The sun has decided to show her face and temperatures are slowly climbing again. This only means one thing: Spring is coming! High time to start preparing the terraces so your guests can sit outside and enjoy the sunshine.

The start of terrace season

even though spring officially starts on the 21st of March, temperatures have already been increasingly rising. The weather is sunny and a steady 15 degrees Celsius: perfect for early birds to snatch up a table on your terrace. This means you will have to consider if your restaurant is ready for the terrace season! To completely prepare you for this season, we have made a nifty list with tips to be well prepared.

Start terrasseizoen


The checklist for terrace season

 

  1. Set up your terrace
    Is your terrace ready? Guests love soaking up the early rays of sun, even though it is early March. This is why we advise to start setting up your terrace already! Are you too busy or lacking the staff to also serve a busy terrace? Then consider setting a smaller section of tables to accommodate the diehards.
     
  2. Schedule extra staff
    And now probably the most important aspect of terrace season: extra staff. It can be very important to schedule in extra staff to accommodate all the extra guests, depending on the size of your terrace and the number of tables. Make sure your staff can handle the extra influx of guests!
     
  3. If need be, create a separate terrace-menu
    You can also decide to create a special menu that is only available outside, limiting their options. By doing so, you can reduce the workload off of the serving and kitchen staff and insure the quality of service doesn’t suffer.
     
  4. Think of ways to fill the off-peak hours
    Not only does your terrace suffer from off-peak moments, but the entire restaurant can benefit from making these times more interesting for guests. To fill these you could consider making packages or deals that are only available in off-peak hours. Think of high tea, high wine or a beer tasting.

Read more about the use of packages or deals!
 

Start terrasseizoen

 

Adjustments within Lurch Restaurant Reservations


You must also make adjustments to your restaurants Lurch page before the start of terrace season. These are the following:

  • Make sure to add your terrace tables to the reservation system
    Are you going to use your terrace for the first time since singing up with Lurch Restaurant Reservations? Do not forget to add these tables to the floorplan within the reservation system. This is how you can do this:

    1. Go to tables and spaces;
    2. Add a new space and name it terrace;
    3. Add your new tables one-by-one and assign the correct names.

    Go to tables and spaces

    Adding tables to your terrace will only have to be done once. At the bottom of the page you will find a checkbox with which you can enable and disable entire spaces. So when terrace season has passed, you can simply disable this space with one click and make it unavailable for reservations.
     
  • Set a maximum number of guests per interval for better regulation
    We can imagine that your terrace has a larger capacity than your staff can handle at the moment. Would you like to keep the current number of guests per interval? Then you can leave all the settings as they are. But if you would like to increase or decrease this number, then you should make sure to make the necessary adjustments:

    1. Go to opening hours;
    2. You can adjust the number of guests or reservations per interval per day or opening hour;
    3. Don’t forget to indicate if this counts for online reservations or if this also applies to internal reservation.

    Go to opening hours
     
  • Add packages or deals if applicable
    Considering using packages or deals for dinner or to fill up the off-peak hours? Make sure to add these in your reservation system! How can you do this?

    1. Go to the packages/deals overview;
    2. Add the desired package or deal;
    3. Don’t forget to enable the packages and deals option in your restaurant properties! Once this has been activated, the packages and deals will be visible for guests when making a reservation.

    Go to packages and deals overview


Try Lurch Restaurant Reservations?


Are you curious if the reservation system by Lurch Restaurant Reservations is fitting for your restaurant? Try Lurch one month for free! This can easily be done by signing up through the button below. Need help? Feel free to contact our support team!

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Is your restaurant prepared for terrace season?

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