwise) empty tables.

You can sign up for a free First Table account at www.firsttable.co.nz using a Facebook login or email address.

Simply log into your First Table account, select reservations and cancel your booking. Alternatively, you can contact First Table to amend the number of diners for your booking. Refunds for First Table cancellations are subject to our cancellation policy.

To cancel a Regular Table booking, follow the same steps as above, subject to Regular Table’s cancellation policy.

First Table reservations are for groups of two, three or four people including children of all ages.

Regular Table reservations are for one diner or more. Most restaurants allow online bookings for groups of up to eight. If you have a large group of people, you may need to call the restaurant to make the reservation.

The First Table (and Last Table) deal is strictly 50% off food only, drinks are always full price.

Your booking confirmation is emailed to you once payment has been finalised. If you cannot find your confirmation email, simply log into your First Table account, select reservations and download your booking. Alternatively, check your email junk folder as sometimes first-time bookings can get lost.

A maximum of one First Table may be booked per group per night. Booking two tables and combining is prohibited.

If you book a First Table and Regular Table at the same time at the same restaurant, it is at the restaurant's discretion whether or not you are able to combine the tables.

Some of our restaurant partners are happy to accommodate additional full paying customers on a First Table booking. We've called this feature Four+More.

To find restaurants offering this dining option look out for the 4+ icon or search via the Four+More filter on the city page. You'll be able to add extra full paying diners when making your reservation and confirmation of your extra guests will appear in your booking confirmation.

Please note, this is only available at select restaurants in New Zealand.

Meals ordered are for dine-in only. Restaurants may allow you to take away leftovers, but to prevent over-ordering, this is at their own discretion.

Visit our home page and filter by date, region and session (breakfast, lunch or dinner) to find restaurants near you. You can also find your location by using the Region dropdown. Once you’re on the city page, you’ll find a range of delicious restaurants to choose from.

Already know where you want to dine? Type in the restaurant’s name in the search bar at the top of the page and get in quick to score the first table.

Absolutely, but not twice in a row. First Table was built to encourage you to try new restaurants so this rule helps us make sure everyone has the same odds at reserving a table.

The $5 to $15 First Table booking fee entitles you to receive 50% off the food bill when you make your reservation on our website. It is not deducted from the bill.

No shows and late cancellations can be costly to any venue's business.

The First Table offer is only available for the date and time you’ve booked. If you’re more than 15 minutes late, the deal is off. This condition is there to ensure we’re creating a win-win environment where both diners AND restaurants enjoy clear benefits.

For Regular Table bookings, we ask our diners to give both First Table and the venue they have reserved at least 24 hours notice of any reservation cancellations or amendments.

Some of our partner restaurants have special conditions attached to their First Table offer. Any dishes not available on the deal or other requirements will be noted under 'special conditions'. You must accept these conditions prior to making your booking and they will be included on your booking confirmation.

The race to score a First Table now begins at 9pm – availability for every restaurant is added at 9pm each night for seven days ahead.

Availability for Regular Table reservations is seven days ahead.

You’re welcome to book any available days or times listed on our website. The cut off time to make a restaurant booking is generally one hour prior to the seating time, but this does vary from venue to venue according to their requirements.

First Table bookings cannot be combined with any other offers, discounts or promotions (ie happy hour), including restaurant credit unless otherwise specified by the restaurant.

While we love solo dining, unfortunately, our deal does not apply to tables of one. But you can still book a Regular Table to your heart's content!

The restaurant will most likely have a designated table for First Table diners.

You can spend as much or as little as you like – your food bill will be discounted by 50% at the end of the meal.

Licensed premises are within their rights to deny you service if you can't produce identification (even when not drinking). To avoid disappointment, please make sure all diners have their ID.

Please note, First Table booking fees will not be refunded in this scenario.

Our gift vouchers are redeemable on our website for First Table booking credit. It’s the food gift that keeps on giving – grab as a gift for your favourite foodie or stock up on credit for yourself. 

Head to our gift voucher page to buy or redeem a gift voucher. Please note, our vouchers cannot be redeemed at our partner restaurants directly or be used as payment for your meal.

Gift vouchers are redeemable within 12 months of purchase for the equivalent value in First Table credit. See our gift voucher terms and conditions for more details.

We all know that the early bird gets the dinner deal, but now the night owl can score a late-night bite at select restaurants across New Zealand.

Book a Last Table on our website and get 50% off the last table of the night. Dine at new and exciting eateries until late in the evening on the same deal as First Table; half-price food (drinks are full price) for two, three or four people.

Our partner restaurants offering this feature list their last tables for dinner – showing seven days of availability.

You can find restaurants serving late-night bites by heading to the city page and selecting the Last Table search filter. Alternatively, look for First Table and Last Table options under a restaurant’s dinner availability to score your late-night seat.

This feature is new and only available in select cities, but we hope to roll it out across New Zealand soon.

Restaurants have full control over the days and times they offer a First Table. Availability on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day is extremely limited. 

At this time, First Table is operating in New Zealand, Australia, and the UK.

Behind the scenes, we’re a passionate team of food lovers. It’s our job to help make dining out become more of a routine than a luxury! Read our story here.