Knowing when hospitality businesses will be permitted to fully re-open enables hospitality operators to develop their own plans and ensure they are ready to welcome customers through their doors again.
One aspect of operations that should not be forgotten when planning for re-opening is the prevention of no-shows.
As every restaurant and pub owner is aware, no-shows – when people book tables, but fail to turn up for their reservations – are a big problem for the industry. The practice happens at most restaurants and pubs and can account for between 5% and 20% of bookings.
No-shows cause issues for operators at the best of times, but after months of closure and restrictions pushing businesses to the brink, their impact could be catastrophic.
Thankfully, there are steps hospitality operators can take – or plan to make – now to help cut the number of no-shows when their businesses re-open.
Planning ahead to cut restaurant no-shows
Restrictions may still be in place, but with a roadmap out of lockdown laid out, people are beginning to plan their journeys towards normality.
Eating out in a restaurant or pub has been listed among the top activities consumers plan to do when restrictions ease, so hospitality businesses should capitalise on this by making it easy for those planning ahead to book a table. Likewise, after months of closure, restaurant and pub owners will be keen to fill tables as soon as they can to make their restaurant re-opening more profitable.
A simple way to boost bookings is to implement an online restaurant reservation system. Booking online is swiftly becoming the most popular way for diners to reserve a table and with staff unlikely to be on-site to take bookings by phone, it is also currently the most efficient way to manage reservations.
Implementing a reservations system like Access Collins can maximise the number of advance bookings made and improve the likelihood of customers turning up for them. Access Collins takes real-time bookings and connects to a table management system through one reservation website widget, making the process simple for both customers and restaurant managers.
When used to their full capabilities, online restaurant reservation systems can have a direct impact on no-shows, which we’ll cover next. What is important at the planning for re-opening stage, is that you have the right tools in place to prevent no-shows arising when you are back in business.
How to reduce restaurant no-shows
The rise in online bookings is often blamed for the rise in the number of restaurant no-shows. Some believe that the ease of booking online and the impersonal nature of the online reservations process means customers are less likely to understand the impact their actions can have on the business.
However, if restaurants use their online reservation system to its full capabilities, they should be able to stamp out no-shows, instead of watching the problem escalate.
Online restaurant reservation systems don’t just allow customers to make bookings, they let the restaurant gather contact details for the customer, opening up lines of communication between the two parties.
Friendly communication between restaurant and customer is vital in the fight against no-shows: Sending emails, or texts to diners ahead of their reservations to confirm and let them know you are looking forward to their custom serves as a reminder that they have made the booking and that you’re expecting them to turn up.
Communicating with guests ahead of booking to tell them about specials on the menu, or with information about how you can make their experience special (dressing a table with flowers for an anniversary or giving a free dessert to a member of their party celebrating a birthday) provides further incentive to actually arrive.
Emails can also be sent after booking to encourage guests to pre-order if they wish. If they do, it not only helps the kitchen to better manage stock but builds anticipation for the mouth-watering food the diner will be eating and making it more likely they will turn up.
If no-shows are a perennial problem for your restaurant or pub, you should consider using a card authentication system or taking a deposit at the point of booking.
A card authentication system is a secure way for the operator to gain permission to pull authenticated money from a customer’s account for an unexplained ‘no-show’ or late cancellation and can be easier to manage than the act of taking a small deposit per person at the point of booking, which a restaurant takes off a customers’ bill when they turn up but holds onto if they don’t.
However, neither of these options are widely used in the industry yet and as such could be harder to implement. To avoid disgruntled customers, have clear policies in place, communicate them well and above all, explain why you’re doing it – to keep your business open for them to enjoy.
