Reservation & Guest ManagementPurpose
1. Automates collection, confirmation, and management of pre-orders for large group reservations to improve kitchen efficiency, minimize wait times, manage ingredient procurement, and enhance guest experience.
2. Synchs pre-order data with POS, inventory, and kitchen systems, notifies guests, captures preferences, managing last-minute changes, and delivers analytical data for forecasting.
3. Integrates with CRM to retain group leader profiles, streamlines group communication, and automates upsell/cross-sell opportunities pre-arrival.
Trigger Conditions
1. Reservation for 8+ guests is created or updated in booking system.
2. Guest indicates interest in or is prompted to pre-order menu items.
3. Group leader confirms event via SMS, email, or phone.
4. Pre-order submission received from integrated form, app, or reply.
5. Time-based trigger (e.g., 48 hours before reservation).
6. Manual staff trigger for follow-up or change requests.
Platform Variants
1. OpenTable
- Sample: Configure webhook to trigger automation on large group booking.
2. Resy
- Sample: Pull group data via API when new reservation >8 guests.
3. SevenRooms
- Sample: Use Event Webhooks for reservation created/updated.
4. Twilio SMS
- Sample: Auto-send SMS link to pre-order form to group leader.
5. SendGrid
- Sample: Schedule automated pre-order invitations/reminders via transactional email.
6. Google Forms
- Sample: Trigger automation when group leader submits pre-order.
7. Typeform
- Sample: Collect pre-order, auto-push data to backend on new entry.
8. Zapier
- Sample: Bridge bookings app, form, and restaurant database for end-to-end flow.
9. Square POS
- Sample: Inject pre-orders into POS queue 24h in advance.
10. Toast POS
- Sample: Add pre-ordered menu items to group ticket before arrival.
11. Oracle MICROS
- Sample: Push confirmed pre-order data into kitchen workflow.
12. Mailchimp
- Sample: Send pre-order reminder/follow-up to group contacts.
13. Slack
- Sample: Alert kitchen/FOH team in internal channel on large pre-order received.
14. Microsoft Teams
- Sample: Notify manager channel of special group needs.
15. Salesforce
- Sample: Track group contact, trigger personalized engagement.
16. HubSpot
- Sample: Update group leader's CRM record and deal pipeline on pre-order.
17. Jotform
- Sample: Collect and forward pre-order details upon submission.
18. Trello
- Sample: Auto-create kitchen checklist for each group pre-order.
19. Asana
- Sample: Generate preparation tasks for large group booking.
20. Monday.com
- Sample: Sync pre-order data to kitchen prep board.
21. Google Calendar
- Sample: Schedule group pre-order prep slots.
22. DocuSign
- Sample: Collect acknowledgment of group pre-order T&Cs if required.
Benefits
1. Reduces bottlenecks by organizing large orders before guest arrival.
2. Minimizes kitchen errors and wastage with accurate advance forecasting.
3. Enhances guest satisfaction with personalized communication and reduced waiting.
4. Allows proactive upselling of specials/add-ons during booking phase.
5. Streamlines operations by automating manual follow-up and order entry processes.
6. Facilitates data-driven decision making for group menu planning and sourcing.
7. Improves record-keeping and compliance for special dietary or allergy requirements.
8. Boosts team coordination by real-time notifications for all departments.