May 2024 - It's war: fighting back against reservation bots
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Going out to dinner these days is like something out of a 90s sci-fi film.
Wall-E-like robots are rolling around dining rooms delivering food while AI voice assistants chat with guests and take online orders.
And that perfectly cooked burger “Wall-E” just delivered to your table? It may have been prepared by Flippy, the kitchen’s most efficient line cook who never calls out.
These robots are all designed to help restaurants operate more efficiently, which I support. After all, I do work for a tech company.
But battling against robots for reservations? That’s where I draw the line.
In cities from New York to London, diners everywhere are struggling to get reservations, especially at sought-after venues.
Faster than a human hand, computer robots (bots) crawl restaurant reservation widgets thousands of times a day, constantly refreshing the page until a reservation opens up. Once booked, the creator behind the bot turns around and sells the reservation for hundreds of dollars through sites like Appointment Trader, Resy Sniper or Cita.
Can you believe those prices on Cita? One has to wonder, if someone spends $400 just to get a reservation, are they still likely to order that extra bottle of wine at dinner?
Inflated reservation prices on reservation marketplace, Cita.
What’s frustrating for diners who can’t snag that hot seat, is ultimately way worse for restaurants if that bot-booked reservation doesn’t sell and winds up as a costly no-show.
And talk about bad guest data. Diners who buy reservations from bots are often booked under a fake name with fake details. How can you possibly tailor the guest experience or remarket to them based on lies?
3 simple hacks to combat reservation bots
It may seem impossible to fight back against a machine, but don’t worry, we’ve got your back.
I spoke with SevenRooms’ Director of Product, Michael Twiford, who shared three actionable tips to help you identify and deter these bad actors ahead of time.
Charge cancellation fees and deposits
One way to deter reservation scalpers is to charge a cancellation fee for all reservations, especially during your most popular dining times and days of the week.
“Requiring a credit card poses more of a risk for the booker. Depending upon the policy, a bot controller may be less inclined to go through the trouble of booking and reselling a reservation if they’re on the hook for money.” Michael shared, “Or, they’ll at least cancel in advance to avoid the fee, allowing the restaurant an opportunity to fill the seat.”
However, there’s a delicate balance between protecting yourself and making these cancellation fees and deposits fair to real diners. To learn more about how to find the sweet spot, check out the article below.
Dive Deeper
Restaurant Cancellation Fees: How to Determine Your Sweet Spot
Add CAPTCHA to the reservation process
If you’ve ever been prompted to check a box that says, “I am not a robot,” you’ve experienced CAPTCHA.
The test, which stands for “Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart,” is common across every area of the internet and helps manage bot activity.
Michael explained that restaurants can turn on CAPTCHA during the reservation process. It’s a slight extra step for diners, but it goes a long way toward protecting against bots if they’re a problem at your venue.
Confirm every reservation with a keen eye for fakes
It may require additional work from your hosts, but having a human call to verify reservations and booking details in advance can help identify frauds.
One restaurant owner told the New Yorker their team confirms every reservation. In one week alone, they caught 8 fakes. He said, ”Unusual email addresses and disconnected phone lines are a dead giveaway.”
To go one step further, have your hosts ask for a guest’s I.D. or confirm their email or phone number at check-in. Michael suggested, “If you go this route, add this detail to the reservation time slot description. It will help reduce friction at the host stand.”
If these bots are taking over your reservations, I urge you to channel your inner Neo and stand up against the machines with some of Michael’s tips above.
On behalf of frustrated diners everywhere, we thank you.
Food for thought
Grab a cup of coffee and dive into some thought-provoking articles we came across this month.
The word on the street
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Father’s Day…on the rocks
Bourbon, views and exclusivity — what could be better? Bourbon Steak in downtown Nashville is setting the scene for the ultimate Father’s Day toast, offering private access to a special dining area and a lesson in A5 Old Fashioneds from the venue’s lead bartender.
Bourbon Steak’s Father’s Day event is a prime example of how venues can leverage their surroundings to offer unique experiences. But you don’t have to sit 34 stories above Nashville to encourage more bookings.
If your venue can’t support in-house festivities, offer it to go. Maple and Ash Chicago is offering Father's Day Grill Kits for pickup, featuring premium meats and all the fixins for an unforgettable experience at home.
For more unique ways to celebrate Dad, here are 10 Father’s Day marketing ideas sure to drive more revenue this year.
Is your venue doing something interesting or unique that you’d like to share with the SevenRooms community? Reply back to us with a note to be considered for an upcoming newsletter.
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Thanks so much for reading!
See you next month!
Katelyn