Things to take note when making Reservation

Meaning of Reservation: An arrangement whereby something, especially a seat or room, is reserved for a particular person.

There are some things that you should take note when making reservations. If you follow the steps correctly, making reservation is a breeze.

Name

Your name is required so that the hostess can find your reservation easily. In Singapore, we will normally give our surname, instead of our names. Actually, it is best to give a name that your guest knows you by. For example, Tan is a very common surname in Singapore. Sometimes on a busy Saturday night, I have more than 5 Mr Tan on my reservation list, with 2 or 3 Mr Tan arriving at the same time. There was once when a customer made a reservation under the name of Mr Lim for 10 persons. The guest arrived one by one, asking for Andrew. When we asked if they are the guest of Mr Lim, none of the guest knows that his surname is Lim, as they known him as Andrew. You may also give your initials, example: S.P Ng, so that it is easy to trace your reservation.

Time

Time is very important because it is impossible for the restaurant to hold your reservation the whole night. Restaurants attend not only to reservation guest, but also to walk-in customers. A restaurant also need to make enough sales to cover all expense such as the labour cost. Most restaurants are very flexible to hold your reservation for another 10-15 minutes in case you are late. But we really appreciate if the customer can call us to inform us of any delay. Please do not expect a restaurant to hold your table for an hour, because it will be very unfair to the other walk-in customers.

Number of Person

Most restaurants will try to maximize seatings during busy period, especially during the weekends. When making reservations, it is always better to give an exact number of persons coming. An estimation of number is acceptable if the difference is not great. An example will be 3-4 persons. Please do not give numbers such as 10-15 persons. If you are giving an estimate number, it is best to call the restaurant once you know the exact number so that the restaurant could offer the table to other customers. If you have in increase in the number of persons, it is good to call the restaurant and inform them. Do not expect the hostess to perform any magic to bring in extra table for 4 persons when the whole restaurant is full.

Contact Number

Contact number is required so that the restaurant could call you to inform you of any unexpected situations. Some restaurants will call customers to remind them of their reservations one day before the actual reservation, in case they forget about it. Try to give mobile numbers that could reach you, not your office or home number.

Special Requests

Always inform the hostess if you need something extra to minimize any inconvenience or disappointment on the day. Any special  seating arrangement such as corner seat, window seat or sofa seat is best request early. IPlease do not expect to get special seatings 1 hour before your reservation time. f you know that you are bringing toddler along and you need a baby chair, let the hostess know. Bringing your great grand parents for dinner! Inform the restaurant so that they could arrange a table nearer to the entrance so that the elderly do not need to walk to much. No all restaurants are wheelchair friendly, inform them in advance to prevent any disappointment. It is usually impossible for restaurants to accommodate any last minute special request unless you are the only table dining in that night.

When you make a table reservation at a certain restaurant, it means that you are guaranteed a table at a confirmed timing. Be considerate and call the restaurant to cancel your reservation if you are unable to make it. 

Give other customer a chance to dine too.