Guestplan improves table occupancy and staff scheduling
At Brasserie and Restaurant Abshoven, graph paper, pencils and erasers have been exchanged for Guestplan’s digital table reservation system, followed by the online reservation system. To our great satisfaction: “Guestplan stands out for its simplicity and logic”.
Brasserie and Restaurant Abshoven, the attractive catering business of Tessa and Bram Vos, is located in an old monastery church in South Limburg. Guests can come here for homemade cakes, lunch, high tea, dinner and a friendly atmosphere. “We receive large groups and many regulars from the neighborhood,” says Tessa. She and her brother, Bram, embarked on the entrepreneurial adventure eight years ago. “And it’s going really well, we’ve gone from 160 seats inside and outside to 270.”
“We went from 160 seats inside and outside to 270 seats.”
AUTOMATED TABLE ARRANGEMENT
A few years ago, the growing number of guests – due in part to the fact that the business was also open in the evening – created a challenge for Tessa’s make-or-break reservation system: “I used to make the table arrangements with graph paper, pencils and erasers, but of course that was no longer possible. Also because many guests have special requests: a high table, near the door, with their dog – you name it. So about five years ago we switched to Guestplan’s digital table management system. Much more efficient: we can see at a glance which tables are occupied until what time. And we can just drag and drop reservations, it’s like Tetris.
Because of Guestplan’s ease of use, Tessa is happy to hand the system over to her staff: “They used to have to look at the book and decide which table to put the guests at, now everything is automated. There are also different profiles. For example, I can customize everything and decide which applications each employee is allowed to use.
For the past two years, Tessa has also been using Guestplan’s online reservation system, which links reservations made through the website to the reservation system. She says: “At least 85% of reservations are now made online, which saves us a lot of phone calls. An added benefit is that guests can indicate their table preferences and dietary needs. They also get a notification if the table is available by a certain time. This built-in option convinced me. I want to be sure that the table will be available again.
In short, Tessa is full of praise for her experience with Guestplan. “We now have higher table occupancy and more efficient staff scheduling. The system is simple and logical, and so much is possible. To take advantage of all these possibilities, the Limburg entrepreneur often contacts Guestplan’s service department. She laughs: “I call them regularly, they know me well. Fortunately, they are always ready to answer my questions. And what about the cost? “Guestplan is very affordable, especially compared to what it gives us!
