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JUN. JUL. 2021 XIV fresh air, obviously using devices that conform to the size of the rooms and that the efficiency of the filters used is frequently checked. AT PAGE 32 IN THE HALL Reservation rhymes with digitisation The days of showing up unannounced at a restaurant are coming to an end. Now establishments are gearing up. The use of technology today is designed to reserve a place in the restaurant. A procedure that is saving the whole industry at the right time by Riccardo Sada The main mission in recent months has been to restore better business management for small and medium- sized catering companies. Due to the pandemic, the industry is getting back on its feet thanks to the development of new technologies that make up for human carelessness and improve flow management, from the kitchen to the cashier, the core of the business and the problem. Nick Kokonas, CEO of restaurant reservations platform Tock To Go, explains from his Chicago office how his system is designed to help chefs coordinate both the dining room and the kitchen itself more efficiently. LIKE AT THE THEATRE, LIKE AT THE STADIUM, BETTER THAN A FLIGHT Not all places are the same: some are closer to the door; others are closer to the kitchen. Kokonas is peremptory and adamant. He firmly believes that restaurants should charge diners a deposit to secure a table. He even dreams of a world and a way to make the customer pay the full cost of the meal in advance. Is it now a question of experience going out in the evening? Well, the fluctuating price dynamic for tables must change, as does the management of the whole business. Overbooking and waiting lists get mentioned. A bit like when you take a plane: the best seat, extra services, priority entry. This is not science fiction: these are the indications coming directly from the future through big data and increasingly sophisticated algorithms. Going beyond take-away and home delivery, now essential for the new market, it is necessary to clarify once and for all the issue of attendance and reservations, which would guarantee better work, better results, higher quality, zero waste not only of food but also of staff called in and not kept busy. Demand changes depending on the time slot, the day, increasing at weekends and decreasing during the week. Gone are the days when staff members sat around a table waiting for customer calls. These contacts have been replaced by online bookings, which solve many of the problems of users and companies. Better organisation through information technology also ensures the storage of valuable customer data so that a close and caring relationship between restaurant and diners can be optimised. A report by food service consultancy Technomic found a 27% increase in restaurants using home delivery services since the start of the pandemic. MANAGING BOOKINGS Those who are new to these applications (which can be purchased by individual restaurateurs to manage bookings independently, without having to rely on shared platforms) struggle against the tide by paying commissions that are sometimes too high. This is where smarter platforms such as Tock To Go, Tablein, Resy OS, Eat App, Seamless, Postmates, DoorDash and OpenTable come to the rescue, compensating for two shortcomings: high costs and the lack of careful, profiled reservation management. Needless to say, restaurants are not bad business: they are bad business MAGAZINE