Benefits of a Restaurant Reservation System

The restaurant industry is continuously evolving to meet the needs of its customers by providing them with a memorable dining experience. It has seen many changes in recent years, such as the mushrooming of new kinds of restaurants globally with different cuisines and fusion of menus. Not only this, but the restaurant industry has also introduced many novelties such as cafes with pompous aesthetics or even décor, which take inspiration from famous movies or TV shows.

Along with these changes, it has also welcomed another one that has contributed significantly to its growth. It is the adoption of digital avenues and systems to ensure the smooth running and management of restaurants.
A common example of digitization for all restaurants includes digital marketing using social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook. In addition to this, many restaurants have opted for other technological advancements such as reservation software, among other notable tools. 

What is a Restaurant Reservation system?

A restaurant reservation system is similar to how a typical reservation system works. The only difference is that it is digital compared to when customers have to wait at the physical location or call before reserving a table.

It is a digital platform that owners, customers, restaurant managers, and even other employees can use to book a table, see how much time it will take to make a reservation while allowing cancellations and no-shows. 

Examples of Restaurant Reservation System

There are many restaurant reservation software available currently. The best ones are those which work well for a restaurant. However, there are some indicators through which one can judge what a good restaurant reservation system should entail.
It depends on its features, including customer communication, handling orders and reservations in bulk, ease of use, and of course, affordability.

Some popular restaurant reservation software includes:

1. Lightspeed
2. OpenTable  
3. Resy OS
4. Quandoo
5. Yelp

Most of these are not free, and hence they charge a price, but they are profitable investments for restaurants. If you want to know more about these reservation systems, then a simple search would suffice and help you make the correct decision for your restaurant.

Benefits

The success of restaurant reservation software is evident in the fact that many restaurants are adopting this system. An article on Usperve included a statistic that suggests more and more restaurants are using technology now more than ever. Around 80% of restaurants in the U.S have shifted to a reservation system. Some benefits below may help gauge why it is becoming popular.

Easy Order Taking

The best feature that is of great help to restaurant managers is the system’s ability to take orders online and through digital means. It minimises errors that may occur during bulk orders which may be placed through calls or other means.

Dining & Table Management

A typical day at a restaurant entails chaos, especially at rush hours. A good reservation system allows the manager to have control over the dining area and seating management. They can plan it according to the number of reservations and cancellations without creating hassle for the staff.

Customer Reviews

While there are many ways customers can provide reviews to restaurant staff, one of the easier ways is to do it through a reservation system. This ensures quick reviews without any pressure of being judged. This feature serves both the customer and the restaurant well.

Communication

One of the benefits of reservation systems is the effective two-way communication between customers and restaurant employees. This is perhaps, one of the major reasons for its popularity in the restaurant industry. As opposed to calling, there is usually no waiting time or holds to reach a restaurant representative for any information related to bookings.

Record Taking

Restaurants get thousands of customers every day. After one point, it can get challenging to keep a record of who visited and ordered what. A reservation system can solve this issue because customers can create their profiles with their names and other relevant details. Reservation systems store this information and make it easy for managers and employees to keep track of new and old customers.

Guest Convenience

One of the aims of the hospitality industry is to create convenience for guests. Whether it is a hotel or a restaurant, they need to ensure that customers get the best experience, making them want to return. A reservation system does precisely just that. It creates a hassle-free user experience for customers who can get everything done at the tip of their fingers through a single application. From reservation to cancellation and even exchanging information, reservation systems ensure that customers are not inconvenienced because there is a high volume of bookings and smaller staff.

Waitlist

A typical restaurant sight is to see long queues of customers lining up, waiting to get a table as it gets free. Since this is not suitable for fine-dining and the current Covid-19 pandemic, a reservation system is a perfect way to overcome this problem. Customers can log into the software and see how much time it will take for the next table to be empty and ready for service.

Solution for No-shows

Restaurant managers dislike no-shows. Having a no-show customer means that a potential customer is lost who could have taken the reserved table for their dining out. A reservation system allows restaurant managers or other staff to message potential customers directly, sending reminders well ahead of their reservation time.

While these are some benefits of having a restaurant reservation system, there is no doubt that it can change how restaurants are run on a daily basis. Other than these apparent benefits, there may be benefits that one can glean only after using reservation software.