Whether it’s leveraging guest data, streamlining reservations, or enhancing the dining experience for your guests, your restaurant’s technology should work seamlessly in the background, fostering a fluid and enjoyable experience for guests and staff alike.
Below are the game-changing restaurant technology trends you should adopt in order to elevate your restaurant’s operations and enhance the guest experience.
Capture customer data from the get-go: Handheld POS devices are popular for their capabilities in taking orders and managing on-the-spot guest notes, such as allergens and ingredient sensitivities. But the true advantage lies in capturing this critical data during the reservation process. This allows for hospitable greetings, especially if they’re repeat guests. Your hosts can greet guests by name, seat them at their preferred table and even have their favorite drink waiting for them.
Encouraging guests to book ahead of time not only provides a more personalized dining experience but also dramatically reduces inefficiencies. By predicting guest count, your team can streamline food preparation, plan wine pairings, and kitchen pacing. This proactive approach also eliminates potential food waste and spares valuable time that would otherwise be spent discussing options with each party.
Leverage guest data via CRM: Build on the above by using a customer relationship management (CRM) tool to track guest notes and preferences, you can zero in on how best to keep them coming back.
For example, if a guest seems interested in pairing a glass of wine with their dinner, they’d most likely be interested in an upcoming event featuring unique wine pairings.
Robust CRM data can also help you build loyalty by simply greeting guests by name and knowing their dish, to offering personalized rewards, like discounts on birthday meals. Tock’s all-in-one restaurant management technology has built-in CRM capabilities that allows servers to note and review guest preferences and dining history. It even provides diners with pre-visit questionnaires for a truly personalized dining experience.
Offer contactless interactions: While QR code menus are divisive, some studies say most diners appreciate a contactless approach in restaurants. Consider providing guests with options like viewing the daily menu online and paying their bill via a digital link. Such digital advancements not only cater to evolving customer preferences but also offer a streamlined experience for both diners and staff. Moreover, by reducing physical touch points, restaurants can further ensure a more hygienic environment, fostering greater trust among their clientele.
Curate experience-driven reservations: Offering unique experiences alongside your standard reservations is a powerful revenue driver.
For example, if you plan on always holding two seats at the bar for walk-ins, why not offer them as a ‘date night’ experience? Position it as a three-course meal (with a selection of choices from your existing menu) plus dessert for a fixed price. If it sells, you’ve just generated revenue from a space that may have otherwise yielded none.
Remember, people won’t buy what they can’t see. Ensure the experiences you offer are easily merchandised alongside your regular reservations.
Aim for integration with your restaurant technology: With the myriad of tech solutions available today, pinpointing the most effective tools for your restaurant can seem daunting. However, the secret lies in “all-in-one” systems that minimize complications and maximize results. Adopting platforms that integrate seamlessly with other services can help streamline restaurant operations and provide support to your staff.
Looking for all-in-one restaurant technology? Tock has you covered with all of the above and more. From a built-in CRM to integrating with Google reserve to taking pre-paid deposits and organizing your dining experiences in a virtual storefront, discover how Tock can power your business below.
