Restaurant Academy
Your handbook for restaurant reservations, operations, and guest management.
How-To Guides
Food cost percentage: formula, benchmarks and how to bring it down
Learn how to calculate food cost percentage, see real benchmarks from National Restaurant Association data, and find practical ways to lower it.
How to build a guest management system for your restaurant
Learn how to collect, organize, and use guest data to personalize service and drive repeat visits. Practical guide to restaurant guest management.
How to calculate and improve RevPASH
Learn how to calculate and improve RevPASH (Revenue Per Available Seat Hour). Understand benchmarks, what moves the metric, and strategies to maximize
How to calculate and reduce your no-show rate
Learn how to calculate, track, and reduce your restaurant's no-show rate. Understand benchmarks, costs, and proven strategies to protect revenue.
How to choose a restaurant booking system
A step-by-step guide to choosing the right reservation system for your restaurant. Evaluate features, pricing models, and find the right fit.
How to get more Google reviews for your restaurant (and respond to the bad ones)
A practical guide for restaurant owners on how to get more Google reviews, ask at the right moment, and respond to negative reviews without losing guests.
How to get more restaurant reservations
Proven strategies to increase restaurant reservations. Learn how to optimize your booking channels, reduce friction, and convert more website visitors into
How to improve your restaurant profit margin: real benchmarks and five levers
See real restaurant profit margin benchmarks from National Restaurant Association data and learn the five levers that actually move your margin.
How to improve your table turnover rate
Learn how to calculate and improve your restaurant's table turnover rate. Understand benchmarks by restaurant type and strategies to optimize seating
How to increase restaurant sales: 9 levers by payback time
Nine practical ways to increase restaurant sales, ordered by how fast each one pays back, from free same-week fixes to longer-term investments.
How to manage large party bookings
Learn how to manage large party reservations profitably. Strategies for deposits, minimum spends, seating logistics, and preventing costly no-shows on big
How to manage your restaurant waitlist
Learn how to manage your restaurant waitlist effectively. Strategies for accurate wait times, guest communication, and converting waitlist guests into
How to open a restaurant: the 12-step launch checklist
A 12-step checklist for opening a restaurant, with verified startup cost data from an independent-operator survey and what to set up before day one.
How to plan your restaurant's seating capacity
Learn how to plan your restaurant's seating capacity effectively. Understand covers, table mix, time slots, and strategies to maximize revenue without
How to prevent double bookings at your restaurant
Learn how to prevent double bookings in your restaurant. Understand common causes, implement safeguards, and create systems that protect your reservation
How to reduce no-shows at your restaurant
Proven strategies to minimize restaurant no-shows. Learn about confirmation reminders, deposits, and booking system features that help protect your revenue.
How to reduce restaurant cancellations
Practical strategies to minimize last-minute reservation cancellations. Learn confirmation systems, deposit policies, cancellation windows, and rebooking
How to set up a restaurant reservation system
Complete guide to setting up a restaurant reservation system. From choosing software to configuring tables, training staff, and going live with online bookings.
How to set up Google Business Profile for restaurant reservations
Step-by-step guide to adding a reservation link to your Google Business Profile. Get more bookings directly from Google Search and Maps.
How to Set Up Online Booking for Your Restaurant (Step-by-Step)
A practical guide to adding online reservations to your restaurant. Pick the right booking system, add a widget to your website, and start taking bookings
How to use prepayments and deposits for restaurant reservations
How prepayments and deposits cut no-shows and lift guest commitment: when to charge, how much, and the rules that keep guests booking.
Menu engineering: the four-box matrix and how to reprice without losing covers
Learn the menu engineering four-box matrix (stars, plowhorses, puzzles, dogs) and how to use it to reprice, redesign, and cut menu items without hurting covers.
Online vs phone reservations: which is better for restaurants?
Compare online booking systems to phone reservations. Learn which approach saves time, reduces errors, and captures more bookings.
Restaurant email marketing: build your list from bookings (with examples)
Learn how to build a restaurant email list from your booking data and run campaigns that fill tables, with real subject line and copy examples.
Restaurant floor plan guide: layouts, spacing rules and seating capacity (with templates)
A restaurant floor plan guide covering dining room and kitchen layouts, ADA spacing rules, square-feet-per-seat targets, and templates to start from.
Restaurant labor cost percentage: benchmarks by service type and how to cut it safely
See restaurant labor cost percentage benchmarks by service type from National Restaurant Association data and learn how to cut labor cost safely.
Restaurant loyalty program ideas that work for independents, not chains
Practical restaurant loyalty program ideas sized for independents: which model to pick, how to price rewards, and how to run it without enterprise software.
Restaurant manager duties and SOPs: opening, service and closing checklists
Learn the core restaurant manager duties and how to build opening, service, and closing SOPs. Includes full checklists you can adapt for your own floor
Articles
27 restaurant marketing ideas that actually fill tables
27 restaurant marketing ideas ranked by effort, from free same-day fixes to bigger campaigns. Every idea ends in a specific action that gets a table booked.
How to balance walk-ins and reservations at your restaurant
Learn when to prioritize reservations vs walk-ins. Strategies for capacity allocation, waitlist management, and maximizing covers.
Restaurant KPIs: the core economics metrics every owner should track
A guide to the restaurant KPIs that determine profitability: food cost, labor cost, prime cost, profit margin, RevPASH, and average check size.
Restaurant POS systems explained: what they cost, what they do
A plain-English guide to restaurant POS systems, with current US pricing examples, cloud vs. traditional options, and booking-system differences.