How to take restaurant bookings online

Transcript

Still taking every booking over the phone? In the next five minutes I will show you exactly how to take restaurant bookings online, step by step, start to finish, and it will not cost you a penny to try. Let us go. First, why bother? Because your customers have already moved on. Lots of people book in the evening on the sofa. When you are busy or closed, if they cannot book there and then, they will often find somewhere that lets them. Online bookings also mean fewer phone calls during service, no more squinting at the diary, and automatic reminders that help cut no shows. So what do you actually need? Just three things. A booking page your customers can use on their phone, a way for people to find it like your website, Google and social media, and a way for your staff to see every booking wherever they are. You can get this from a big booking app or marketplace, but many of those charge you a fee for every diner or take a commission. The alternative is your own booking system. That is what we will use today with Nabsie. Here is the setup. Head to nabsie.com and press Start free. Type your venue name, pick what kind of place you are and add your name, email and a password. No card needed. Next, your opening hours. Set the days and times you take bookings, including separate lunch and dinner sessions. Then your tables. Tell it how many seats and how many of each table you have. Two seaters, four seaters, whatever you have got. Then choose how bookings come in. Instant, where bookings are confirmed straight away. Staff approved, where you accept each one. Or live check, where the customer waits a moment while your team says yes. Pick who gets notified, choose your colours and logo and that is it. Your booking page is live. Now let us get bookings coming in. You get your own booking link. Add it as the reservation link on your Google business profile so people can book straight from Google search and maps. Tap the booking button on your website. It works with WordPress, Wix, Squarespace and pretty much anything else. Put the link in your Instagram and Facebook bio and print the free QR poster for your tables and window, so people can book their next visit before they have even left. So what happens when someone books? Your customer picks a day, a time and how many people, adds their details and taps book. Straight away it shows up in your staff app, and on paid plans it pings onto every staff phone. Accept it with one tap and the customer gets a confirmation email, then a reminder before their visit. No phone calls and nothing written on anyone's hand. A few tips to get the most out of it. Set realistic turn times so tables free up when they should. When someone rings, let them know they can book online next time. For big groups and Christmas parties, deposits on the Pro plan can help protect you from no shows, and keep an eye on your reports to spot your busiest times.

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