1. Look for a discovery platform, not just a reservation platform
Before a guest can make a reservation at your restaurant, they need to know your restaurant exists.
Through powerful collaborations with trusted names like The Infatuation, Michelin, Instagram, and Wine Enthusiast, Tock is designed to get your restaurant discovered by more people, more often—ensuring a broad audience of prospective guests.
When we asked diners how they find new restaurants*, the top answers were word-of-mouth recommendations from family or friends, followed by social media and search engines.
With Tock and Reserve with Google’s integration, you can showcase all of your offerings, including prepaid reservations and experiences on Google, driving bookings and casting a wider net.
2. Consider flexible prepayment options
Deposit-based reservations help reduce no-show rates by as much as 50%. To best leverage a booking strategy, Tock’s reservation platform allows restaurants the ability to mix and match payment options, including deposits, credit card holds, and prepayment. You set all your pricing and cancellation policies, with the flexibility to update them as needed.
That means you could require deposits for a holiday experience or prepayments for a seat at the chef’s counter, while simultaneously offering free reservations for patio tables. Win, win, win.
3. Choose the platform that prioritizes and strengthens your brand
Hospitality pros know service begins when a guest books a reservation. In today’s digital-first world, connection with your brand forms through your online reservation platform—long before diners visit your physical location.
An all-in-one platform designed to showcase the full spectrum of what you offer, Tock helps your brand make a strong first impression. Our elegant booking page is fully customizable with your photos, logo, and descriptions, ensuring a seamless booking flow that stays true to your brand.
Bonus: Special experiences, like collaborative pop-up dinners, tasting menus, and cocktail classes, sell side-by-side with regular reservations, helping to drive revenue to every service.
4. Pick the platform that encourages personalization—and prioritization
Tock’s reservation system gives you the freedom to fully customize your communications with guests, including booking confirmations and reservation reminders. There’s even two-way text messaging, making it simple to respond quickly to guests’ requests—no phone calls or voicemails necessary.
Tock’s powerful waitlist capabilities enable restaurants to prioritize specific guests, whether they’re tagged as a Regular, VIP, or Friend of Chef. Use up to 10 tags to identify special guests and alert them first when a table opens. In other words, fill seats with your most valuable guests.
5. Seek out hospitality (and moral) support
In the race between restaurant reservation platforms, the winner will be the one who ultimately provides so much more than great table management alone. Tock is a team of hospitality professionals with real restaurant industry experience who truly want you to succeed. This is not your typical tech support; our expertise goes far beyond floor plans. Driven by our passion to help restaurants thrive in an ever-evolving industry, we listen to feedback and deliver the missing tools they need now, like our innovative Multi-Experience Tables solution.
Make the most of your restaurant seating software by tapping into Tock’s educational Resource Center and Discovery tools. From successful case studies to insider insights for marketing trends, and from our strategic integrations to partnerships that boost business, Tock has got your books—and your back.
Request a demo to learn more about switching to Tock. If you’re already a customer, talk to hospitality about launching an experience today.
*According to data found in a Tock survey during April 2024
