What waiting list app can I use for my restaurant

Incorporating a restaurant waitlist app into your strategy can save you time and headaches, especially during peak hours when you need to stay organized.

Running your restaurant, especially during busy hours of the day, means that your staff must keep up with your pace. The host must register the clients, the tables must be managed and the parties must be informed immediately when their table is ready.

From table management functions to analytics and reports, it will keep your diners in and out efficiently, producing more sales and happier customers.

Not sure which waitlist app is right for your restaurant? I’ve compiled a list of our top 6 waiting list apps for you to consider:

1. Casual Dining Waiting List App – Yelp Waiting List (Integrated with Nowait)

The Yelp Waiting List lets you seamlessly manage your restaurant’s waiting list. Guests can view your restaurant’s profile in the Yelp app and view wait times live before choosing to join the waitlist.

Once diners join your waiting list, they will be informed when to arrive and receive a text message with a link so they can follow their place in line.

Of the many features that the Yelp waiting list offers, these stand out:

1. Manage everything together. Manage your waiting list and dining floor all together. There is no need for a pager, just an iPad.
2. Reports: Get daily reports to help you decide how to service your restaurant, schedule hours, and more.
3. Algorithms: The queuing algorithm quoted from Yelp Waitlist learns from your restaurant’s history and predicts wait times nearly twice as accurately as most hosts.
4. Kiosks: Use a waiting list kiosk to allow guests to log in without a host present.

2. Top Waiting List App for Restaurant Marketing: OpenTable

With OpenTable, guests can book with a restaurant from anywhere, including their website, TripAdvisor, and more. OpenTable boasts that roughly 70% of the diners they have sent to restaurants in the past few years were also new to that restaurant.

OpenTable sends text messages to guests for waiting list updates and automatic reservation reminders. Their marketing solutions stand out especially as a way to get your restaurant to have more guest radars.

Depending on the plan, the features you can enjoy from OpenTable include:

1. You get a powerful marketing solution that allows you to appear in OpenTable search results, market your special offers to undecided diners, and more.
2. Get more icustomer information and recognize your most loyal guests.
3. Keep your cupdated clients on the state of each table (such as payment, appetizer, main course, dessert).
4. Compare the income per shift of a given day with the average of the past month. Watch the Average spending of each shift for coverage (food) and party as well.

3. Top waiting list app for easy use: Waitlist Me

Waitlist Me is an intuitive and easy-to-use waiting list app that is straightforward for employees with little or no training to use. Your app combines great features with a low price, offering a highly scalable and reliable calling and texting system.

You simply press a button to send a text message or an automated call when each customer’s table is ready.

Of the Waitlist Me features, these stand out especially:

1. Widget web: Add your waiting list to your website or Facebook page.
2. Auto-programming. Allow guests to check wait time and add themselves to the waiting list from home or from their phone.
3. Kiosks: Use an iPad as a self check-in station for diners to use when they arrive.
4. Statistics. Review average wait time estimates by group size so your staff can provide more accurate wait time quotes
5. Export Reports– Reports on your restaurant’s activity, demographics, and more. You can also get weekly email summaries of the restaurant’s performance.

When it comes to finding the right waitlist app for your restaurant, it’s important to take a close look at the size, style, budget, and overall needs of your restaurant.

From there, you can narrow down the options to the perfect combination. Start exploring these options for yourself!