Restaurant reservations: 4 tools to use

Good reservation management can make all the difference in your restaurant. Satisfied customers, fewer no-shows, and better management of your stock—enough to boost your turnover.

To optimise your time, it’s better to use a  tool adapted to the size of your establishment, the proactivity of your team, and your budget.

What are the different solutions that can improve restaurant reservation management? 

In this article, find the advantages and disadvantages of the 4 channels mainly used in catering.

1. Reservation management software

Benefits

As the manager of a restaurant, it is in your interest to equip yourself with the most complete POS software possible. With an all-in-one solution, you can have everything you need on one screen:

• Reservations

• The seating/terrace plan

• Accounting

• Stock management

• Staff planning

• Delivery platforms

• Click & Collect

Thanks to an online booking integration, your customers will be able to book or cancel whenever they want, both from your website and on all of your platforms (Google My Business, Facebook, Instagram, etc.). It will also be updated on your schedule in real time. This means you won’t be distracted by calls during service. You’ll also save time while creating a more complete customer database (contacts, consumption habits etc.).

Disadvantages

This channel is not ideal if your restaurant has very few customers and you want to have direct contact with the diners who make their requests.

In this case, telephone reservations will be more suited to your activity.

2. Phone calls

Benefits

For a long time, booking management was done primarily over the phone, and it's a channel that hasn't gone away. It very often complements another solution already in place.

The main advantage of having customers on the phone is the impact on the customer relationship—you’re in direct contact with them and can organise yourself with an online or paper calendar to indicate the reserved slots. This solution is more recommended for small restaurants who are able to support several calls during the day.

Disadvantages

For larger restaurants, it won't be easy to keep things organized just by taking notes. The risk of error is greater, such as forgetting to note a cancellation, a change in arrival time, or even incorrectly noting down a customer's number.

In addition, regardless of the size of your establishment, having a phone ringing constantly during service is not very pleasant for the customers already there and for your servers.

3. Outsourced services

Benefits

To detach yourself from the reservation as much as possible, you can choose a call centre that will take care of it for you. This will allow you to save time and have a professional service dedicated to managing your reservations, which will be able to communicate the image of your brand and be available even when you’re not.

Disadvantages

These call centres take a small commission on reservations taken, so be prepared to allocate a budget for this service if a large portion of your tables are booked.

4. Booking through Google

Benefits

Today, the majority of searches are done on Google. If a user locates your restaurant on Google Maps, they should have direct access to your opening hours, photos, menu, and the "Reserve" feature. Your client will be able to book online without being distracted and will receive all the information they need by email.

This makes it easier for you since you don't have to manually take care of this new customer, and it's an option that you just need to add to your Google My Business listing (a must for promoting your restaurant online ).

Disadvantages

This functionality is not known to all Google users, so it will be necessary to specify it correctly on your website and your social networks, using a specific button.