What Are Restaurant Reservations?
Customers sometimes want to make reservations for a larger group of people to celebrate a certain event at a specific date and time.
Most restaurants require guests to make arrangements beforehand if they are planning to eat there in larger groups.
That’s because eating in large groups requires a big table at the restaurant and allows the restaurant staff to prepare for the event according to the number of people attending.
Reservations at restaurants can be made over the phone, or on the restaurant’s official website if the restaurant has one.
There have been a variety of third-party reservation apps and sites that have been launching and allow customers to book a table according to their convenience. You can also make the reservation in person or even discuss it with the management via text.
Many good restaurants put great emphasis on this aspect of running and sustaining the business. The way the restaurant management handles reservation tasks tells a great deal about the experience you can expect of having on the day of the reservation.
How to Make Reservations?
Reservations at a restaurant can be made in a variety of ways. The most common and trusted way of making reservations has been the manual way.
The manual way usually involves the traditional method of skimming through a logbook and calling potential restaurants. Almost all restaurants these days have an official contact number that can be looked up on the internet.
Making a reservation is a very simple process. However, it can be a bit daunting if it’s your first time as the host.
First of all, you need to decide how you want to make a reservation.
Once you have chosen what restaurant you want to book and the medium for making a reservation, you can move to the complex part.
Do you want to call the restaurant directly and discuss the details over the phone or do you want to make a reservation through the restaurant’s official website?
Before you begin planning the event, ask yourself how many people will be dining at the restaurant with you. It’s very important to know the exact number of people that will join you on this day.
That is also the first question the restaurant staff will be asking you when you call them to book a table.
So sort a list of restaurants of your liking in your area. I would advise you to do a Google maps search in your area, Let’s search my area which is San Jose, California. Go to Google Maps and go to the city you live in.
You see Google has shown the restaurants near me.
Select the restaurants you think you like to make a reservation, scroll down until you find the phone number.
Call them and let them know whenever you’re going to make the reservation, how many guests do you have what date you want to make the reservation for, your preferred time and how many tables do you need.
They will let you know if the restaurant is available for the selected date and time. If all is alright, they will make the reservation for you.
It’s usually easier to get a table at most restaurants if you’re planning to go in a smaller group.
Smaller groups give you more room to play with when searching for good restaurants. On the other hand, larger groups can be a bit tricky as smaller restaurants might not have all the resources to accommodate all of you.
Moreover, also make sure everyone who has agreed to come will actually be able to show up as this ends up giving a bad impression before the restaurant management who made the extra effort to arrange a table for your party.
It is also better to end up with an empty seat at the table than having an extra person show up last minute and the restaurant staff having to arrange an extra seat.
We’ve written an article on how to make a Olive Garden reservation online, click the link to read it if you like.
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Things to Consider When Making Reservations
Reservations should be made earlier in the day because that’s the time when the restaurant management is not that busy and it also increases your chances of getting your desired date and time for your party.
Additionally, making a reservation gets harder during the holiday seasons so if you’re planning to book a table during the holidays you need to plan a few weeks earlier.
If you’re booking a table for one of the busier days of the week, then you might have trouble getting it your way.
Those days usually involve the weekends that are busier for most places. Compared to night-time, mornings tend to be a little less busy and are a great time for celebrating light-hearted events.
We advise you to keep a backup date in mind in case the restaurant is fully booked for the day you want.
Now that you have picked your restaurant and know the number of people who would be attending, the next step is to call the restaurant and ask for a reservation.
The restaurant will ask you about the people who will be potentially attending and the date and time you have in mind.
If it’s feasible for the restaurant to go with the date and time of your choice, they will confirm the reservation and tell you the cost of it.
Moreover, you can also request them to make any special arrangements if you want. In case the restaurant is fully booked that day, the restaurant will suggest you another date and time.
It’s also advised to call the restaurant a few days to confirm the reservation with them and get updated about what’s happening. This way if there are any problems you and the restaurant management can resolve them beforehand.
It’s also commendable and preferred if the host shows up early on the day of the reservation. The host must be at the restaurant around 15-20 minutes earlier and the remaining attendees can join after that.
The host needs to confirm the table that was reserved for the party and make sure everything is in check before the other people arrive. In case there is an emergency despite you leaving early, call the restaurant management and let them know you’re on your way.
When making a reservation, it’s very important to be polite and have patience. Be soft-spoken yet confident when you’re talking with a restaurant employee on the phone.
This thing doesn’t apply when you’re making a reservation through the website or an app but you might still have to talk with someone from the restaurant on the phone. Your interaction with the restaurant staff should be courteous.
It’s also preferred to show gratitude to the people at the restaurant when you’re leaving the place after eating there.
The host is usually the person elected to make the reservation and manage all the arrangements. It’s also the job of the host to ensure everyone attending has a great experience.
Making a reservation helps to make the experience as best as possible. Booking a table before going to the restaurant is also a courteous way of letting the restaurant staff do their best to provide you with the ideal dining experience.
If you’re going to a fancy restaurant or even just going to a usually busy place, it is best to make a reservation.