When the sun comes out it is a sign to slow down, reconnect, and savor the moments that matter, often around a table shared with others.
It also brings you the terrace season, increased foot traffic, and long days that fill the room with noise and warmth. ZenchefOS has everything you need to taste the best summer yet.
This guide walks you through the key features to configure before the rush hits, so you can focus on your craft.
- Shift hours
- Room plans & terraces
- (optional :) 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 to fit the endless summer days
Late evenings, Sunday openings, extended terraces. Your schedule's changing and ZenchefOS should be the first to know.
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. Set up your summer spaces
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
Pro tip : entering a walk-in takes 30 seconds. Explaining to two tables that they're sitting in the same chair takes considerably longer.
How to create a room in ZenchefOS
3. Let your guests pick their spot
Everyone loves a sunny corner where they can sip a drink and people-watch. With room selection enabled on your booking engine, guests can request the terrace, garden, rooftop, or beach area before finalizing their reservation. This means smoother arrivals, zero shuffle at the door, and a clearer picture of how your spaces are going to fill up each night.
How to enable room choice on the booking engine
4. Your summer specials deserve a full house
Sunset aperitivo. Lobster night. Kids' summer brunch. Wine-pairing dinner under the stars. Whatever magic you're cooking up, turn it into an Experience and sell it straight through the booking flow.
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 the guests feel like they'd be missing out.
How to configure and manage your experiences
5. What’s on the menu?
Give your guests a taste 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. Fewer questions at the table, faster decisions, and the warm feeling that your restaurant knew exactly what the guests are looking for before they walked in.
Less "what would you recommend?". More "we already know what we're having."
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 and reduce no-shows
A reservation without a deposit is just a note on a napkin. Prepayments and deposits protect your revenue on the busiest nights so this August is clear of no-shows past. Set them up now and reap the harvest of a perfect summer service.
- 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.
Everything you need to know about card imprints and prepayments
8. Call AI : so you can be all ears during a very busy pass
High season means full hands and full rooms. However, every missed call is a potentially missed booking. Call AI by Zenchef answers calls automatically, 24/7, and handles reservation requests on your behalf.
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
Call AI by Zenchef, overview and setup
9. Marketing: keep the flame on between visits
Your existing guest base is your warmest audience and your inexpensive acquisition channel. Email and SMS loyalty offers as a well-timed, gentle nudge that says "summer's here and so are we" does more than any cold campaign ever will.
Here are some ideas to get you 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
10. Stop scrolling, start connecting
Summer is the season your feed was made for. 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 put your reputation on the menu
Summer brings a fresh wave of 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 mean higher visibility that leads to more bookings. It’s simple math.
Managing reviews with ZenchefOS
12. Embrace the right partnerships
Concierges, local press, food accounts, and neighbourhood regulars. Your most credible advertising is someone else doing it unprompted. Make sure the people who send guests your way actually have something worth saying about you this season.
How to add companies and prescribers to your Zenchef account
13. Expand your visibility with Booking channels
Summer is the season of discovery. Make sure your restaurant is visible on all the channels that matter this summer : Le Fooding, Gault & Millau, and others. The question isn't whether they're looking. It's whether they can find you.
Activating additional booking channels through ZenchefOS is straightforward and puts your restaurant in front of a wider, highly motivated audience.
The best table in the house is the one that gets booked. Make sure people can find it.
14. Zenchef Pay, the smoothest course of the evening
Busy terrace service calls for a smooth payment experience. Zenchef Pay lets you offer :
- Digital menus accessible by QR code : no more paper menus. Guests scan, browse, and order at their own pace
- Bill splitting : guests pay their share directly from their phone
- Pay at the table : no more hands in the air, no more "can we get the check?" disappearing into the ether
This reduces pressure on your team during peak service and leaves guests with a modern, frictionless final impression.
Your summer readiness checklist
Here's everything to tick off before the season turns up the heat.
- 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
- Instagram / Facebook booking button active
- Review requests enabled
- Prescriber partnerships activated
- Booking channels reviewed and updated
- Zenchef Pay enabled for terrace service
Is a feature you want to activate not accessible in your account ?
Contact us via [this form] and we will get back to you shortly.
It’s time to enjoy the great weather!