Reservation of tables in the restaurant is paid. Online table reservation from the point of view of restaurateurs: good or bad? How to plan ahead

Book tables for your guests. Customers will be happy that they are guaranteed to get to their favorite place, and you will be able to better control and analyze the load of the hall.

Table reservation is available at and works:

- on devices with iOS 11 and later;

- on all tablets with Android;

— in the Poster app for Windows.

To book a table:

≡ and choose New booking.

In the window New booking specify date and time, number of guests and duration the time that the table will be occupied.

Write phone number and customer name.

In field Group from the drop-down list, select a group of clients of the bonus or discount system. If you do not have client groups, create them in the admin panel in the tab Marketing → Client groups.

In field Comment write the wishes of the guests or everything that is important to know about the reservation. For example, "baby chair", "flower vase".

Click Select table and select a table on the hall map.

💡 To quickly accept a booking, select table on the hall map and click + New booking.

View, confirm and cancel your bookings in the booking calendar:

Click in the upper right corner on ≡ and choose Booking.

In the tab Schedule see the hourly schedule of free and reserved tables for the day:

— yellow intervals show the tables on which there are open checks, and the time that the table is occupied;
— blue color shows the time interval during which the table is reserved. It displays the start time of the booking, the customer's name and the number of guests.
Open the reservation review card to cancel a reservation or confirm a table reservation and open a receipt.

1. In the tab List see the schedule all reserved tables, contacts and wishes of guests.

Control for each room and table.

We recently launched Yell Restaurants, an app that makes it easy to book a table at your favorite restaurant online. This is a great solution for guests, but how is it suitable for restaurant owners? We decided to interview HoReCa experts, and their opinions differed.

Alexander Uvarov, Managing DirectorTiki bar »

Online booking services are a logical step in the development of e-commerce. Another question is how much this format is in demand by customers and how profitable it is for the restaurants themselves.

On the one hand, online booking systems are an important option for guests who actively use modern Internet technologies. With their help, a person can quickly book a table in his favorite restaurant, anywhere - in a traffic jam or at a meeting. And if the restaurant does not keep up with the times, then it risks losing such customers.

On the other hand, we must be honest: so far, online booking services are more useful to guests than to the establishment, and restaurants cooperate with them only because of the popularity of mobile technologies. In terms of profitability, online booking services are not an additional source for attracting guests, but rather an intermediary claiming a certain percentage of the check.

Plus, working with such services is an additional burden for restaurant staff, who, in addition to communicating with guests, spends time and effort communicating with booking service managers. In addition, the booking systems themselves are still far from perfect: there are serious shortcomings in the scheme of payments and verification of guests, software malfunctions occur periodically, etc.

Today, online bookings make up a very small percentage of the total Tiki Bar bookings. And the no-show rate for online bookings is much higher compared to standard phone bookings. There is a simple psychological factor at work here: the more a person makes an effort to book a table - by making a call - the more seriously he takes it, and booking online with one touch creates the illusion of optionality.

In general, for now, online booking services are more of an additional option for the convenience of our guests, which does not generate income for Tiki Bar. Indeed, today the very fact of the presence or absence of online booking is not a decisive factor for a client to visit a restaurant.

Dmitry Stilin, Marketing Director of Pub Life Group (Tap & barrel Pub , The Tipsy Pub , Lion's Head Pub andDrunken duck Pub )

Some may think that it would be better for guests to go to their own site, but online booking services spend money on promotion, and your establishment is still in an advantageous position by being placed on them. The number of bookings through services varies greatly depending on the concept of the restaurant. Most of all, bookings go through the services to the so-called family restaurants.

Any service, placing you on its pages, is a plus for the establishment, regardless of the number of bookings through it. Loyal customers will still book directly. After all, every normal restaurant has online booking on its website and such services are not fundamental. But since they are, the restaurant needs to attend them to increase the reach of its audience. 10% of the check is an ideal collaboration system that does not burden staff with third-party calculations and memorization. A specific amount per guest is not always a profitable option for a restaurant, and with a large flow it is simply inconvenient.

Valeria Efremova, General Director of the restaurant " »

For some reason, this system did not work for us at all. We cooperate with many companies, but there is no particular effect. This happens for a number of reasons. For example, the human factor. So, an operator who accepts an application for a banquet by phone (and often guests just call) is more likely to persuade him to a restaurant that is more profitable for him - maybe he loves it himself, or maybe he receives a separate commission for this. Tables are booked in advance mainly for a romantic meeting or a business one. The company often already has a favorite place. If the meeting is business, then most likely the institution will be chosen on a territorial basis (here it’s lucky, and the restaurant is not able to change anything), but lovers are more likely to pay enough attention to the search, and if you have a romantic and tasty (and we have it), then they will definitely come.

As you can see, the percentage of the probability of ordering a table is not too high. Add to this competition, cancellation/no-show, booking speculation (on holidays, for example), etc. - we get the result of our restaurant - this is 1-2 tables per week on average. Therefore, we do not make special bets on these services. We place ourselves on them, of course, “to be”, but we have no illusions.
The most effective method of promotion on the Internet is still Yandex Direct.

How many guests should such a service bring to your restaurant for you to use its services?

It would seem that the answer is obvious - the more the better. However, imagine that you have a full seat in an online pre-order lounge. At the same time, your profit is reduced by % commission, and regular guests have nowhere to stay. I repeat, the average check is important, not the number of people.

What needs to be done to make online booking popular among Russian users?

Any business (in the service industry) is generally based on fashion and/or laziness. You need to get away from this. It is possible to offer at the same time the service of taxi delivery by a certain time, pre-order and pre-payment of the order (i.e. the guest makes an order for the evening through the site in advance - such a mini-banquet is obtained), a musician with a choice of a certain repertoire, etc.
This is part of the service and the point of laziness. Well, to make it fashionable is not so difficult. An online booking site is not a work of architectural art that once built and cannot be fixed. You can experiment and you need to unwind.

Alexey Pospekhov, Managing Director of FUTUR CAPITAL

Our foundation considered several online table reservation projects, both based on existing POS systems and separate software.

This solution is certainly a cool and necessary feature, but everything, as usual, rests on the peculiarities of local Russian business processes.

Let's start with the fact that 90% of the POS systems market in Russia belongs to UCS (software brand - RKEEPER), which is distinguished by a total Soviet approach to its products. 50% of this company was recently bought by Rambler, thanks to which they close the entire HORECA eco-system on themselves - from table reservations to the integration of fintech mobile services with a loyalty program.

The second part of the table reservation rests on a personal factor, when the manager of the establishment with a wave of his hand, for the sake of a “more important guest”, can demolish the submitted online reservation, which will damage the reputation of not so much the institution as the mobile service that provided this service.

There was no link to the average check in our projects.

We saw the most suitable business model, where establishments paid a certain fixed cost (from 50 to 350 rubles) for a person who came through a similar service. All other solutions are quite difficult to implement, and also rest on the motivation of the staff "on the ground".

In any case, if Rambler successfully reorganizes UCS and introduces new features into its RKEEPER software, then it will be impossible to compete with a company that owns 90% of the market. For its part, Rambler will be able to offer restaurants, in return for a small commission, advanced loyalty program options, payments from smartphones, and other solutions that will force restaurant managers to use their solutions.

Book a table in a cafe you can right now on Find-A-Table

Find-A-Table will allow you to book a table in the best cafe

When you have a free evening, it creates a great excuse to visit a cafe or restaurant. Residents and guests of the city of Krasnodar are lucky. They can choose one of the best cafes with excellent service and cuisine without leaving home. For these purposes, the online service Find-A-Table works, which offers big choice establishments for every taste, in the truest sense of the word. On the website of the service, you can book a table in a cafe, study reviews and the level of service of each of the proposed objects. Thanks to the excellent information base, you can find out everything you need and choose the best solution for your free time.
Now walks with a visit to a cafe can become much more accessible and interesting. The availability of dinner is explained by the fact that in the catalog of options there are many establishments of the middle price range. By the way, you can limit it yourself in the search bar. Delicious cuisine, excellent customer service and a cozy atmosphere are guaranteed in all restaurants selected on the Find-A-Table. You only have to book a table in a cafe for myself.
Find-A-Table cares not only about the comfort of choosing a restaurant, but also about the possibilities of spending time in general. Forget boring TV evenings! The new service will inform you about what parties and celebrations are planned in Krasnodar.

Booking a table in a cafe is easy with Find-A-Table!

How to choose the best cafe for an evening out? Perhaps you should start with the type of establishment you want to visit. The assortment does not stop only at cafes, restaurants and sushi bars. The list of categories includes both ice cream parlors and establishments with confectionery restaurants specializing in grilled cuisine, karaoke clubs and even gastropubs. Beer restaurants, art cafes, self-service restaurants, country complexes continue this list. Haven't decided yet where to book tables in a cafe for your company? Then check out the topics in more detail on the Find-A-Table website. Each of them is described in more than detail.
The appropriate cuisine will help to make the dinner truly unique. The cuisine of each restaurant is magnificent in its own way, but thanks to the service, you can choose not just a good menu, but a menu that corresponds to the culture of some people or even an entire era. For example, you can choose establishments with Soviet cuisine, from Azerbaijani, Uzbek, Russian, Italian or even Yugoslav. Several dozen options will not leave you without a delicious dinner.

The ability to reserve a table in a restaurant helps to get rid of a large number stress. You don't have to waste time looking for places with empty seats or waiting for a table to be free. Thanks to the reservation service, you will get only pleasant emotions from dinner in a restaurant and will be able to fully concentrate on your interlocutors.

Steps

How to plan ahead

Choose a restaurant. First of all, you need to decide which institution you want to visit. Not all restaurants allow you to reserve a table even with a high load of the halls. For example, in small or new restaurants, such an opportunity may not be available due to an insufficient number of regular customers. Before attempting to book a table, you should find out the rules of the institution.

1. Determine the number of guests. After choosing a restaurant, you need to decide how many people will come to dinner with you. The waiting time may depend on the size of the company. For example, if there are only two of you, then it will probably be easier to find a table, but the task will become more complicated if a company of 10 people is planned. Also, the number of people can affect how far in advance you need to reserve a table.

   • Even if you are not sure if a person will be able to come, still reserve a table with such a person in mind. It is better to have a free seat at the table than to look for another chair in a full establishment.

2. Select date and time. The number of available seats may depend on the day of the week. For example, it's usually easier to reserve a table on a weekday than on a weekend. It is also easier to find a free table during “quiet hours” than during the usual “peak times” for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

   • Always plan an alternate date and time in case there are no free tables in the establishment on the originally selected day.

3. Check your phone and email regularly for updates. After booking a table online, you should receive a confirmation email or message. In some cases, you will need to follow a link or click a button to confirm your order. Also, you may be sent links to cancel or change the time of the reservation in case of such a need.

   • Many table booking sites also offer discount coupons and special programs with points that can be redeemed for various services.
   • If there is no link to cancel the reservation, you must call the restaurant by phone.

• Many busy restaurants do not provide a reservation service, so queues of people can be observed near popular places. Get ready to wait if you want to get into such an institution.
• Credit card companies often offer restaurant discounts as part of a rewards program to attract more customers, and some high-end cards may even offer exclusive access to popular establishments.

Warnings

• Some restaurants require you to provide your credit card number when making a reservation and charge a "no show" fee if you don't show up on time and cancel early.