Private Dining Operations Guide #3. Choosing Software for your Event Systems
The tech stack that runs your private dining business matters more than you think. Here's what works, what doesn't, and what I wish I knew before I spent $15,000 on the wrong solution.
Welcome to Guide #3: Software! I want you to be prepared that you are about to read a lot and get a ton of information. Brace yourself to not be overwhelmed. You don’t need to do this all at once but you do need to chip away at it if you want consistent clients and potentially a business that you can sell someday.
In essence, why I added software systems:
I wanted clients to feel like guests at a restaurant - have an easy way to make a reservation, find information about their reservation at their finger tips, and get reminders as they got closer to the day. When clients came in, I wanted them to be greeted by a “host”, I wanted the front and back of house to know about their preferences, so thats why I created frequent touchpoint automations as we got closer to the event. Since I didn’t have anyone on staff in the beginning, I had to rely on software. It seemed expensive at the time but its been absolutely key.
I started with simple one that just sent invoices and emails, to another that was more robust, tracking their inquiry details, saving client history, preferences and menus, so that I could look back at data and make better decisions about the future.
Thats its, not too complicated. I just don’t want to guess or be led by my memories or feelings about whats actually true for my past clients. And the more information I collect on them, the more preference and lifestyle data I have on my ideal client, the better equipped I am give it to them.
This post will walk you through how to choose the right programs for managing your events and why we landed on the ones we use now. Software is a genuine headache and is never perfect. CRMs are a lot to manage and build, with time investment and learning. Don’t blow your profits. Immediately hire someone who is a specialist that can build this for you. Its a couple of grand. I’m telling you it’s worth every penny.
If this sounds like something you need, please continue, as we will be diving deep!
The First Real System: Project Management
You read about this in the previous post, our workflow. Just think of it as as a step by step of a restaurant experience but now you’re going to their home.
Essentially a “when this, then that”. Guest reaches out, pick up the phone. Guest walks in, greet the guest.