The current conversation in hospitality is all about late nights. Jeremy King’s Night Owls initiative — offering 25% off to anyone booking after 9pm — has rightly grabbed headlines, sparking debate about whether London is losing its taste for glamour after dark.
While the battle lines are being drawn around the late slot, the real story is that earlier dining has never been stronger. Not long ago, a 6pm reservation was the earliest you’d expect to see on a booking platform. Today? 5.30pm sittings sell out fast, and even 5pm is filling up. What once looked like a pre-theatre crowd has quietly gone mainstream.
The numbers back it up: OpenTable data shows bookings before 7pm are up more than 20% over the past three years, while post-9pm bookings have dipped 15% compared to pre-pandemic. Operators are adapting accordingly. Portland’s 10th anniversary £55 menu at 5.30pm proved a runaway success, while at the other end of the evening, King’s push to re-energise after-dark dining has generated buzz and demand.
Early evenings are no longer just pre-theatre filler; they’re prime-time in their own right
The drivers are cultural as well as economic. Hybrid working frees people to log off earlier and head out sooner. Gen Z — supposedly the wild ones — are leaning into wellness, circadian eating and sober curiosity. At the same time, there’s still appetite for a 9.30pm booking if it’s framed as a treat, rather than the default.
The result? Restaurants are stretching their trading window at both ends. Early evenings are no longer just pre-theatre filler; they’re prime-time in their own right. And late nights, supported by initiatives like Night Owls, remain an important part of London’s DNA.
And if you reach for the crystal ball, it isn’t hard to imagine a near future where the balance tips even further. With demand for 5pm and 5.30pm tables already outstripping supply in many venues, operators may soon find they no longer need to offer incentives to lure diners in early — the appetite is already there. Discounts, once vital to fill those slots, could become unnecessary as the “early bird” quietly evolves into a prized seat.
Far from signalling decline, this flexibility shows a sector that’s alive to change. In the hands of smart operators, every hour can be prime time.
Ted Schama is founder of advisory business One Voice Hospitality.