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Notify use cases for managing your waitlist

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Notify offers guests an easy way to snag hard-to-get reservations.

By Sophie Brochu & Melissa Maciejewski

When it comes to managing your waitlist, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Notify, Tock’s waitlist feature, was designed with flexibility in mind. Whether you want to set it and forget it, or prioritize specific requests (i.e. birthdays, anniversaries), Notify is the best way to ensure your books stay filled.

Read more to learn how Notify might look for your business and, as always, feel free to reach out to the hospitality team for additional assistance.

Noir thinks of Notify as a round-the-clock reservationist 

Who they are: Noir is a high-demand, destination restaurant that seats 40 covers per night. Many guests book weeks in advance.

The goal: Balance exclusivity and efficiency, while maintaining an excellent guest experience.

How they use Notify: Noir is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, giving the team a much needed reset. But during this time, cancellations still occur. Noir relies on Notify to automatically match availability with reservation requests, alerting guests and prompting them to book when these cancellations occur.

When the staff return on Wednesday, Noir’s GM, Leah, combs through the books for notes or special requests. She manually sends a notification to a guest hoping to celebrate a tenth anniversary, and another visiting all the way from Japan. Then again, on Friday, Leah unblocks a VIP table in dashboard when she sees a friend of the chef on the waitlist.

This balance of automation and personalization is just what Noir needs to keep the books filled while maintaining control.

Harry’s Fish House wants to set it and forget it…most of the time

Who they are: A high-volume operation open 7 days a week for lunch and dinner, Harry’s books are constantly in flux.

The goal: Maximize capacity with minimal effort, while making it easy for guests to book a desired table.

How they use Notify: Owner Harry keeps several tables blocked throughout the dining room for walk-ins. Without a formal reservationist, he is glad to let Notify do the work, consistently filling tables when last-minute cancellations occur, and letting walk-ins do the rest.

But when business slows in January and February, Harry will often unblock some of the “walk-in” tables on a day-to-day basis, notifying guests on the waitlist in order to drive reservations. This allows Harry to step in, if and when he chooses, while relying primarily on automation to do the work for him.

Barrel & Vine wants to focus on wine (not the waitlist)

Who they are: A family-run winery and tasting room that hosts an array of popular tastings, tours, and events.

The goal: Enhance the experience for destination visitors and members, while relying on automation, so the team isn’t constantly managing and fulfilling the waitlist. 

How they use Notify: Katie, the front of house manager, works diligently to staff the tasting room. With many of the winery’s guests being from out of town, last-minute cancellations can have an especially negative impact on the business.

Katie considers Notify to be like a helpful assistant, continuously notifying waitlisted guests and combating cancellations, whether they happen the day-of, or weeks in advance. This enables her to focus on what she loves best: wine, hospitality, and service. Occasionally, Katie also likes to send manual notifications to club members to ensure they have access to special events. Some guests tell Katie that getting a notification of availability makes their day, or their entire visit to wine country. 

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Notify is just another example of a Tock feature built to help you run your business the way you want to. To learn more, reach out to hospitality or visit exploretock.com/join

 

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