Table Magic: Africa’s bold answer to OpenTable

With all the affection bestowed upon restaurant services like Zagat and OpenTable, it’s high time that a standout name starts crescendoing in Africa. Cape Town-based Table Magic is stepping forward to lend its voice.

Last year, Google paid US$151 million to acquire restaurant ratings service Zagat, after its US$500 million bid to acquire Yelp fell through, and restaurant reservations service, OpenTable, is currently valued just over a billion US dollars.

Whether one agrees with the jaw dropping price tags or not, there’s demand for similar services in emerging markets. Nairobi based online restaurant guide, EatOut, received a grant via Samsung Mobile’s bada Application Challenge last year to roll out its mobile offering and has expanded beyond its home country of Kenya into Tanzania.