5 Ways to Improve Your Private Dining Program

Many restaurants will benefit from a private dining program—whether it’s a local restaurant or multi-location eatery. Implementing a private dining program can help restaurants boost revenue, increase traffic during off-seasons and during slow hours, and attracting a new customer base. 

According to Amanda Baltazar, writer for FSR Magazine, “Savvy restaurateurs know the benefits of private dining, a side business that will typically boost the bottom line, enhance a brand’s reputation, and keep staff busy and happy.”

If you are interested in boosting your restaurant, here are five ways to improve your private program.

Increase your exposure

You can use online platforms like social media to promote your private dining platform. Use platforms such as Instagram with hashtags and colorful photos, or use Facebook to promote private events to attract followers. You can also use other platforms such as OpenTable to promote your restaurant space. When you use OpenTable, your restaurant will appear in the top of search engine results. According to OpenTable, the platform’s private dining pages captured more than 500,000 visits last year. 

Book more events through your website

If you don’t have a system in place to monitor inquiries about private dining programs, answering customers can be difficult. You should use a lead form o a widget button on your website so your customers can easily provide details for the event that they are inquiring about such as the date of the event, the occasion of the event and the capacity. 

Use event management software

Once you have launched your private dining program, it will be worth examining the technology that will make everything run smoother. Events management software will help you communicate with your team, manage leads, eliminate paperwork, and gain online access to real-time insights. 

Keep the menu updated

Nothing is more disappointing than visiting a restaurant’s website and then realizing that the menu hasn’t been updated. Use your in-house and online menu to your advantage—use the menu as a way to advertise private dining offerings and list information on how to book and who to contact for private dining.  

Understand the customer’s needs

As a restaurant owner, it is important to understand what your customer wants—such as table and chair arrangements, lightning and audiovisuals, and the menu—for their private dining experience.

“The key to success is execution,” said Matt Medina, general manager of Ruby Tequila’s in Amarillo, Texas, in an interview with “Restaurant Development+Design.”

“The managers taking reservations must be personable. And the more information they can get from the guests in the beginning, the better. We don’t want to drop the ball even in the slightest. We want to build a reputation that guests know they don’t have to do anything except enjoy their event.”

When executed correctly, private dining programs can be a great source of revenue for restaurants of all different sizes and types.