Restaurants
3 Quick Ways to Keep Your Staff Sane During the Holiday Rush
Regina Nax
The holidays bring office parties, family gatherings, and shoppers looking for a place to unwind. For restaurant and bar staff, they also bring ringing phones, unexpected groups, and plenty of questions.
Your team wants to give everyone a great experience. A little preparation can make that easier, even during the busiest shifts.
Here are three practical ways to reduce interruptions, prevent confusion, and help your staff keep things running smoothly.
1. Answer Common Questions Before the Phone Rings
“Are you open on Thanksgiving?”
“Do you take reservations?”
“Can we bring a group of 12?”
These are reasonable questions. But answering them over and over takes your staff away from customers who are already there.
Make the answers easy to find. Update your holiday hours on your website and Google Business Profile. Put reservation policies, group options, special menus, and holiday promotions somewhere customers can find them quickly.
Then consider what happens when someone calls anyway. An automated phone menu can answer common questions and direct callers to the next step. EnRoute® can text them links to your waitlist, reservation options, or group request form.
Customers get the information they need, and your team has fewer interruptions during service.
2. Help Large Groups Plan Ahead
A party of 12 can be a great opportunity for your business. It’s easier to welcome them when your team has advance notice.
During the holidays, customers may be organizing gatherings for people who rarely get together. They might not know your seating process, or realize that a large party needs special arrangements.
Give them a clear path to planning their visit. Explain:
How to request seating for a large group.
Whether advance notice is required.
Whether submitting a request means their visit is confirmed or still needs approval.
Any deposits, cancellation policies, or holiday restrictions that apply.
If you don’t accept traditional reservations, explain what you offer and what customers should expect when they arrive.
Keep these details together so customers don’t have to piece them together from several pages. A dedicated EnRoute webpage can present your policies alongside the waitlist, reservation, or group request options your business offers.
Clear expectations help customers plan and give your staff fewer difficult conversations to navigate at the door.
3. Give Your Team a Clear Arrival Plan
Even with preparation, holiday traffic can surprise you. Three families might arrive within minutes of each other, or a quiet afternoon can suddenly turn into a rush.
Use a quick pre-shift meeting to agree on who does what.
Who greets arriving customers and manages the waitlist? Who steps in when the host needs help? How will you communicate longer waits? When should a manager get involved?
Give your team a consistent way to track arriving customers, too. An online waitlist can help staff keep track of who’s waiting, and EnRoute can text customers when their table is almost ready.
For reservations and other bookings, EnRoute can also prompt customers to confirm when they’re on their way. That gives your team a useful signal beyond the original booking: who is actually heading over.
Your staff still decides how to accommodate each party. Knowing who’s waiting and who’s on the way helps them make those decisions with less guesswork.
Keep checking in as the shift unfolds. A brief update about an incoming group or a longer wait can help everyone stay coordinated.
A Little Less Chaos, a Lot More Holiday Cheer
You can’t predict every holiday rush, but you can make it easier to manage. Answer common questions early, help groups plan ahead, and give your team a clear process for arrivals.
That leaves more time and energy for what your staff does best: welcoming customers and helping them enjoy their celebrations.
Want to Make the Holiday Rush a Little Easier?
EnRoute helps restaurants and bars manage arrivals with online waitlists, reservation options, group requests, and an automated phone menu, all configured around the way your business operates.
