Summer is here and this means the patios of local restaurants will soon be bustling, and turnout will be increasing. This season, it’s time to take advantage of the best online tool that your customers can use to create and manage their reservations: OpenTable. In case you’re unfamiliar, this application allows for customers to make reservations online and restaurants to view these updates, approve them, and provide a layout of the restaurant to seat customers for the coming day. Like any other online tool, OpenTable can be tweaked to optimize its use and maximize your return on investment.
Enroll in Seasonal Promotions
Joining promotion lists you would like to be a part of will maximize your restaurant’s visibility to potential customers. Joining these lists will feature your restaurant and its specials on OpenTable, and make your restaurant appear more frequently on internet searches. Diners are twice as likely to book reservations on holidays, and seasonal promos cater to these diners. Since 15-20% of reservations made are for 6 or more diners on major holidays like Easter, Mother’s Day and Christmas, these holidays can be a major boost for your restaurant. Here at Skigital, you can work with a team of experienced marketers to decide which OpenTable promotions you want to enroll in, and what content you’d like emphasized.
Answer all Reviews
Feedback is a make or break for a restaurant. Before Google Maps, OpenTable, Yelp, and other online review services, restaurants were reviewed infrequently by food writers and critics. Now that the digital landscape has changed, everyone’s a critic. It is vitally important to answer all reviews politely and professionally. OpenTable deletes reviews after 120 days, so it is important to keep them updated.
Add the OpenTable Widget
OpenTable features a widget that you can place on your restaurant’s website. This noninvasive button sends any reservations straight to OpenTable and allows you to check them on demand. Booking through the widget can also offer you a savings of up to 75% over booking directly through the OpenTable website. What restaurant owner would like that?
Maximum Party Increase
On OpenTable’s layout page, you can customize the maximum number of reservations you want to take in your restaurant at one time. Given the day of the week, you may be able to cater to larger events or parties. If your restaurant is set to a maximum of ten tables, then it will not show up when diners search for restaurants that cater to 11. Changing the maximum or minimum party size on a given night can increase business on a slow night and keep it steady and manageable on a busy one.
Here at Skigital, our team is more than just marketers. We are experts in managing and optimizing the tools that can make the best out of your business. Enhance your impact on the digital world with our customizable services and marketing! Schedule a free consultation today to show your restaurant to the world.