How to Streamline Restaurant Operations With Event Management Software

Staffing, staffing, staffing! Just about every operator we talk to these days mentions staffing as their primary challenge. National stats strongly agree with 78% of restaurant owners across the US reporting that they don’t have enough employees to support their current customer demand according to the National Restaurant Association.

So it’s with good reason that operators are increasingly turning to technology to meet customer demand, while also streamlining processes, and enhancing the guest experience. One particular area that we see operators increasingly looking to digitize is their catering and private event orders. 

Below is an overview of what private events are important, an overview of event management software, questions to ask when evaluating software, and also popular event management tools on the market today.

Why Private Events?

While catering and private events may not be the first thing that comes to mind for many operators, as events are usually not a majority of their revenue, we’ve found it is often one of the highest impact, lowest effort changes a restaurant can make to increase profitability. On average, private events make up about ⅓ of a full-service restaurant's revenue, but they punch above their weight since events often boast margins that are double that of dine-in.

Private events have many other benefits as well. They are a great way to grow your base of regulars as there is no better marketing than guests coming in and having a great experience at your business. If they have a good time at the event, they are likely to come back to visit later. Private events also offer predictability because they are booked in advance and often secured with a deposit, so while dine-in traffic may be slow on a rainy day - the groups will still come.

First, what is event management software?

While events have many benefits, managing them can be time-consuming and lead to costly errors if done poorly. Many restaurants are still managing this process using word docs, spreadsheets, PDFs, Google Calendars, and more. Using all of these tools is not only time consuming, but it can lead to costly mistakes as it’s easy to forget to update a group size in three different places - especially when the person managing events is wearing too many hats. 

Event management software companies solve this problem by providing an all-in-one tool where venues can easily track inquiries, send proposals, manage availability, and more all in one tool. On average, our customers report saving 12 hours per week and increasing sales by more than 45% when they switch to our software. Other event management software companies have reported similar time savings and revenue increases compared to offline approaches. 

Up until recently though, most of these software tools were too expensive or complicated for most independents. Although they could work, they were best suited for large chains and hotels. Fortunately, there are new solutions on the market that make it easy for the smallest business all the way up to large multi-chain locations to manage events. 

Private event management software typically includes:

• A lead form that integrates with your website
• Central digital calendar
• Integrated email messaging & tracking
• Digital proposals that automatically update
• Secure, online payments for deposits and final balances
• Automatic document generators (BEOs, proposals, etc.)
• Automatic analytics charts & reporting

What to consider when selecting event management 

If you’ve decided event management software is worth considering, here is a checklist of questions and information to look for when making a decision.

• What functionality do I need?
  1. Lead form for my website
  2. Central calendar
  3. In-app emails
  4. Guest portal
  5. Online payments
  6. Automated BEOs
  7. Analytics & reports
  8. Mobile app
• What integrations do I need?
  1. Google calendar integration
  2. Email integration
  3. Bookkeeping software integration
  4. Payments integration
• What is the support like?
  1. Email response time
  2. Phone support hours
• What is the onboarding process like?
  1. How long does it take?
  2. How much do I need to do?
  3. Is there an onboarding fee?
• How much does the system cost?
  1. Subscription cost
  2. Annual discount
  3. Payment processing fees
  4. Refund/Cancellation process if needed

Key Takeaways

• Streamlining your private events process with event management software is a great way to increase your efficiency and enhance the guest experience.
• Make sure to develop a list of what you’re looking for when researching options.
• Use this list as a starting point for your research.