INTRODUCTION
According to Tabelo, close to 60% of diners prefer to make their reservations online. In addition, a blind survey conducted by Toast shows that 55% of respondents search Google for restaurants when booking a reservation, and 45% of day-of diners are more likely to patronize a restaurant that offers an online waitlist.
Restaurants can integrate Google’s bookings and waitlist tools with their third-party providers to create a more seamless experience for customers or prospective customers who find you on Google Search or Maps.
Here are some ways your restaurant can use the bookings and waitlist features on Google.
HOW TO SET UP GOOGLE BOOKINGS FOR YOUR RESTAURANT
The Google Bookings feature allows diners to reserve tables directly from Google Search or Maps via a “Reserve a table” (or “Reserve” in the Google Maps app) button. This can get high-intent customers through your doors without creating extra steps for them to take, such as navigating to your website or calling the restaurant to make a reservation.
To connect your booking provider to Google, go to your verified Business Profile and select “Bookings” from the list of icons. Then click “Get Started” to connect your provider and add a featured booking button to your profile. You will be prompted to choose from a list of providers, which includes platforms like OpenTable, Toast Tables, Yelp, easyTable and many more.
Click on your provider to log in to your account. Then take the steps to connect your booking platform to Google. This will vary based on your provider, and it can take up to a week to sync to your Business profile.
Once enabled, prospective diners can click “Reserve a table” to make their reservation. They will be able to filter available times by selecting their desired date and party size. Then they can choose from the list of open times for their reservation. From there, they will add their contact information and submit the reservation.
The reservation syncs with the patron’s Google Calendar and Google account, so they will automatically receive a confirmation and reminders.
This information will also be integrated with your booking provider, so your staff can continue to manage reservations from a central location.
Assess the impact of the booking feature by navigating to “Bookings” in your Business profile and selecting “View performance.” From there, you can see the number of bookings made from Google within a designated time frame (e.g., month, quarter).
HOW TO MANAGE GOOGLE WAITLISTS FOR YOUR RESTAURANT
The Google Waitlist feature, on the other hand, allows customers to see your current wait times, which can help set expectations for walk-in traffic and fill tables that weren’t booked in advance. This is also an ideal feature for restaurants that don’t take reservations in advance.
Similar to bookings, go to your Google Business account to create your Google Waitlist. This time, select “Waitlists” from the available icons and select “Get Started.” Select your third-party provider (this could be the same platform as your booking provider) from the list of options and take the designated steps to link your accounts.
Of note, you will need to ensure your Google Business account and waitlist provider have matching hours of operation for them to sync appropriately. This also ensures that the waitlist feature is only active when your restaurant is actually open.
Once you’re finished, a “Join Waitlist” button will typically appear on your restaurant profile within 24 hours.
Like when they use Bookings, patrons can join a waitlist via Google Maps or from a Google search. They will be prompted to add their party size and enter a phone number where you can reach them.
The customer will be able to see their current wait time and how many tables are in front of them, based on real-time information from your restaurant.