Restaurants lose bookings every week without knowing it. Not because the food or service disappoints, but because of how online enquiries are handled. Here are the most common mistakes, and how to fix them.
Mistake 1: replying the next day
Enquiries sent in the evening get a reply the next afternoon. By then, the guest has booked elsewhere.
Fix: answer routine questions instantly and capture booking requests at any hour.
Mistake 2: treating group enquiries like any other message
A request for a party of 20 waits in the same inbox as a question about parking.
Fix: route group and event enquiries straight to a manager. Their value is worked through in the cost of an unanswered group booking enquiry.
Mistake 3: no information online
Menus, dietary labels, hours and policies are missing or out of date.
Fix: keep the website current, especially menus and holiday hours.
Mistake 4: relying on the phone
Guests who cannot get through during service give up.
Fix: make sure the website answers them, as described in what happens to restaurant enquiries when the phone rings out.
Mistake 5: generic auto-replies
"Thanks for your message, we'll be in touch" tells the guest nothing.
Fix: answer the question, or capture the booking details and say when a person will confirm.
Mistake 6: weekends left uncovered
Many enquiries arrive on Friday and Saturday evenings, when staff are busiest.
Fix: cover weekend enquiries automatically. The weekend pattern is explored in the weekend enquiry problem.
Mistake 7: no follow-up
Guests who asked about a date but did not book are never contacted again.
Fix: follow up once, briefly, with the answer and a booking link.
Mistake 8: complaints left unanswered
Online complaints that go unanswered become public reviews.
Fix: acknowledge complaints immediately and respond personally within a day.
Mistake 9: forgetting dietary details
A booking is confirmed without asking about allergies or dietary needs, and the kitchen finds out when the guest orders.
Fix: ask about dietary needs when capturing every booking, especially groups.
Mistake 10: no confirmation
Guests who request a table are never sent a confirmation, so they are unsure whether they have a booking and sometimes do not turn up.
Fix: confirm every booking in writing with the date, time, party size and any special requests.
Mistake 11: ignoring map listings
Opening hours on map apps differ from the website, and guests arrive to a closed door.
Fix: update the website and map listings together whenever hours change.
Mistake 12: never measuring
Nobody knows how many enquiries arrive, how many become bookings or how long guests wait.
Fix: track enquiries and bookings for a month to see where the losses are. Even a simple tally sheet at the host stand shows the pattern within a couple of weeks.
Learning from other businesses
Estate agents make many of the same mistakes with property enquiries, listed in estate agent mistakes with website enquiries. The pattern is universal: slow, unowned, unclear.
Fixing several at once
SpideyChat for restaurants answers routine questions at any hour and captures bookings and group enquiries for your team. Setup is covered in the installation guide and training guide.
A quick review
Look at last month's online enquiries. How long did each wait? How many became bookings? The answers show which mistake is costing you most.