Deliveroo is set to significantly broaden its offerings beyond its core takeaway service, introducing a new feature that will allow customers to book restaurant reservations directly through its platform.

The initiative, named Deliveroo Reservations, is scheduled to launch initially in London this Thursday.

Customers will gain the ability to secure tables at a range of prominent London eateries, including Dishoom, Dove, Hide, Kricket, Barrafina, and Kolae. This expansion marks a strategic move for the company, which was acquired by US-based DoorDash for £2.9 billion last year.

The new reservation system integrates technology from SevenRooms, a restaurant booking platform business that DoorDash also purchased for approximately £900 million.

This integration follows DoorDash’s own expansion into restaurant bookings on its platform in the United States late last year, setting a precedent for Deliveroo’s latest venture.

This move is central to Deliveroo’s ambitions to grow beyond its established takeaway delivery model in the UK. While the feature will first be rolled out to restaurants in London, Deliveroo has indicated plans to extend the service across the wider UK later in the year.

Suzy McClintock, vice president for consumer and new verticals at Deliveroo, commented on the development: “This launch is about supporting restaurants to grow in new ways. Whether it’s a Deliveroo order or a reservation in store, we want to drive discovery, demand and revenue across every channel.”

She added: “By fully integrating SevenRooms into the Deliveroo app, we’re giving restaurants access to new customers and giving diners an easier way to discover and book some of London’s best tables – all in one place.”

Joel Montaniel, vice president and co-founder of SevenRooms, echoed this sentiment, stating: “Bringing reservations into the Deliveroo app gives London restaurants a new way to connect with diners and grow, while making it easy for consumers to discover and book great restaurants.”

Virgin Media O2 recorded its highest-ever broadband traffic spike as millions across the UK tuned in to watch Arsenal‘s Uefa Champions League semi-final victory over Atletico Madrid.

Peak downstream traffic on the network surged by 17 per cent compared to an average Tuesday evening, marking an unprecedented event in Virgin Media’s broadband history.

This figure was 4.2 per cent higher than the previous record, established during Liverpool’s Champions League match against Real Madrid last November.

Jeanie York, chief technology officer at Virgin Media O2, commented on the phenomenon: “Live sport is one of the biggest drivers of broadband traffic in the UK and last night’s Champions League semi-final set a record on our network.

“As more people stream the biggest sporting moments from home, reliable, high-capacity connectivity has never been more important.”

Bukayo Saka delivered the decisive goal at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night as Arsenal secured a 2-1 aggregate triumph over Atletico Madrid to reach the Champions League final in Budapest on May 30 – their first on Europe’s grandest stage for 20 years.

And although Arsenal have received an official allocation of just 16,824 tickets from UEFA for the final at the 67,000-capacity Puskas Arena, Declan Rice wants the Hungarian capital to be a sea of red for the fixture against either Bayern Munich or Paris St Germain.

He said: “Bring it on, bring it on, I’ll be ready. I want every Arsenal fan out there, 200,000 of you, come out. Let’s try and do it because we’re going to need all the support, all the energy and let’s make it special.”

Mikel Arteta, meanwhile, hailed his “incredible” players for “making history” after securing the win.

Arteta said: “It was an incredible night. We made history again together and I cannot be happier and prouder for everybody that’s involved in this football club.

“The supporters were with us for every ball. They made it special and unique, and I have never felt it like that in this stadium.

“We knew how much it meant to everybody, we put everything on the line, the boys did an incredible job and after 20 years, and the second time in our history, we are back in the Champions League final.”