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The most common asks are to make a reservation, ask a Frequently-Asked-Question (e.g., menu, hours, etc.), Most people are calling to book especially when the online booking system says there are no available reservations, so many patrons call anyways thinking there is likely still capacity left.
Photo: Shutterstock San Francisco-based delivery service DoorDash announced Friday that it has completed its purchase of SevenRooms, a New York-City-based reservations and marketing platform for restaurants. By Timothy Inklebarger and Joe Guszkowski on Jun. By Timothy Inklebarger and Joe Guszkowski on Jun. billion, both in cash.
Improve Seasonal Menu Offerings When it comes to the holidays, consumers love to tuck into festive favorites. It’s the perfect season for experimenting with new menu items that align with previous seasonal trends.
Guests spending hundreds of dollars for a memorable meal and making reservations months in advance just to garner a seat. Cheese should be from a local or regional cheesemaker and let the customer know where it came from and why its so special. Fifteen-hour workdays, no time for anything but the pursuit of excellence.
With 90% of diners checking a restaurant online before visiting, you also need a strong online presence to attract and boost reservations. Photos of your menu items, ambiance, and even happy customers will give potential guests a glimpse of the dining experience you offer. Use it to share updates, special events, or new menu items.
This will also allow the operator to concentrate on the operational and menu aspects, ensuring that both customer service and menu innovation remain exceptional and continuously evolving. These restaurants can also focus on creating a sense of scarcity or urgency with limited reservations or special tasting events.
Naturally engaging for the senses, videos attract attention in a sea of content, get diners interested in your menu, and encourage visitors. The rise of short-form video makes it even easier to share enticing, impactful clips of specials, cocktails, and ambiance. Video marketing can be your secret weapon.
The right restaurant newsletter doesnt just share updates; it keeps customers invested in your brand, your menu, and your next move. Its your chance to turn casual diners into consistent regulars, promote new menu items before they even hit the table, and build a real sense of community around your restaurant.
A well-crafted email can remind a past guest to stop by again, encourage reservations for a new seasonal menu, or even boost online orders with a limited-time discount. A well-timed email with a special offer, new menu item, or exclusive promotion can be the nudge they need to place another order. can go a long way.
The National Retail Federation estimates that 41 percent of consumers will celebrate Valentine’s day with a special dinner or celebration at home. Make Your Menu the Main Course. This can include, mask wearing protocols, occupancy rules, socially distanced dining, Valentine’s day reservation instructions and more.
From salted egg yolks and chili crunch fusions to mushroom-infused teas and freeze-dried fruit powder garnishes, Kimpton’s in-house experts share the standout ingredients, menu items and techniques that will come to the table in 2025. All is revealed after voting is finished, very interactive.”
There's growing interest in premium dining experiences, with prepaid reservations above $200 now representing 10.1 Increase in average prepaid value: The average prepaid reservation has increased 36 percent to $102 so far this year, up from $75 in 2024.²This percent in 2024. Prepaid bookings now represent 38.6
On Valentine’s Day, restaurants fill up quickly with reservations from couples eager to spend a romantic night together. Holidays provide restaurants with the opportunity to capitalize on the special moment by offering specials, events, and so much more exclusive to the holiday. Create a Prix Fixe Menu.
Review and Revise Your Menu Offerings. Before Restaurant Week kicks off, craft a menu that is friendly to both your bottom line and your customers. This way, you can encourage guests to return when your menu isn’t discounted while also encouraging employee retention by showcasing your kitchen team’s talents and creativity.
Think about it: What if you could automatically send a special offer to a customer who hasnt ordered in a while? You can also use sales trends to adjust menu pricing and share customer-favorite menu items, helping you get the most out of high-demand dishes. Optimize your menu based on sales trends.
It puts you in control of your brand, helps customers find you online, and makes it easier for them to view your menu, book a table, or place an orderand thats just the beginning. The ways a website can drive more orders and reservations while cutting costs. How owning your digital presence can help you reach more local customers.
Get Ready for Reservations (or Don’t). The first big decision you need to make for any major holiday is whether or not you’re going to accept reservations. For example, by accepting reservations you’ll allow a select few parties to skip the wait, ensuring that they’ll have a great spot and a great time.
What diners first see: After clicking on your GBP in the sidebar, customers will see your restaurant listing, including photos, hours, reviews, contact information, your location, menu, and links to your restaurant website and online ordering system. Add high-quality photos. family-friendly,” “vegetarian options”) 2.
One example is OpenAI’s Operator, a tool that can perform web-based tasks like making a restaurant reservation or ordering food from a delivery app. They are getting into restaurant reservations. There are already some restaurant applications for this technology , at least on the consumer side.
"Reservations are a mix of regulars and fresh faces as well. It is really giving Valentine’s Day a run for its money in terms of the number of reservations we see each year." Co-owner and Chef Russell Davis designed a sophisticated and fun lunchtime menu for the occasion.
Moreover, integrated systems streamline operations, from managing reservations to tailoring in-app promotions, ensuring that every touchpoint enhances the guest experience. For example, a POS system that integrates with your loyalty program and email marketing platform can automatically send rewards or special offers to frequent diners.
Between online reservations, third-party delivery apps, and direct ordering from your website, digital interactions often happen before a guest ever steps through your doors. Look at their pricing, menu offerings, branding, and customer reviews. We now live in a digital-first world. Optimize your site by using relevant keywords (e.g.,
Promote Online Ordering and Reservations. Online menus are one of the best ways to utilize technology within a restaurant. Using QR codes on tables, counters or even doors offers a touchless alternative to physical menus, minimizing the need for direct interaction with wait staff and encouraging speedy ordering.
Ensure that your site is intuitive and easy to navigate, with clear menus, contact information, and reservation options readily accessible. To cater to the growing demand for convenience, consider integrating online ordering and reservation systems into your website.
We’ve come up with several tips that can help save your business money while improving it at the same time: Use technology to reduce labor costs : Through online management systems, waitlist kiosks, and QR codes that lead to your menu or website. Perhaps you could revisit your menu and retrain your servers to promote high-profit items.
Other things to consider when you first set up your page include: Call to action button – Adding a button to your Facebook page that directs users to your menu, reservation page, or online ordering system. Upload a menu – To make your menu even more accessible, think about adding it directly to your Facebook page.
It should contain all the obvious items like the extra sanitary practices you're going through, your adjusted hours of operation, and an overview of any special services you're offering like curbside pickup or no-contact delivery. PDF menus run contrary to this goal, so get rid of them as quickly as possible.
They help with reservations and table management, staff scheduling and time management, inventory tracking, rewards programs, automated marketing, and more. Reservation and table management apps. Managing reservations and walk-in traffic can be one of the trickiest parts of running a restaurant. Inventory and supply chain apps.
Strengthen Cybersecurity Holiday promotions often drive an increase in credit card transactions and online reservations, putting data security in the spotlight. For special events, consider hiring temporary staff trained in crowd management. Manage Crowds and Capacity Crowded spaces can pose safety risks if not managed properly.
If youve got a big outdoor patio, maybe a summer evening special event is the best move. Promote a Limited-Time Menu Item Few things drive action like the phrase only available for a limited time. Creating seasonal or short-run menu items is one of the simplest ways to generate buzz without overhauling your entire operation.
By analyzing customer preferences, dining habits, and feedback, AI chatbots can send personalized messages to engage customers with new menu items, exclusive offers, and meal recommendations. Within a single chat interface, consumers can go through the entire menu, choose food and beverage products, add them to their cart, and make payments.
To go contactless, customers scanned a small black and white square called a QR code on their mobile device to see a digital copy of the menu. The landing page for your QR code might be your menu, your location details, or get creative and showcase a video clip of your chef creating a new dish in the kitchen. Boost Social Media.
Restaurants are going digital, with innovations like contactless ordering, reservation apps, and personalized marketing driven by data. Celebrating birthdays, for example, is a simple but effective way to make customers feel special. It’s a new era of dining, where your favorite spot knows not only your name but also your order.
Today, more guests expect special treatment – they want to have more of their needs anticipated before they even have to ask. These could, for example, help a waiter suggest a special Italian wine pairing to match a guest’s usual lasagna order. Personalization with Data. Doing More with Less.
For example, it's possible to track when restaurant employees clock in for their shift or which menu item performs the best. Restaurant owners or managers would rather spend time on other meaningful tasks, such as recruiting and hiring, training chefs, or updating daily specials on the menu. Everything nowadays is trackable.
Depending on a guest’s allergies or dietary preferences, AI can suggest personal picks from a restaurant’s menu, for example. Hoteliers and restaurant operators are increasingly demanding POS systems that seamlessly connect with CRM, loyalty programs, reservation systems, inventory management, and payroll.
Today’s Happy Hour Special: Paying By Text Message. Special deals : Restaurants learn so much from a customer’s order. It’s an easy way to share a seasonal menu or share a special offer. Customers can ask any questions about safety protocols or menu options right away.
17, 2025 Facebook Twitter LinkedIn DoorDash now offers services like reservations and advertising. Last month, DoorDash announced plans to acquire reservations and marketing service SevenRooms for $1.2 Is that a good thing for restaurants? By Joe Guszkowski on Jun. These days, it is starting to look more like a hub.
From managing reservations at the host stand or firing orders straight to the kitchen from table side, tablets are changing the way restaurants run. Give your guests a better menu experience Digital menus are easier to update in real-time, so its simple to 86 an item (even in the middle of service) or update your specials for the weekend.
He visits your restaurant’s app and orders his favorite dish on the menu. Then they are guided to scan a QR code to access the menu. He wants to meet up with a group of friends for the weekend and decides to make a reservation at your restaurant. Front-of-House. Henry is ready to order some dinner.
From creating a welcoming ambiance to offering unique menu items, let’s explore the ways you can refine your restaurant's customer experience in 2024. Menu and food choices Your restaurant’s menu and food choices can entice or put off customers. Moreover, the menu sets expectations for the dining experience.
Restaurants that rank higher in local search results get more foot traffic, online orders, and reservations. Keep your business hours updated, especially on holidays or special occasions. Heres where to include them: Website pages : Add keywords naturally to your homepage, menu page, and about page. Leave us a review on Google!
It’s critical to provide a seamless eating experience, which includes simple payment choices and online reservations. Implement personalized suggestions, loyalty programs, and special incentives to make each diner feel appreciated and understood. People want service that is quick, easy, and hassle-free.
Drive Direct Orders and Reservations A strong online presence encourages potential customers to take action. It creates a clear path to online ordering and reservations, turning online interest into revenue. That means visible online ordering buttons, clear contact details, and an up-to-date menu with high-quality photos.
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