Over time, menu’s will develop, staff will be better trained and your business will have a set system in place. Although, when this ideal situation occurs you will need to start thinking of your next venture- in house. Luckily for owners, it happens naturally- if of course your marketing regime is in full force, along with high end service and fantastic reviews! This being said, with enough people boasting about your business, reservations will increase and customers will begin inquiring about function space hires.

Functions:

As business increases, so will the size and operations within your venue. Food and beverage service will eventually flow into function and event space hire, allowing you to widen your clientele and raise profit margins. This is a great avenue to be venturing into, as it promotes numbers and will also give you a separate niche of hospitality to focus on.

To begin this level of service, you must set out a floor plan which will allows certain space within your venue to be hired without interfering with the rest of your customer’s experience in house. If you have an outdoor area, then this can be done quite easily- as the open space will allow invited guests to enjoy their time in their own secluded space, free of interference. Whether the event involves sit down service or all-round drink service, you must have staff on that will only serve that particular group of people. By doing this, your server will be able to get accustomed to each guest and make them feel more comfortable. As guests begin to associate with their server, their orders and needs will be quickly understood, resulting in a longer stay and a higher bill.

If large scale reservations continue to be placed, then make the decision whether you want to dedicate a separate space entirely for function hire. This could be a costly investment, because you don’t want to cut off space from your main dining area- you need to extend. Some venues decide to go upstairs, however this only really works if there is already an upper level- if not, you will need to arrange an extension or redo your free outdoor space. Weigh in the positive and negative outcomes, if your establishment is new and you don’t have the required room, then wait it out and only accept reservations that put down a heavy deposit, with both food and beverage service confirmed. If not, then you will lose tables for no reason- the deposit must outweigh the decision. However, if your business has been running for a while and the space is there, then go for it- create an atmosphere that allows guests to feel comfortable, impressed and in peace.

Online Feedback:

Social Media coverage happens to be one of the best outcomes within these events. By allowing a large scale of people to attend a function within your venue, eating your food and ordering your set beverages, they will of course post about it. In this day and age, social platforms are active at all times, forcing people to ‘snap’ their actions at every moment. By posting photos of the dishes, the fancy cocktails or a group of guests at the event, they will end up tagging the events location, with a positive description written right next to it. This is one of the easiest and most natural forms or organic marketing- whilst your guests are snapping their every move, they may also encourage others to try your place out for their next outing.

Post Customer Engagement:

In the event of this occurring, make the most of it! Promote your business by commenting on the tagged photo with a ‘thank you’ or ‘it was a pleasure; see you guys next time’- this form of post customer engagement will allow others to see your involvement and encourage them to click on the business page. By interacting in a positive manner and inviting these events into your establishment, there may be a longer running affect on your business’s overall clientele. To support this online communication, make sure you include the task of asking for ‘feedback’ from guests. When the event has finished, brief your staff on asking for comments and reviews- as they have built a relationship with the guests over the entire night, they will attain a higher rate of reviews. Guests within events tend to feel a stronger bond with servers, as they remain in a more comfortable environment, without having to stress about paying bills or order food at a certain time.

When the reviews roll in, you will see a rapid change in business. Many people scope the internet to try and find different places to eat, hoping for a new experience- so make it happen, broaden your business platform. If reviews happen to be negative, don’t fret, it only truly matters if the bad outweigh the good, so maintain a positive outlook and respond to negative feedback when reviewed. Any response is good, there is nothing worse then leaving a review hanging without an apology or a reasoning behind it, so be sure to have someone checking your online presence whenever the chance arises!