Are You Headed for a Restaurant Reservation Train Wreck?

Sound business policies can make the difference between success and failure. When you're starting a new business, it may seem difficult to set a policy for every glitch that might occur, but it's much easier to do this if you simply write the policy immediately after you experience the problem for the first time.

Take restaurant reservations. The reservations process reminds me of a blind date: It can be the beginning of a long and happy relationship -- or the end of a very short and ugly one.

Making sure the reservation leads to a long and happy relationship requires more than just getting a name, the number of guests, and a time to show up. Just like a blind date, you need more information to prepare for the evening. You need to size up your guests, especially if the reservation is for a group larger than your dining room and kitchen can comfortably accommodate during a regular dinner shift.

Last week, I sat in one of my favorite restaurants and patiently watched as a reservation for 16 people disrupted a dining room that usually runs as smoothly as Larry Ellison's America's Cup Team. The bar was full -- the first sign that something was not right. Aside from being standing room only, the dining room was in disarray, and the host was so busy pouring water and running entrees that she was only a fleeting image to diners waiting at the door.

Add a handful of empty, dirty-dish-cluttered tables to the scenario, and the whole place shouted: "We're in the weeds here. Please be patient!"

Unfortunately, the staff was too busy to actually convey that simple message to the customers, many of whom probably became ex-customers that night. In a world full of half-empty restaurants, customers have little patience with places that are only packed because they're too incompetent to handle the load.

Nobody enjoys turning away a reservation. And there shouldn't be any reason to do so if your host or reservationist is qualified to ask the right questions, offer the correct information, and obtain the necessary answers.

It was obvious that the 16-top group that invaded the restaurant was in control of the kitchen -- which was out of control -- from the moment they made the phone call to book the tables. But every restaurant owner is in charge of his or her own success or failure, and the reservations policy may be the single most important tool they have to maintain that control over their business.

The final faux pas of the evening, by the way, occurred when the person who made the reservation flagged down the host, gave him the bill, and asked him to break it down into 16 separate checks. Fortunately for the remaining customers, the host refused. The customer, predictably enough, didn't take this very well and vowed never to retrun.

And that's how what started as a profitable Thursday evening for this restaurant turned into a nightmare by closing time.

Don't want to be the next restaurant to experience the same nightmare? Here are 10 simple tips for creating a reservations policy that solves the problem before it ever happens: 

1. Establish the number of guests your dining room and kitchen can comfortably handle at one table. Anything over that number goes to a special reservation sheet.

2. Make sure you get a name, guest count, and phone number.

3. Ask the caller whether they're dining out for a special occasion.

4. Inquire about mandatory dietary needs. On the night of the event, a vegan, gluten-free, Kosher only customer shouldn't be a last-minute surprise.  

5. The separate check issue always comes up. Address it early: No separate checks. It is the only policy that makes sense. It makes life easier for everyone, including the server.

6. Your kitchen is the best in the world. Try to keep it that way. Make sure you direct the 16 top towards a family style, passable menu. If that doesn't work, offer a smaller menu with the choice of three entrees. This is the perfect time to play prix fixe.

7. Include something special on the house: A bowl of soup, a bottle of house wine, or a round of drinks for the table always entices a group to return.

8. Bring in a dedicated server for the table. If the party is large and the check is going to be substantial, this is an investment that will pay for itself.

9. Place the group in a corner or in the back of the house. Nobody wants to hear a large group celebrating or discussing business. And although people in the window attract other diners, large parties tend to turn others away. Never put more than an eight top in the window.

10. Give each special diner a card with a bounce-back offer as a sign of your appreciation for them booking with you. If all goes smoothly, you will want them back. Make this a part of your policy.