Gift vouchers are an easy sale for a restaurant: paid upfront, often for a special occasion, and sometimes never fully used. They also create two streams of questions. Buyers want to know what they are buying. Recipients want to know how to use it. Both groups deserve clear answers.
Questions from buyers
Buyer: Can I buy a voucher for dinner for two? Answer: Yes, you can buy vouchers in any amount from $25, or a "dinner for two" voucher covering three courses and a bottle of house wine. Vouchers are emailed instantly and can be printed or forwarded.
Buyer: How long does a voucher last? Answer: Vouchers are valid for 12 months from the date of purchase.
Buyer: Can I add a message? Answer: Yes, you can add a personal message when buying, and it appears on the voucher.
Questions from recipients
Recipient: How do I use my voucher? Answer: Book a table as usual online or by contacting the restaurant, and mention the voucher when booking. Bring it with you, printed or on your phone.
Recipient: Does it cover drinks? Answer: Monetary vouchers can be used for food and drinks. Set experience vouchers cover what's listed on them.
Recipient: My voucher expired last week. Can I still use it? Answer: Please get in touch with the team with your voucher code, and they'll look into it.
Expired vouchers are a judgement call. Let a person decide, kindly.
Corporate and bulk vouchers
Businesses sometimes buy vouchers in bulk as staff rewards or client gifts. They ask about discounts for volume, invoicing and personalised messages. Mention corporate vouchers on your voucher page and route these enquiries to a manager, since a single order can be worth dozens of individual sales.
Lost vouchers
Recipient: I've lost my voucher email. Can you resend it? Answer: Please share the name of the person who bought it and roughly when, and the team will find it and resend it.
Lost voucher questions are common and easy to fix if purchases are recorded properly. Make sure every voucher sale is logged with the buyer's name, email and the code, so the team can find it in seconds.
Publishing voucher terms
A voucher page should cover values, types, delivery, expiry, what vouchers cover, and how to book. Terms should appear at purchase, not buried in small print.
Peak voucher seasons
Voucher sales spike before holidays, Valentine's Day and Mother's Day. Buyers are often in a hurry and asking late at night. Answering instantly helps. Hotel spas see similar demand from non-resident guests buying treatments as gifts, as covered in spa and restaurant enquiries from non-resident guests.
Answering instantly
SpideyChat for restaurants answers from your voucher page at any hour, which helps late-night gift buyers finish their purchase. Practical questions like opening hours and parking are covered in opening hours and parking questions every restaurant gets, and catering orders in catering and takeaway enquiries from your website.
Voucher answers that do not need the manager
Late-night gift buyers ask in the chat box on your restaurant website, and a chat assistant can answer them if your voucher page has the terms in text: values, the experience vouchers on offer, delivery by email, the validity period, what a voucher covers and how to book with one. The purchase itself happens in your voucher shop, so the assistant should link the buyer there; it does not process payments.
Recipients are a different case. "Is my voucher still valid?" depends on a code the assistant cannot look up, because it does not see your voucher system. It can explain the published terms and then take the guest's name, email, voucher code and question so the team checks it. Corporate orders are worth capturing with care: company name, number of vouchers, budget and contact details, passed to a manager as a lead. Lost voucher emails and expiry disputes go to a person, by handover if someone is online or as a numbered ticket otherwise. The lead capture chatbot explains how those details reach the team.
Screening what needs a person
Most voucher questions are routine. Some need a person: disputes, lost codes, expired vouchers and complaints. The approach of sorting routine from human questions is described in receptionist screening questions.
Check your voucher page is clear and easy to buy from on a phone. Then try an assistant on your restaurant website, or see the features.