No-shows cost the UK hospitality industry £17.6 billion in 2021, and 1 in 20 UK restaurant bookings in January and February of this year have resulted in no-shows. So, it’s no surprise that restaurants are working harder to reduce no-shows, and why they’re one of the most common reasons why businesses are turning to restaurant booking systems.

Colin Winning, CEO at ResDiary, said, “While the trend of no-shows is a challenge for restaurants, implementing a deposit system can ensure customers are far more likely to arrive at their booking. The risk of losing a deposit in the current climate is enough to prevent a no-show and to enable restaurants to manage their bookings effectively.”

Restaurant booking systems like ResDiary can help you manage deposits more easily and reduce no-shows by creating rules for when they should apply to bookings. Once they’re set up, our system takes care of the rest, securely saving card details or taking a payment with the booking.

Many venues now also rely on booking reminders being sent to customers in advance of their booking. With ResDiary, you can create automatic reminders that fit your brand, so you can deliver a great customer experience from start to finish.

What are the other key reasons restaurants, bars, and hotels are turning to technology?

Anyone who has worked in hospitality will know the challenges in hospitality can vary, but there are common pain points we hear about, aside from no-shows.

Many restaurants fear they’re missing vital opportunities to maximise their bookings when they aren’t set up for online bookings. This may be due to staff being too busy to get to the phone or the front door in time.

Our own research shows that more than half of diners prefer to book online, where they also conduct research prior to booking. So, it makes sense to ensure your venue is fully equipped to attract online bookings to maximise your sales.

This can start simply with adding a booking widget to your website. However, ResDiary can take your online presence even further through integrations with Meta and Google, making it easier for people to find your business and book online.

Hospitality venues are also crying out for functionality to help manage their bookings in a way that’s more reliable and functional than pen and paper or spreadsheets.

Table planning and management can cause headaches for restaurant managers trying to toe the line between maximising space while still offering the best possible service. Restaurant booking systems can help to automate many of the processes and decisions involved, like assigning tables to bookings, joining tables for larger parties, and spreading bookings out during peak times. This all gives your staff more capacity to focus on what they’re best at; delighting your customers.

Another common reason people are turning to technology is to make better use of the rich data reservations systems can provide. ResDiary provides powerful analytics to help you keep track of booking trends and build a profile of your customers to help shape your strategy for achieving more bookings and growing your business.

The power of your booking data can also be greatly amplified by integrating a restaurant booking system with your EPOS, giving you greater visibility and a deeper understanding of what’s really happening in your restaurant, bar, or hotel.