Nobody likes to wait and less when there is hunger involved, and that is why we must give value to a client’s decision to wait for a table.
Useful ideas to improve customer waiting and sitting
One of the biggest challenges we will have is to reduce waiting times and make it as pleasant as possible. Good organization is essential for this.
1. Know the shift schedule of the salon employees
It is very important to have knowledge of the shift schedule, so that you know which employees you could count on at any time, if that day is all the necessary staff or not. Knowing the shifts of the waiters is essential to be able to work together.
2. Have a good booking system
Having a good operations system is essential to reduce times, especially at peak times. Booking software systems are great allies of our work.
3. Have a good salon organization.
It is very important to have a plan of the physical space of the restaurant to have an overview of the entire area and have a good idea of the capacity we really have, the capacity of the premises. This will facilitate and help us organize the number of tables, differentiating between those that are reserved, those that are occupied and those that are free. This allows us to have real-time control in each service.
4. Know what is the average time that the client spends in our restaurant
It is very important to know approximately how much time we can count on the table being used and plan the wait and occupation.
5. Visit the lounge and observe the tables frequently
Be in permanent communication with the room to know what state each table is in; in what moment of the meal they are, in order to plan the sitting of those who wait. We must take into account how many people are waiting and how the groups are divided, tables of two people, four, six, etc.
For example, if we have many tables of four waiting to sit and there are several tables of two available, we should think about the possibility of joining tables. This demands us to be attentive to tables that are in similar times and are close.
6. Keep those who wait busy or entertained.
To reduce the anxiety of those who wait it is important to give them a careful first attention since this moment represents a first impression that predisposes them for the rest of the experience. It is key to receive them all with kindness and implying that the restaurant likes that they have arrived, we must show them throughout the wait, that they are just as important as the customers who are already consuming and that it is worth investing that time because they will have their reward.
Update the wait status frequently and honestly. You can warn that there are tables already in the dessert or that they have asked for the account, but do not give too optimistic times if we do not know that we can fulfill them.
Show them the menu and comment on news, and we can even go ahead and take the order so that when they finally feel they have everything on track (for this we must be in tune with the living room and kitchen staff).
If there were children, give them some distraction such as paper and colors to draw. Offer a drink while they wait.
*Ideally, the waiting area should have a special offer of drinks and tapas plus a lounge person to provide care, but this does not happen in all gastronomic places and is a decision that goes beyond the decision of the hostess, although we can always suggest this to the owners.