RESERVATION PROCESS

Introduction
Restaurant Reservation Systems

A table reservation is an arrangement made in advance to have a table

available at a restaurant. While most restaurants in the vast majority of the
world do not require a reservation, and some have no policy or simply any
channel for making one, so-called higher-end restaurants mainly in
overcrowded cities often require a reservation, and some may have tables
booked for weeks in advance. At particularly exclusive venues, it may be
impossible to make a reservation on the same day as the planned visit.

From first dates to anniversaries, lunches with friends to dinners with family,
and employee interviews to office brunches, the dining table always seems to
bring people together! In order for restaurant owners to keep organized, limit
the number of open tables, and reduce waiting time for customers, it’s
important that they develop and maintain a reliable and efficient restaurant
reservation system.
How Technology Impacts Reservations

Restaurant reservations first began with managers, hostesses, or other staff

taking phone calls and penciling in names and times on paper. This took away
a lot of time from hostesses and other staff members who could be clearing
tables or helping customers. However, as technology advances, and more and
more people have constant access to the internet, companies have developed
various restaurant reservation software to make the process quicker and more
convenient for both the restaurant staff and customers.

Why Restaurant Reservations are Beneficial

"Open table," a much hated term in the restaurant business, refers to an empty
seat in the dining room. Because restaurants pay up front for rent, electric,
utilities, and food, any seat left unfilled is a loss of profit, since these bills don’t
lower depending on how many customers they get per day. In order to help
reduce the number of open tables in a restaurant, and to limit the waiting time
for paying customers, restaurants began taking reservations. Here are some
ways restaurant reservations are beneficial to owners, staff, and customers.

Better idea of how busy a night will be. Whether or not a restaurant will
have a dinner rush with open tables is an unknown fact, but taking
reservations will give owners a better idea of how busy or quiet their nights will
be. And, if in fact, they have a low number of reservations, this will give them
enough time to come up with a special to market on social media accounts to
encourage customers to come out and spend money.

Prepare chefs for a rush. On the contrary, if the reservation schedule is

showing that they're going to be packed, chefs and kitchen staff will have a fair
warning to be prepared for an incoming rush at a specific time. Also, hostesses
making the reservations, or seating walk-in customers, will also be able to
space the seating times out enough so that the kitchen doesn't get slammed all
at once.

Reduce waiting time. Not only are restaurant reservations beneficial to

owners and kitchen staff, but they help make the dining experience for
customers more enjoyable. When a party books a table for 6:00 p.m. on a
Friday, they can expect to be seated pretty close to that time, reducing their
wait. Remaining on top of reservations and getting guests seated as closely to
their time slot as possible will result in happy customers that are sure to
return!

Third Party Reservation Sites

 A technique becoming more common across the restaurant industry is the use
of outside websites that specialize in restaurant reservation software. These
programs are designed to reduce the number of open tables a restaurant has
by promoting restaurants on their sites and making the reservations for them.
Most sites allow customers to filter restaurants by country, state, city, and
restaurant. They can submit the number in their party and request a time all
with the click of a mouse or the touch of a screen. One of the most popular
sites amongst customers and restaurants today is Open Table, which works to
provide reservation and table management. Other popular sites include
ResDiary, Eveve, and Yelp's free Seat Me system. There are many benefits to
these third party reservation sites, but they're not for everyone. Every system
has its own benefits, so make sure to research every aspect, from installation
fees to ongoing fees, before you make a commitment. Make sure to take some
of the following considerations into account when choosing a system for your
restaurant.

 Calendar. The system should be synced with your restaurant's events, hours,
etc. Customers will be making reservations outside of your business hours, so
having a calendar that will prevent double bookings will eliminate headaches
down the road.

 User-friendly. It's simple, but if users can't easily click their way through
making a reservation, they're going to wind up calling anyway, which defeats
the purpose of a third party system. Customers should be able to easily filter
by country, state, city, and restaurant.

 Customer support. Anything that deals with computer software or technology

should have its own customer support system. You and your staff are going to
run into issues with the system, regardless of how bug-free it is. If you have to
pay up front for a system, then see if they offer free customer service.

 Mobile app. Does the software program you're looking at offer a functional
mobile app so that customers can make reservations right from their smart
phones? If not, you may want to look at another service that does, since many
people today are always on-the-go and looking for instant results at their
fingertips.
 Integration into other tools. A reservation software that allows visitors to
leave a review or post their booking to Facebook will help you with your overall
marketing! The system should also be able to link to an email account that lets
customers know if their reservation has been confirmed, or if any issues
arise.

 Initial costs. While some services, like Yelp's SeatMe, are completely free,
others can be quite expensive. From installation rates to monthly fees, is the
added convenience of a third party system worth the price? It all depends on
the restaurant, its location, and its popularity!

 Ongoing fees. Unfortunately, many third party systems, like Open Table,
charge a transaction fee per customer seated. Although their system may offer
many other great benefits, you have to consider if your restaurant is able to
afford these additional, ongoing fees.

Online Restaurant Reservations

Another option for restaurant owners is to set up their business’s website to

allow online reservations. There are many benefits to allowing customers to
make arrangements online.

For Customers:

 Allows convenient 24/7 access, not only during your operating hours
 Eliminates the need to make a phone call
 Doesn’t require them to wait for an employee to answer
 Let’s them easily read reviews of your restaurant and compare prices
online
For Restaurant Owners:

 Reduces time devoted to taking calls during operation hours

 Gives you the ability to reject or confirm reservations via email
 Turns more website visits into reservations
 Keeps reservations all in one place
There are a few options you have when setting up your website to take
reservations. First, you can simply add on a reservations widget, such as
this Guestful reservation manager by WordPress. By placing this widget in
 your main menu or toolbar, visitors to your website will quickly see it to make
their reservations. Widgets like this one usually communicate to

the customer via email whether or not their requests are confirmed or rejected.

Another tactful method, if you're using Google Adwords, is to add your menu
page as a site link, as seen to the right. This serves as a shortcut and allows
customers to see your reservation link as they're scrolling down Google's
search results page.

Click-to-Call

If you’re looking to advertise your restaurant so that interested customers can

easily find your establishment’s number on their mobile phones, then adding a
click-to-call feature from Google AdWords may be the best route for you. When
your add shows up in a Google search, a clickable call button will encourage
calls on-the-go and allow for a customer to make a reservation immediately.
Check out the great benefits to this feature below:

 Easy, on-the-go calling

 User-friendly
 Right at customers' fingertips
 Great for last-minute reservations
 Set the call button to only show during operation hours
 Can lead to increased click through rates

After budgeting your establishment's spending costs and determining how big
an issue open tables are, you can pick the best route for your restaurant.
 Whether you decide to add your own reservation
widget to your website, or you invest in a third party
company, it's important to incorporate some type of
reservation system for your restaurant!

SAMPLE RESERVATION
FORMS/ TEMPLATES

Details of reservation should include the following:

1. Date of reservation
2. Time of arrival
3. Number of persons
4. Name of person who will use the reservation
5. Name of person making the reservation
6. Contact details of the person checking in and of the person making the
reservation
7. Special requirements
 How to Take Reservation on Phone?

Telephone plays an important role in times of

reservation on phone. Perfect telephone handling
ensures efficiency of the reservation agent which
at the same time upholds restaurant standard. All
the time you should follow proper telephone
manner.

Basic Tips for Taking Reservation on Phone:

1. Pick up the phone before 3 rings.

2. Greet the caller according to the time. Try to keep very fresh, clear and
friendly voice tone so that guest may feel comfortable. Remember First
Impression is the Last Impression.

3. It is advisable to greet in this way “Good Morning. This is Restaurant X.

Thank you for calling. How may I help you?
4. Try to identify caller gender by his or her sound. Listen to the name
properly. Repeat the name with Mr. or Ms. Caller may be hurt if you by
mistake call him wrongly.
5. Try to understand why the caller calls. In a restaurant people call not
only for making reservation but also for getting information, arranging
party, sending message to a guest or making business deal. So, first
listen carefully to identify what sorts of assistance the caller wants from
you.
6. If the callers call for table reservation and if he is not a repeated guest
then you should try to give a short overview on your restaurant including
restaurant’s feature and amenities and specialty offering.
7. Always be updated about the reservation charts.
8. If the callers requested date indicates “SOLD OUT” then very politely say
sorry to the guest and let him know why you are unable to sell the table.
9. If the requested date indicates “WAIT – LISTED” then politely inform the
guest about the situation and inform him that reservation on that day is
wait –listed for that reason you are taking his reservation but not giving
full guarantee and request him to check again closer to that requested
date.
10. After giving an overview of your restaurant, now try to identify
what area of the restaurant wants and try to offer him some options so
 that he can decide from his own ex. Besides the pool, garden, rooftop or
at the lobby.
11. If the guest wants to reserve, then say that we are very pleased to
reserve a table for you. May I have some information from you please?
Now try to collect this information with proper spelling:

 Name of the Guest

 No. of Guest
 Guest Types ei. Children, Oldies, or PWD
 His Contact Address
 Venue or Place
 Rate
 Date of Arrival
 Date of Reservation Made
 Mode of Payment
 Special Requests and Needs
 Occasion
 Reservation Made by Person or Company

12. Repeat all the information caller gives and at the same time give
him a reservation confirmation number.
13. If you have any objection about guest’s mode of payment or
anything, then inform the guest about your rules and request him to give
you another option.
14. After settling everything thanks the caller for his patience and
calling you. End up the calls as warmly as you start and try to make him
feel that he just made a perfect decision.

Do’s and Don’ts

1. Do use guest last name with title

2. Do not use only the guests first name
3. Be polite
4. Do not be abrupt
5. Do listen to the guest
6. Do not interrupt
7. Do write neatly
8. Do not use a pen, use a pencil
9. Do reconfirm all information
10. Do not promise what is not possible
11. Do help the guest
12. Do not modify seating capacities or sections
13. Do try and fulfill the guests requests
14. Do not overbook without manager’s approval.
It is very important to speak clearly and slowly all the time. Do not mumble
into the telephones and ask the guest to politely repeat any information you
miss. It is better to have a correct reservation than one with ambiguity.

Table Reservations Procedure for Restaurants

Answering the telephone:

Wish the caller as per the time of the day:

 Good (morning / afternoon / evening). Roof

Top Restaurant Albert speaking. How may I help you?
Acknowledging a reservation request

 Certainly Mr. David, (use name if whenever known)

 Yes of course sir or madam, (use name if known)
Taking the table reservation details:
Standard questions

 May I have your name, please?

 When would you like book your table?
 A table for how many guests?
 Where would you like to sit?
 Do you prefer a smoking area? (Only applicable if your restaurant has
separate smoking area / zone)

When you check the reservations book

 Please excuse me, (name), while I check the reservations.

 Please allow me to put your call on hold, While I check the availability.
 Just one moment, please (name), while I see what we have available.

Returning to the caller

 I’m sorry to keep you waiting, (name).

 Sorry to keep you on hold, (guest Name)
  May I have your (mobile number), please?

Confirming the details

 May I please repeat the table reservation details, A table for (2) (this
afternoon / on Sunday, 31 October) at (2.00 p.m.) in the name of (Mr.
David). And your (telephone number) is (123456789). Is that details
correct?

Saying goodbye

 Thank you very much for calling, Mr. David. We look forward to seeing
you then. Have a great day ahead.

When a table is not available or where the guest wants one

 I’m afraid we don’t have a table at that time. Would (2.30) be suitable?
 I’m afraid we don’t have a table available there at that time. But there is
a table available (say where )then. Would that be suitable?

Offering an alternative

 May I help you to reserve a table at another of our restaurants instead?

 Perhaps you’d like to have (lunch) in the (Wok Restaurant), where there
will be a buffet this afternoon.

Process for reconfirming a restaurant table reservation request:

Standard reconfirmation
 TASK SHEET
Title: TAKE TABLE RESERVATION BY PHONE

Performance Objective: Given the required supplies and materials you

should be able to take table reservation by phone
according to standard.
Supplies/Materials : Phone, laptop with internet, pen, reservation
Logbook, calendar
Equipment : Laptop/Computer monitor with internet
connection
Steps/Procedure:
1. Answer the phone
2. Acknowledge a reservation request
3. Take the table reservation details
4. Check the reservation book
5. Return the caller
6. Confirm the details
7. Say goodbye
Assessment Method:
Demonstration
Oral questioning.
 Performance Criteria Checklist

CRITERIA YES NO
Answered the phone according to standard.
Acknowledged a reservation request.
Took the table reservation details.
Checked the reservation log book.
Confirmed the details.
Bid goodbye according to standard.