The secrets to booking a table at London's hottest restaurants

Every WhatsApp group chat comes with its own set of characters. There’s “the silent partner”, who responds to none of the messages yet somehow attends every gathering, “the meme-slinger”, who peppers the chat with a few weekly funnies, and “the absentee”, who’s not been seen in over a year and may or may not still be in the country. 

Then there’s “the organiser”. This is the one who gets a poll going to confirm dates, discusses budgets and locations and crucially, calls the restaurant for a table. 

These are Britain's unsung heroes: the restaurant-bookers who remain organised enough to be the group’s glue. These are the ones who can just about string an evening together with a bar or two, a happy hour and a table that’ll please the motley crew. 

The same can be said of couples; there’s the one who always wants to go out, and the one who has to make that happen. And, invariably, the