CRM for Restaurants : The secret ingredient for a top-notch customer relationship

What is a CRM for restaurants?

On paper, a CRM is a database. But in reality, it’s an anchor point for your customer relationship.

A simple address book (or an Excel spreadsheet) stores information in a static way : Name, Email, Phone.

A restaurant CRM connects this information in a dynamic way according to your restaurant’s activity :

• Booking history : Is this his 1st or his 10th visit ?
• Preferences : Does he prefer the table near the window ?
• Consumption : Does he still order that Sancerre wine ?
• Key information : Is he allergic to peanuts ? Is he celebrating his birthday ?
• Feedback : Did he leave a negative review last time ?

In a glance, your team goes from a generic “Good morning” to “Good morning Mrs. Dupont, delighted to see you again. A table for two near the window, as you like ?”.

The difference in terms of customer experience is colossal.

Before and after the meal : how CRM builds loyalty

Even before discussing marketing or sales, the first superpower of a CRM is to improve the pure customer experience. This customer loyalty work begins well before the customer holds their menu and continues well after they have paid the bill.

The “Pre-Eat”: Anticipating needs before arrival

This is what is called the “pre-eat” phase : automated communication, triggered by the reservation, aims to anticipate needs. “Do you need a high chair?”, “Do you have a preference for the terrace?”, “Should we inform the kitchen of any allergies?”. This isn’t just customer service; it’s proactive hospitality. You show the guest that their comfort is your priority, while also helping your F&B team to be fully prepared, reducing stress and friction upon arrival.

The “Post-Eat” : Transform feedback into action

The customer journey doesn’t end with the bill. The phase of “post-eat” is just as crucial. A few hours or days after the customer’s departure, the CRM sends a quick and easy satisfaction survey via email, SMS, or WhatsApp. The goal is then to determine the frictions in the experience. Was the service too slow ? The music too loud ? The signature dish below expectations ? This immediate feedback is a goldmine of information. It allows you to identify an unhappy customer before they leave a negative review and take concrete corrective action.

Universal advantages: Efficiency and targeted marketing

Several CRM functions are vital for all restaurants.

Streamline your tools and reduce your costs

Before even talking about marketing, let’s talk about efficiency. A restaurant often juggles a booking table reservation tool, a point-of-sale system, a separate emailing platform, and sometimes review management software.

Technological platforms dedicated to restaurants and hotels reduce the number of tools used and their costs. By choosing a single solution that centralises reservation information, pre- and post-meal customer communication, and analytics, you save time, money, and ensure data consistency. No more exporting Excel files: everything is in one place.

Regain control of your online reputation

Online reviews are the new “word-of-mouth”. A Harvard Business School study has shown that a one-star increase can lead to a 5 to 9% increase in revenue. Nine out of ten French even claim checking reviews regularly before choosing a restaurant.

How does Experience help ? Instead of passively hoping a satisfied customer will leave a review, the CRM automates the process. It’s simple :

1. Send automated email or SMS messages after the meal to send a satisfaction survey.
2. The system can also encourage to leave a public review  on Google or TripAdvisor.

Modern platforms go further: they help you to generate answers to reviews using AI, allowing you to maintain a professional responsive online presence and easily monitor your online reputation.

Launch marketing campaigns that actually work

No more mass emailings announcing the new menu to all your database. It’s inefficient and leads customers to unsubscribe.

Experience, thanks to its data concatenation, enables hyper-segmentation. You can send targeted marketing campaigns that reflect your restaurant’s image based on:

• Birthdays : Automatically send an offer (a glass of champagne, a free dessert) one week before the customer’s birthday.
• Frequency : Target customers who haven’t visited in the last 6 months with a “We miss you!” offer.
• Preferences : Are you launching a new brunch? Target only local customers.

Appropriate tools allow you to track the impact of your campaigns in real time (open rates, clicks and especially bookings with generated revenue). You can finally analyse the performance of your actions and justify your return on investment.

CRM in action: 4 types of restaurants, 4 winning strategies

The value of a CRM lies in its ability to adapt to the organisation and specificities of each restaurant : from fine dining to family restaurant chains.

The independent restaurant : proximity and customer loyalty.

The challenge : The team is small, the budget is tight and survival depends on regular customers. The manager knows his regulars, but this knowledge is not shared.

The CRM solution : For an independent restaurant, CRM is a tool for productivity and customer loyalty.

• Fighting against “No-Shows” : Automatic sending of booking confirmations and reminders by email or SMS before the meal drastically reduces empty tables.
• Sharing knowledge : The new waiter doesn’t know Mrs. Dubois’s habits. The CRM can. A simple note (“prefers still water”, “likes quiet tables”) on the customer’s profile changes the entire experience.
• Maximise profitability : This is where statistics are crucial. Retaining a customer through targeted campaigns is much cheaper than acquiring new ones.

   

The restaurant group: harmonising the experience

The challenge : You have multiple locations. How can you ensure a consistent experience? How can you tell if a customer at restaurant A is also a customer at restaurant B?

The CRM solution : For a group, CRM becomes a strategic tool of centralisation.

• Unified database : You need to consolidate your data into a single CRM database. Thanks to synchronisation with your table reservation systems at each restaurant, a customer is finally recognised as a customer of the group, regardless of which restaurant they visit.
• Global loyalty program : Some technological solutions, such as Experience, can manage a unified loyalty program or rewards system. This strengthens the “group” brand and encourages the discovery of other restaurants.
• Piloting:Headquarters can analyse performance, visit frequency or “Customer Lifetime Value” across the entire network and no longer silo by silo.

   

The restaurant belonging to a hotel: total synergy

The challenge :The hotel and restaurant share the same name. The experience must be seamless, without any friction between the two.

The CRM solution : This is the ultimate point of hospitality. The key is to integrate the hotel’s PMS with the restaurant’s table reservation system to the CRM. The goal is to consolidate your hotel & restaurant data into a single CRM database.

• Before arrival : The hotel’s CRM system records a reservation for a “Birthday”. This information is then sent to the restaurant’s CRM system, which automatically prepares the champagne for the guest’s dinner.
• During the stay : Revenue from the restaurant can be uploaded to the CRM, thus providing opportunities for future segmentation (example of segmentation : hotel customer who spent more than 80 euros at the restaurant).
• Cross-analysis : This 360-degree view not only provides a memorable experience, but also…analyse restaurant & hotel performance together. You can finally easily answer questions like: “What percentage of our hotel guests dine at the restaurant ?” or “Do restaurant guests book rooms?”

   

The separate restaurant, located in a hotel: a double marketing strategy

The challenge : This is the most complex scenario. The restaurant (e.g., “The Modern Restaurant”) has its own identity, distinct from the hotel, to attract a local clientele and avoid being categorised as a “hotel restaurant” seen as cold or of average quality.

The CRM solution : Here, the segmentation is vital. The CRM must manage two marketing strategies in parallel from a single database (ideally synchronised with the PMS and the booking table system).

• Hotel guests

   

  • Objective : Convert them into restaurant customers during their stay or encourage them to return with offers combining hotel + restaurant.

     

  • How : Communicate the restaurant as a convenient and enjoyable experience for residents. “Enjoy a signature dinner directly from your room” or “Book an overnight + dinner package”.
    

     

• Local customers

   

  • Objective : Boost customer loyalty to the restaurant and, in the long term, convert them into hotel guests.

     

  • How :Promote the restaurant under its own identity with events and special offers.

     

CRM : the linchpin of the strategy
It allows us to know the behavior of each customer and to adapt the message: knowing that a local customer is also a hotel customer (or vice versa) allows us to send the most relevant offers and maximise the revenue of both entities.