Time per Table Turnaround

You’ve probably heard the saying “time is money” applied to all sorts of things — but it’s especially true when it comes to hotel restaurants. While it’s important to give dining guests a lovely experience, getting parties in and out in a timely manner is what enables hotel restaurants to maximize their food and beverage revenue — that’s why tracking time per table turnaround is so important.

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This term refers to the amount of time it takes for a restaurant table to be ready for a new guest. The timer starts from the moment a party of diners sits and ends when the table is ready for the next group. Let’s take a look at the impact of this metric and how reducing it can boost a hotel’s earnings.

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Why is Time per Table Turnaround Important?

The ideal timeframe for diners to sit at a table is 45 minutes when you’re trying to maximize revenue and tips. Having this figure in mind can be helpful for every staff member in the restaurant, from the management to the servers and everyone in between!

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Not only is this timeframe the best for the restaurant’s earnings and the server’s tips, but it also incentivizes quick service. This means customers have a reduced wait time and get a smoother dining experience. In short, everyone wins!

How to Improve Time per Table Turnaround

For hotel restaurants that aren’t achieving the ideal time per table turnaround, there are strategies you can implement to stay on target for the 45-minute mark. A few ideas include:

• Make menus visible: Include your restaurant’s menu and reservation details in your hotel’s digital compendium so guests can preview the offerings and make reservations in advance.
• Offer advanced ordering: Serving up restaurant items to your guests in the form of mobile upsells streamlines service and reduces the time guests ultimately spend at the table. For example, give guests an option to pre-order a tasting menu and the restaurant will know exactly what to expect before diners ever walk in the door.
• Optimize kitchen operations: Ensure smooth communication between front-of-house and back-of-house staff to reduce friction and move orders along quickly.
• Enhance staff training: Provide staff with proper training for efficient yet excellent service, paying special attention to common snags like order taking, food delivery and table clearing.
• Provide digital payments: Giving guests the options to pay and tip staff right from their phones to reduce time spent waiting on the check to arrive and payment to be processed.  

By implementing these strategies, hoteliers can significantly improve their time per table turnaround, leading to increased revenue, better operational efficiency and a more satisfying guest experience.

Creating a Tech-Enabled Guest Experience

Canary Technologies' digital guest journey platform empowers hoteliers to manage all aspects of the guest experience, from booking to checkout. From Dynamic Upsells to facilitate preordering to Digital Compendium to house restaurant menus, Canary has a number of solutions for the modern hotel — book a demo today to learn more!