Summer is just around the corner and with it comes longer days, terrace season, increased foot traffic, and a whole new set of expectations from your guests. The good news? ZenchefOS has everything you need to make this your best season yet.
This guide walks you through the key features to configure before the rush hits, so you can focus on what you do best: delivering a great experience.
Contents
- Shift hours
- Room plans & terraces
- Room choice on the booking widget
- Experiences
- Menu on the booking engine
- Google My Business
- Payments
- Call AI
- Marketing
- Social medias
- Reviews
- Prescribers
- Booking channels
- Zenchef Pay
1. Shift hours : update for longer summer days
Extended daylight, late terraces, Sunday openings : summer changes your schedule. Make sure your service hours and shifts reflect your actual summer operations.
Don't forget to:
- Add Sunday services if you're opening them for the first time
- Extend evening slots to accommodate late bookings
- Set specific hours for a limited period (e.g., July–August only) without affecting the rest of the year
How to set different service hours for a specific period
2. Room plans & terraces : set up your summer spaces
If you're opening a terrace, garden, or beach area, now is the time to create or update your room plans. Accurate floor plans help you:
- Maximize seating capacity without overbooking
- Adjust booking durations : guests tend to linger longer outside on warm evenings, so consider adding a few extra minutes to outdoor slot times
- Log walk-ins directly in your booking list to avoid double-booking tables
Expert tip : always enter walk-in guests into your booking system in real time. It takes 30 seconds and prevents overbooked terraces on your busiest nights.
How to create a room in ZenchefOS
3. Room choice on the booking widget : let guests pick their spot
Guests love choosing where they sit. With room selection enabled on your booking engine, customers can request the terrace, garden, rooftop, or beach area before finalizing their reservation.
This feature:
- Enhances the booking experience
- Reduces front-of-house back-and-forth on arrival
- Helps you better anticipate how spaces will fill up
How to enable room choice on the booking engine
4. Experiences : create summer specials that sell themselves
Experiences let you package and sell unique offers directly through your booking flow : think sunset aperitivo, lobster night, kids' summer brunch, or a wine-pairing dinner.
They're perfect for:
- Filling slower midweek evenings with something worth booking for
- Creating premium revenue moments alongside your regular service
- Standing out from competitors on booking platforms
You can attach a prepayment to experiences, making them both attractive and commitment-confirmed.
How to configure and manage your experiences
5. Menu on the booking engine : showcase your summer menu
Give guests a preview of what's waiting for them by displaying your summer menu directly on the booking engine. This is especially effective when linked to an Experience, but works just as well on its own.
Benefits:
- Guests arrive informed and excited
- Reduces menu questions and decision time at the table
- Helps upsell seasonal dishes before guests even walk through the door
Display your menus on the booking engine and experiences
6. Google My Business : update your profile for summer
Your Google Business profile is often the first thing a potential guest sees. Before summer hits, make sure it's up to date:
- Enable Reserve with Google so guests can book directly from your GMB listing
- Update your opening hours for summer
- Add fresh seasonal photos — terrace shots, summer dishes, ambiance
- Post about upcoming events or your new summer menu
A well-maintained GMB profile builds trust and drives direct bookings.
Reserve with Google — Setup Guide
7. Payments : secure your bookings, reduce no-shows
Summer is peak season, and empty tables due to no-shows can be costly. Activating card imprints or prepayments on your booking flow is one of the simplest ways to protect your revenue.
- Card imprint : Guests provide their card details at booking, no charge unless they don't show up.
- Prepayment : Collect full or partial payment upfront, ideal for special events or high-demand evenings.
Both options signal to guests that their reservation is a real commitment, which naturally filters out casual or forgotten bookings.
Everything you need to know about card imprints and prepayments
8. Call AI : let AI handle the phone while you handle the floor
During busy service, every missed call is a potentially missed booking. Call AI by Zenchef answers calls automatically, 24/7, and handles reservation requests on your behalf, even when you're fully in the weeds.
This is especially valuable in summer when:
- Terraces fill up fast and the phone rings constantly
- Seasonal staff may not yet be fully trained
- You simply can't step away from the floor
Set it up once, and let it work in the background all season long.
Call AI by Zenchef, overview and setup
9. Marketing : re-engage last summer's guests
Your past guests are your best asset. Use the Marketing tools in ZenchefOS to identify customers who visited last summer and reach out before the season begins.
Ideas to get started :
- Terrace opening announcement : let regulars know you're back outdoors
- Summer menu reveal : tease new dishes and seasonal offers
- Early booking campaigns : drive reservations before the rush
- Special event promotions : sunset dinners, themed evenings, live music nights
A well-timed email or SMS campaign can fill your calendar for weeks ahead.
10. Social medias : turn followers into diners
Make sure your Instagram and Facebook pages are connected to ZenchefOS. This allows you to:
- Add a "Book Now" button directly on your profiles
- Share posts that link directly to your booking engine
- Promote summer events and Experiences to your existing audience
The easier it is to book from social media, the more spontaneous reservations you'll capture.
META : Facebook and Instagram integration
11. Reviews : build your reputation during peak season
Summer is when you serve the most guests, which means it's also your best opportunity to collect reviews. ZenchefOS automatically sends post-visit review requests, helping you grow your ratings on Google and TripAdvisor.
More reviews = higher visibility = more bookings ! It's one of the most passive yet powerful things you can activate right now.
Managing reviews with ZenchefOS
12. Prescribers : partner with hotels, tourism offices & tour operators
If your restaurant is in a tourist area, summer is the perfect time to activate prescriber and enterprise partnerships. Connect with:
- Nearby hotels (concierge recommendations)
- Local tourism offices
- Tour operators and travel agencies
These partners can recommend or even book your restaurant on behalf of their clients — a steady stream of new guests with minimal effort on your part.
How to add companies and prescribers to your Zenchef account
13. Booking channels : expand your visibility
Make sure your restaurant is visible on all the channels that matter this summer : Le Fooding, Gault & Millau, and others. These platforms reach food lovers who are actively looking for somewhere to eat.
Activating additional booking channels through ZenchefOS is straightforward and puts your restaurant in front of a wider, highly motivated audience.
14. Zenchef Pay : a seamless table experience
Busy terrace service calls for a smooth payment experience. Zenchef Pay lets you offer :
- Digital menus accessible by QR code : no more paper menus
- Bill splitting : guests pay their share directly from their phone
- Pay at the table : no more waving for the check
This reduces pressure on your team during peak service and leaves guests with a modern, frictionless final impression.
Your summer readiness checklist
Use this quick checklist to make sure you're ready for the season:
- Shift hours updated for summer schedule
- Terrace / garden room plan created or updated
- Room choice enabled on booking engine
- Summer Experience(s) created
- Summer menu displayed on booking engine
- Payment (card imprint or prepayment) activated
- Call AI configured and tested
- Summer marketing campaign scheduled
- Google My Business profile updated with summer hours and photos
- Instagram / Facebook booking button active
- Review requests enabled
- Prescriber partnerships activated
- Booking channels reviewed and updated
- Zenchef Pay enabled for terrace service
Need help setting up any of these features ? Find us in the Help Center or directly through the app.
It’s time to enjoy the great weather!