Our Frequently Asked Questions

What is Table Magic and why is it so revolutionary?

Table Magic is South Africa's first restaurant search, review and instant booking site. No need to make a phone call, no need to wait patiently for a restaurant to reply to your request, with just one tap of a mouse button you can have a confirmed booking at your chosen restaurant. Better still, the service is free.

Also, with Table Magic's Star Rewards programme you can earn 100 Star Rewards every time you book a restaurant through us and tell us how it was. Earn 700 Stars and we'll give you a free bottle of Remhoogte Chenin Blanc. Earn 1,000 Stars and we'll give you a free bottle of Remhoogte Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon or their acclaimed Estate Wine. Or keep your Stars and save up for something bigger like a free meal. Its so easy. See 'How It Works' for more information.

How do I find a restaurant to dine at?

Part of our philosophy here at Table Magic is not just to facilitate your bookings at your favourite restaurant, but also to really help you find the perfect dining venue for whatever evening or day you are planning. We provide a number of really simple but powerful "Restaurant Discovery" mechanisms that are designed to help you find exactly what you are in the mood for.

You'll see at the top of every page, there is a big search field labelled "Book Now". We call this our "Book Now Search", as its designed to be the simplest and quickest way for you to find the restaurant you are looking for!

We also provide a top notch 'advanced search' facility which you will see at the top of the homepage and when you visit the restaurants section. This search allows you to be more specific in your requirements, as well as doing tailor made searches along the lines of finding "Special Offers", finding and exploring our "Top Rated" restaurants, looking for locations that are "Best Suited" for a particular purpose, or even just search and explore our latest restaurant additions!

Plans have changed! How do I change or cancel my booking?

When you make a booking, you will get an email confirmation that will have a link you can follow to change or cancel your booking. You will also receive a reminder email on the day of your booking and this too will have a link to change or cancel your booking and a phone number so you can call them direct. It is important that you honour your booking... every booking which is made and not fulfilled is detrimental to the Table Magic community and we ask that you bear this in mind when making bookings. 3 unfulfilled bookings will result in you being banished from the Table Magic community! So please ensure this doesn't happen.

What is your cancellation policy?

Last minute cancellations damage our restaurant relations and we ask that you cancel a booking no less than 30 minutes before the booking time to avoid no show status. You can either cancel your reservation online or call the restaurant directly. This information can be found in your booking confirmation email as well.

Why did your site say no tables were available but when I called the restaurant they could fit me in?

Table Magic works on an allocation process with our restaurant partners. Once the table allocation they have given us is full, they can’t guarantee that our users will have a table so we can’t confirm your booking. This is obviously an automated process so if you call them they might just be able to squeeze you in!

How does the Star Rewards programme work?

Once your Table Magic booking has been fulfilled, we will email you with a link which you can follow to review your experience. These reviews are really important for our community of users as well as for the restaurants that use it to improve their service. So to incentivise you to write the reviews we are rewarding you with 100 Star Rewards for every booking you review. Its really easy – rate the restaurant according to 4 criteria: food, service, ambience and value for money, and write a few lines on any other thoughts you would like to share. Once you have collected enough Stars, you will be given a list of restaurants where you can redeem your Reward.

700 Stars = a free bottle of Remhoogte Chenin Blanc

1 000 Stars = a free bottle of Remhoogte Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon or their acclaimed Estate Wine

2 000 Stars = a free starter or dessert and a bottle of Remhoogte Chenin Blanc or Aigle Noir

I booked for someone else...why do I only get 50 points?

To get the full 100 points our Rewards policy requires a review corresponding to the booking to be submitted. As you are booking on behalf of someone else we can't allow you to write the review but we are giving you 50 points anyway for booking through us. These will add up don't you worry!

How do I update my personal information?

Update Your Profile When you are logged into the Table Magic site, you can click on the Manage Your Account link that is provided for you in both the header (right at the top of the page opposite our logo), as well as to the right of the main content. You will also see that a main menu item called My Account appears. Clicking on any of these links will take you to your Account Management page, where you can click the Update Your Profile link.

How do I change my password?

Change Your Password As with the previous question, you can go to your Account Management page (simply click Manage Your Account or the My Account link), and then select the Change Your Password link. Its as simple as that.

How can I spend my points?

If you have enough points in your account to redeem a Reward you will be told so when you are logged in. If you are booking at a restaurant that is one of our Star Rewards partners, you will be given the option to redeem your Reward here.

How do I subscribe to the newsletter?

Go to the 'My Account' tab at the top of the page and select the 'Subscribe to Newsletter' option

How do I unsubscribe to the newsletter?

Go to the 'My Account' tab at the top of the page and deselect the 'Subscribe to Newsletter' option. There will also be an 'Unsubscribe' link on every newsletter we send you.

Why am I not receiving the newsletter and my confirmation emails?

Some email programmes and Internet Service Providers can mistake these important emails for Junk! In order to ensure this doesn't happen just add xxx@tablemagic.co.za to your address book and your Table Magic emails will once again be directed to your inbox.

How do I make a booking?

It is so easy! Either type the name or location of the restaurant in the 'Book Now' box at the top of the webpage, or go through the search process to discover a restaurant that meets your requirements. From the Search Results page, you can click the 'Book Now' button or from the Restaurant Listings page you can fill in the booking details and submit the booking. Simple!

Why isn't my review on the website?

All reviews written need to be read and processed by our team, so there might be a slight delay in putting them up on the site. We understand that everyone's experiences are subjective, but unjustifiably critical and damaging reviews will be shared with the restaurant for feedback before being published. We want to provide an honest and accurate picture of each restaurant and we ask for your support in doing this. All reviews must adhere to our reviews policy.

How do I sign up my restaurant?

Please fill in the online registration by clicking here or email signmeup@tablemagic.co.za or call Kelly on 079 907 4547. You don’t need any software or technical requirements, you just need to allocate us as many covers as you wish to fill every night. Enquire for further information!

For all other questions please email us! info@tablemagic.co.za