TouchBistro Launches Integrated Reservation and Guest Management Platform
TouchBistro launched TouchBistro Reservations, a complete reservation and guest management platform designed to help restaurateurs enhance every guest experience.
It is fully integrated with TouchBistro POS and provides restaurants with automatic deep insights about their customers’ behavior that were not previously available to them, such as spend and dining history, drink preferences, and other details that will enable restaurants to better serve their customers.
Earlier this year, TouchBistro acquired Bookenda, Reso and the assets of YP Dine. These products are being re-launched today as TouchBistro Reservations and TouchBistro Dine (www.TBDine.com), a richer reservation and guest management feature set that fully integrates into TouchBistro’s award-winning point of sale (POS) solution.
With the TouchBistro Reservations and POS integration, when waiters send orders to the kitchen, food is served and bills are closed out, table status is automatically updated and can be seen by front-of-house staff, ensuring more accurate wait times. Customer spend is also automatically recorded and updated so the restaurant can better serve its regular and VIP patrons with personalized services, such as allergy restrictions, preferential reservation time and seating location, or suggestions on meals or wines based on previous orders to help restaurants turn a first-time guest into a regular.
Restaurants that subscribe to TouchBistro Reservations can accept reservations online through their own website, Google Search and Maps, or via the new TB Dine web site or mobile app. The platform can be used to optimize floor plans and track guest status, enabling restaurants to turn more tables. Integrated two-way SMS communication connects restaurants with guests in real time, enabling them to confirm or cancel a booking, or message if they are going to be late. SMS and email reservation reminders and confirmations are also sent automatically to guests to help reduce no shows.
TouchBistro Reservations subscribers are automatically published on the TB Dine restaurant discovery app used by diners to find the best restaurants in their area. This provides restaurants using TouchBistro with an additional channel to promote their venues without any additional reservation fees.
“With the integration, we’re now really using the order history. With the ability to track certain regulars and see what they’re having, we can go into a conversation with them about their previous orders and make recommendations. From a hospitality standpoint, we love to remember our guests , and having that information available to us is invaluable,” says Flynn. “We have a wonderful couple who are regulars and who like to sit at one particular table at a particular time slot. Because we have that booking history, we are able to consistently offer them their personalized reservation every month. And what’s great is that information is in the system, so even if I am not here tomorrow, all of that information is available for other staff to use.”
The platform has also helped Wynona increase their table turns by 33 percent each night. Flynn explains, “It allows us to spread out the booking times in 15-minute intervals and offer guests more options to choose from. This has increased our table turns as we always have a time available and you can spread it out instead of taking all of your volume at once, like everyone coming in to be seated at 7:00 pm. This also helps us deliver better service as it evens out the flow on the kitchen, allowing dishes to be perfectly prepared.”
To eliminate no-shows on reservations, Wynona sends out automatic confirmation requests from TouchBistro Reservations the evening before.