Having a queue outside is a mark of a busy restaurant. Having a long queue of disgruntled customers is a mark of poor management. As maximum restaurants still rely on the number of walk-in customers during weekends or the rush hours, especially if the restaurant is situated at a high footfall area, it is essential to properly manage the queue of customers waiting to be seated. If there is a long queue outside, with no predictability of the wait-time, there are high chances that the customers would end up going to your competition, thus, hurting your business. This is where the need for a smart Table Reservation and Queue Management System comes up.
How Table Reservation And Queue Management System Improve Your Guest Experience
Considering the stiff competition in the restaurant space, you could be losing out on a lot of business due to poor management of the incoming guests. Read on to know how a smart Table Reservation and Queue Management System helps you improve efficiency in operations and increases customer delight.
1. Online Table Reservation
According to a report, 83% of guests prefer reserving a table online before they head out to eat. Online Table Reservation has become the need of the hour if you witness high footfall, especially during the rush hours. Integrated with the restaurant POS, the Online Table Reservation System accepts the reservations online and the same is reflected in the POS in real-time. Your restaurant staff can view the online reservations and seat the walk-in customers based on the available tables.
2. Queue Management
A smart Table Reservation System allows you to reserve the table for the guest even before they have entered the restaurant. You can simply enter the details of the customers through the Table Reservation System, and assign a table against their name in the POS. This enables you to manage the tables inside the restaurant with efficiency. The staff can view the number of tables that are currently occupied and the ones reserved already and accept reservations on the availability.
3. Forecasting The Exact Wait-Time
Typically, the managers or servers estimate the time it would take to seat the incoming guests manually, which is based on guess-work and prone to errors. Integrated with the restaurant POS, the Table Reservation and Queue Management System analyzes the current tables occupied and the number of orders placed at the table and forecasts the exact wait-time.
4. Increased Customer Delight
The major reason why customers move to a different restaurant in case of a queue is a lack of predictability in terms of the wait time. When you are transparent about the time it would take to seat the guests and live up to that promise, it increases the credibility of your restaurant service. The Table Reservation System also eliminates any confusion among the staff regarding the available tables. This results in high operational efficiency, which reflects in the customer service, and ultimately increases your customer delight.
Online Table Reservation Systems have become the need of the hour today since customers are increasingly looking for better guest experience. A single shortcoming can drive customers away and also attract negative reviews online. Proper Queue Management is critical as it ensures a better guest experience and enables you to attract and retain the walk-in crowd that could have otherwise gone to your competition.
I was surprised when you said that 83% of the people surveyed said that reserving a table online beforehand is preferable to them. My brother wants to open a sit-down restaurant in the city within the next few months. I’m glad I read your article so I can encourage him to find a queuing system for the seating that offers online check-in!