After a long pause, dining outside is making a bold comeback. Customers are always looking for the greatest service as they continue to visit restaurants. It's not an exaggeration to suggest that a successful restaurant relies on a solid reservation system. Restaurant operations can thrive with the correct protocols in place. Customers at most full-service restaurants have two alternatives: make a reservation in advance to ensure a table or come up and pray for an open table. Managing the balance of reservations and walk-ins can be difficult for business managers and owners.
Restaurant reservations were once only taken over the phone and recorded inside a reservations book by a host. Today, however, most reservations are made through Internet platforms, which are faster, simpler to use, and much more reliable. Are you seeking ways to improve the efficiency of your restaurant's reservations? If you’re new on the field, this restaurant reservation guide will help you.
Efficient Table Management Tips for Restaurant Reservations
Let's start with some suggestions for effective table management for restaurant reservations.
Set time limits on tables that have been reserved
You can fill the restaurant with more people at night to make more cash if you place a time limit on booths because the next reservation will come up.
Do not book all of the tables at once
To avoid overcrowding the dining room, keep a couple of booths empty during your peak hours. By having a few tables unreserved, your frequent guests who arrive unexpectedly will be pleasantly delighted to find a table available.
Consider On-Waiting-List reservations
Rather than rejecting diners outright, an on-waiting list reservation places the guest's name on a waiting list, and a table is reserved as close to their booking time as possible. Even if the guests arrive at their requested booking time, they may just have to wait 15-30 minutes, but it will not be as long as a walk-in.
Reach the Perfect Staff / Table Ratio
Identifying possible problems ahead of time is a great way to establish a pleasant ambiance in a restaurant for both its staff and customers. Having a high level of enthusiasm and motivation will allow your team to continue to be outstanding. Consider integrating a smart platform like FineDine into your restaurant business to eliminate human mistakes, simplify staff scheduling, and consolidate team communication. So, what options do you have?
Good communication is the key
It's critical to persuade your manager to offer the employees a chance to express themselves. To avoid any confusion regarding the shift schedule, communicate properly with your team. Employees will be able to work more efficiently if a schedule is created specifically for their needs.
Prepare a schedule, taking into account the restaurant's busiest hours
Knowing that scheduling employees during peak hours is one of the most time-consuming and complicated matters that restaurateurs encounter, finding a fair approach without overworking your employees seems to be the best option.
Place your cards on the table
People are talking, and members of the team will always learn about things other than their own weekly shift. Take a printout of the entire team's staff schedule and post it on a wall for everybody to see if you're still using staff scheduling templates and printed material. This way, you won't have to deal with complaints about a particular employee constantly getting the greatest shifts due to his or her close relationship with management. And if you're using an app or software, it's critical that everyone has equitable access to the staff schedule dashboard.
Offer Quick Payments
You will save time and assist your consumers in completing this procedure faster if you provide fast payment options. FineDine is a rapidly growing technology company that uses data-driven digital tablet and mobile menus to provide menu management, order, and payment solutions for a more imaginative and profitable dining experience. FineDine, which launched in 2015, has quickly risen to become one of the world's most popular menu management systems. Let's have a look at the payment options FineDine has to offer.
The quickest way to pay the debt
With split and pay choices, you can settle invoices in under 10 seconds. Increase client satisfaction while turning tables faster. Increased client happiness translates to more tips.
Hassle-free payments
Allow your guests to pay their bills in less than 10 seconds by scanning a QR Code with their phones. They can pay the entire bill, a custom amount, or just the items they want to pay. Save 15 minutes per table, or even more if you're hosting a large group.
Accept debit and credit cards, as well as e-wallets
We make checkout available to all of your consumers by collaborating with world-class payment providers. Credit cards, Apple Pay, and Google Pay are all options for making payments.
Capture data
When a guest's bill is paid, Fast Checkout saves their names, emails, and order data. This vital information can be used to engage and reward your visitors.
Mobile payment
While your guests are paying their bills with their phones, you can just grab a cup of coffee!
Use an Online Restaurant Reservation Tool
Online restaurant reservation systems make it easy to keep track of reservations without having to use a phone or a reservation book. Making a restaurant reservation online eliminates human error because there is no need to record the time and date of bookings or dig through booklets. FineDine's digital solutions in a variety of sectors are designed to assist you in taking your business to the next level!
Artificial Intelligence Management
FineDine's AI-powered interactive menus remember client preferences and patterns, such as whether they order fries with their hamburger or drink cola while eating a pizza.
Cross-Sell
Restaurants might emphasize specific goods or display recommendations. Display your chef's pairings or promote your new recipes. Cross-selling can help you raise your sales by up to 20%.
Data Management / Make Smarter Decisions
Your guests' activities on your menu are priceless. FineDine provides a summary of the most and least seen goods, as well as the most and least sold items and income share across categories.
