The website www.bitequest.com lists the details of over 150 restaurants — the rates, the hours they are open and even a detailed map giving directions. Zorawar Kalra of Punjab Grill, a restaurant on the Bite Quest list, says, “These websites market aggressively and we enjoy a great online presence through them.” The restaurant gives a 10 per cent discount on the bill if a customer books a table through this particular food portal.

Another website, www.planforme.com, will reserve your table for dinner and also organise a party space if you wish to take out a big group. “We get around 100 table bookings and 20 party bookings a week in the NCR,” says Sumit Goyal, CEO of Planforme that lists over 600 restaurants. You can even call them up and ask for details about the cuisine and how good the place really is. We, however, suggest that you take answers to the latter with a pinch of sea salt.

When a looming recession had the restaurateurs panicking, the business of these portals boomed. “They were happy to tie-up with websites to bring in the customers,” says Pallavi Vibhuti, vice-president (operations) at Biztech Technologies India that started www.aplacetodine.com, “Two months ago, we got 25-30 bookings a day; now we get over 100 bookings. We have 15 callers in each of our two shifts and they are well-equipped to answer queries about city diners.” The website also dangles superior carrots like iPods.

Another popular website is www.foodiebay.com. Started by four alumni of IIT-Delhi a year ago, the site has registered a 20 per cent growth in its revenue, which is generated through restaurant advertisements. The quartet and has grown to a team of 12 and they have expanded their