Greene King pubs gain ‘digital upgrade’

Pub customers can now reserve a table and pre-book for live television sports fixtures or in-pub games following a multi-million-pound digital upgrade to Greene King’s booking system.

The booking system has been redesigned to show clearer messaging and live, real-time availability across 1,600 Greene King managed pubs from this month and works on mobile phone, tablet and desktop.

Bookings can either be made through the Greene King app or directly on pub websites.

‘Live’ booking availability

Greene King recently revealed that it is taking an average of 35,000 booked sports covers per month. Added to this, it also disclosed that for its analysis of booking conversion rates, the main reason online bookings were abandoned was due to unavailability of tables at selected times and large party sizes.

To combat this, the new system features clear messaging with “live” availability when customers start the booking and also offers much more information on group reservations to answer demand.

The new system also allows customers to choose from a variety of menus to best suit the occasion they wish to celebrate and select whether they would like to sit in the bar or in the restaurant, as well as show availability to pre-order meals and review the costs.

Sports bookings in pubs

A further feature of the new system is the group’s sports options which allow customers to select which sport and which fixture they wish to book. In addition to TV sports matches, customers can also book a slot to play pool, darts or shuffleboard at their chosen pub with these facilities too.

Speaking about the digital upgrade, Greene King’s chief operations officer, Clair Preston-Beer, said: “This is a significant step in the evolution of our booking system and has been designed with customers at the forefront. There is greater transparency, clearer tabs and it’s easier to use, helping to avoid any unnecessary disappointment. There is less scrolling and more clarity. You can pick when and where you want drinks, dining and drinks, or sport. We know there is little more frustrating than seeing an error message pop up when you are trying to book something online and that’s what we’re tackling so we can elevate the customer booking experience.”

Multi-million-pound digital investment

Preston-Beer explained: “Research shows people are choosing to plan ahead more when they are going out so we want our customers to know what is available as soon as they start looking to visit our pub. We will continue to monitor and improve our booking system and experience so customers can book time to spend in our pubs without any hassle or glitches. At the same time, it’s improving our overall operational excellence and helping our pub teams spend quality time with customers.”

The latest improvements to Greene King’s booking system are part of the company’s multi-million-pound digital investment in 2025, which includes the evolution of the customer app and the introduction of loyalty rewards.

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