Any restaurant operating in the 21st century knows how hard it is to rise above the competition. With saturation in the food and beverage industry currently at the highest it’s ever been, the likelihood that your restaurant will stand out against competitors is quickly dwindling.
You need a competitive edge.
That doesn’t just mean having the best employees and a stellar menu, sometimes it requires thinking outside of the box and capitalizing on tools that other restaurants may not be taking advantage of.
One of the main reasons you should be using online reservation software is having access to an online booking widget for your restaurant.
With features built around increasing restaurant revenue and streamlining restaurant operations, online reservation software can be a game changer for a restaurant struggling to stay afloat.
Arming you with the knowledge you need to make high level business decisions.
Read on to learn why you need to start using reservation software at your restaurant.
Online Booking Widgets
One of the main reasons you should be using online reservation software is having access to an online booking widget for your restaurant.
In the past, for your customers to be able to book a table at your restaurant, they would have to call, send an email, or fill out an online form that you have to manually screen and then record.
Nowadays though, booking widgets are taking the hassle out of making reservations, giving your customers an easier alternative to reserve a table when they want to.
There are countless advantages to using a booking widget, but just a few are:
- The ability to source reservations from multiple channels across the web so that wherever your customers find you, they are able to book quickly and efficiently.
- Your customers can see your table availability in real time, meaning they are never booking a table or time that you don’t want them to.
- Bookings made through your widget are automatically added to your reservation system. Taking the hassle out of receiving reservations from the web.
With 25% of people now making their restaurant reservations exclusively on the web, it’s no longer an option for your restaurant to not cater to that demand.
Keep Your Guests Informed
Any decent reservation software will come with an automated messaging system built right into the app.
Instead of having to call customers when they want to make a reservation or when you regrettably have to push their booking forward, your reservation software will automatically send customized SMS and emails.
It’s important to keep your guests informed every step of the way, this cuts down on confusion and disgruntled guests.
Restaurant operators know how frustrating it is to not have guests show up. But by keeping them in the loop, you are removing any chance for a guest to not show up based on lack of information thus reducing your no show rate.
Build a Customer Database
In the restaurant industry, a customer database is worth its weight in gold. Without one, you are marketing your restaurant completely in the dark.
Ultimately, your goal as a restaurant operator should be to increase loyalty and repeat customers, not to encourage one off visitors from frequenting your establishment.
How do you expect to do that if you aren’t building a customer database that you use to reach out to previous clients.
Restaurant reservation software helps you build a rock solid customer database from the ground up without any effort on your part. Guests that make reservations on the web or over the phone are automatically stored in your guest book.
Meaning at any point you can export a list of all your customers along with their preferences, custom tags, and important dates (such as birthdays and anniversaries) and message them with special offers that can reel them in for another visit.
Optimize Your Reservations
The hardest thing to achieve as a restaurant operator is a streamlined flow of reservations.
Trying to avoid overbooking your restaurant and you end up with plenty of empty tables. Try to prevent having empty tables, and you end up having to turn away excess guests.
A decent reservation software is your greatest asset in combating the constant struggle of managing your reservations.
Core features in most reservation software help you strike a balance between not accepting more reservations than your kitchen can handle, while also highlighting dead spots in your booking times where you can squeeze in a few more bookings that you didn’t previously know you could.
Conclusion
While seemingly not important, good reservation software is one of the greatest assets in a restaurant operators arsenal. Instead of shooting in the dark in attempts of figuring out what you need to do to drive business, use a restaurant reservation system to help guide you.
The core features in restaurant reservation software are ultimately aimed at improving restaurant performance and taking your restaurant from one that is struggling to stay afloat, to one that is optimized and making the best out of any situation.
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