| 1. |
Build up your customer database - always ask customers if they would like automatic, instant confirmation of their reservation. Let them know your company uses email to market promotions and special offers only to customers on the Company's email database. Award a prize each week for the member of staff who collects the most email addresses - make sure all staff have their own user name and password. |
| 2. |
Manage the message customers can see on your website booking engine front end. You can do this in real time by going to "Manage Restaurant/Custom Texts" and change this message as often as you like, when you like. |
| 3. |
Think about the flow! How many meals can your kitchen produce of quality and to correct standard in half an hour? Set this parameter in "Manage Restaurant/Services". Set suitable table times for 2 tops and larger party sizes in the same section. Set your times at tables for special dates, i.e. Xmas, in the same section - think ahead. |
| 4. |
Are you always busy on certain nights? Do you always turn people away on such nights? If so, think about your peak times when you can always sell your tables and then drop down the covers you will accept at peak times using "Manage Restaurant/Yield Management" - to help in switch selling to earlier or later in the service. Conversely, "load up" capacity for the start of a service and the end of the service. |
| 5. |
Stop selling tables for 4 to 2 cover parties when you are busy. Go to "Manage Restaurant/Rules" and, as an example, set up a rule that on Fridays and Saturdays the smallest party size you accept at 4 tops is for 3 covers. If all your 2's are sold, the system will automatically try to sell an earlier or later available table. Think about your table sizes and joined table capacities and how to optimise your occupancy for all capacities. Email tech@restaurantdiary.com with your thoughts and we shall programme for you. |
| 6. |
Never switch off a service - always run the service live and in real time unless you have staffing problems. Switch off any disabling of Internet bookings in "Alter Restaurant Details/Other Details". Customers do check your web sites at 7pm for an 8pm booking – if you have availability why would you not want to sell the table? It is quick and easy to enter chance customers – train and empower all members of staff to be able to do this. Mark customers as arrived on the "Expected Arrivals List". |
| 7. |
Capture your "Chance Customer" data - see your marketing manager. You can edit a "Chance Customer" and enter their details into the database by simply double clicking on the booking and entering the data. |
| 8. |
Send your customers a "morning after" email - you can set this up as a "dynamic email" campaign in our Customer Contact section or just send us the copy and we shall set it up for you. Think of the possibilities. |
| 9. |
Do not take large parties at peak times unless your operation is specifically geared to large parties – use our "Rule" to set maximum party size at peak times and this will help to move large parties to later in the service, giving you a chance to sell the tables beforehand. |
| 10. |
Use our loyalty "trigger" - go to "Manage Restaurant/Triggers" and set up a reward for customer loyalty. You decide the trigger point and the reward for customers booking online through your own web site or www.booktoeat.com, using the same email address. Our system automatically sends the customer a loyalty "thank you" email, sends a note to the restaurant management and prints the details on the appropriate service running order. |
| 11. |
Vouchers - SELL SELL SELL. We have a very clever system integrated with your CRM database - it is simple to set up and use and requires credit card payment (we can link to www.protx.co.uk). |
| 12. |
List some "Booking Extras" you can "up sell" at the point of booking - for examples see www.thebonham.com. |
| 13. |
List special events as "promotions" – for examples see www.thebonham.com. Again, we are happy to set up special events for you - please email to tech@restaurantdiary.com. |
| 14. |
Think about special discount codes - use "Manage Restaurant / Discounts" - you can set up special codes customers can enter at point of booking – this may be a good way to persuade customers to book through your own web site and not commission based portals. We can provide unique URL's to match the discount offer and these can be embedded in any web site – for examples see www.glasgowgourmet.co.uk. |
