Best Mobile pp for FOH Restaurant Staff
Most people are sharing apps that list/rate restaurants or tie into food delivery. The NextME app is quite different. The NextME app is one of the greatest apps a diner/patron will never have to download to use. Now, that might sound a little crazy without understanding exactly what NextME is.
NextME is a digital waitlist app that allows people to utilize their cell-phone number to hold their place in line. While there are other similar platforms on the market, most require downloads and sign-ins on the consumers’ end which can be a bit frustrating if the app isn’t something you use on a daily basis. NextME allows you to simply walk in and leave your info. When that information is put into the app, you are sent a text message through the app with a special link (that works on your phone’s mobile web browser) which will show a real time countdown of your position in line. NextME also sends you a text to let you know the host is ready to seat you, and you are prompted to reply to the app via text if you still want your table.
Restaurants love us because on that countdown page for each person on the waitlist, we can place digital menus, videos, partner ads and anything else you want your patron’s eyes on. With that said, the ability to browse the menu in digital form speeds up table turnover, and increases peak hours because diners know what they want and are instantly able to prompt the host.
Diners love us because they shouldn’t have to learn a new system/app every time they want to go out to eat. A cell phone is a device that most, if not all diners have. It just makes sense to build an app around their number.
Ready To Introduce A Digital Waitlist App To Your Restaurant Employees?
Have any questions or curious as to what benefits a digital waitlist app like NextME can do for your restaurant? Comment below or reach out to us!
It’s time to say goodbye to outdated pager systems! Try a 14-day FREE trial of NextME and replace your expensive pager system with SMS text!
How to Plan for Mother’s Day Brunch
Do you know your mom’s favorite brunch spot or restaurant? Have you heard her often say, “I’ve always wanted to try this place out, but no one wants to come with me!” Your mother has fed you well your whole life, it’s time to return the favor this Mother’s Day.
Once you narrow down your mom’s favorite restaurant, the next step is to make a reservation. Most of the restaurants are usually busy on Mother’s Day. If you make a reservation in advance, you won’t have to wait in line. If you don’t, you could risk your mom being “hangry,” as she waits hours for the next table to open up. So you go ahead and call the restaurant only to find out that your mom’s favorite restaurant takes no advance reservations. You get all stressed out, hoping that the restaurant is not over crowded. But no need to worry!
NextME, the simplest digital wait list app, allows you to hold your place in line with just your cellphone. The app sends you a text message confirming your placement on the list and provides a link to a countdown clock for you and your mom. The best part is you don’t have to download the app. You will just have to come to restaurant that’s using it. As you can imagine, having a countdown clock means that instead of waiting in line, you will be making the most of that extra time. Perhaps you and your mom can grab coffee at the nearest Starbucks. When the clock gets low, NextME will send out another text, which you will reply to keep or cancel your reservation. From there, you will be notified when the restaurant is ready to seat you.
NextME has partnered with a number of top notch brunch spots in Chicago that you can take your mom to this Mother’s Day:
Kanela Breakfast Club, The Bongo Room , Le Pain Quotidien , Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria , Southport Grocery & Cafe ,Dryhop Brewers ,Corridor Brewery & Provisions , Whisk Chicago , Son of A Butcher , Café Selmarie , Wishbone
To learn more, visit our website. With NextME app, we turn waiting customers into happy customers.
PS: If your mom’s favorite restaurant is not using NextME, a digital wait list app, we have put together a nice referral program. Make sure to request NextME to the restaurant and we will compensate you once they sign up!
Wishing all the moms a Happy Mother’s Day from the NextME team! Happy waiting!
Top Chicago Brunch Spots for Memorial Day
This year, Memorial Day falls on Monday, May 29th, and it is a great day to spend in Chicago. The city is brimming with summer kick-off parties, events, rooftop/ outdoor patio bars, and new restaurants. Nothing beats a good Monday off filled with good food and drinks with family and friends.
Planning reservations for brunch on Memorial Day can often be a hassle, especially in a city like Chicago where wait times for a table can be very long at the most popular restaurants. I’ve noticed that many of the brunch spots on Yelp that are tagged as “takes reservations”, DO NOT actually take advance reservations, which can be pretty frustrating. People get irritated by waiting up to an hour for the next table to open up, and we all know how that feels when we’re hangry.
To avoid waiting in line on Memorial Day, we’ve compiled a list of top brunch spots in Chicago below that DO NOT take reservations but are using NextME, the simplest digital waitlist app for restaurant hosts that allows diners to hold their place in line with just their mobile number and SMS text.
Top Memorial Day Brunch Spots in Chicago:
Corridor Brewery & Provisions,
Here’s how it works: NextME sends you a text message confirming your placement on the list and provides a weblink to a countdown for you and your squad to check your position in line. The best part is, you don’t have to download the app! Just visit a participating NextME restaurant below, and provide your host your mobile number to connect. As you can imagine, having a countdown means that instead of standing on your feet in line for 45 minutes or so, you’ll be making the most of that extra time. When the queue gets low and approaches your position, NextME will send out another text notification to let you know when your table’s ready, which you will reply “1” to keep or “2” to cancel your reservation.
If your favorite brunch spot is NOT already using NextME, we’ve put together a nice referral program to help you battle our fight against hangry dining. Make sure to request NextME to the restaurant and we will compensate you once they sign up!
To learn more about how NextME app can help your restaurant serve smiles while you wait, visit our website.
All the best to you and your squad this Memorial Day weekend!
Happy Waiting,
The NextME Team
Table Tracking Feature - NextME Restaurant Waitlist App
We’re happy to announce that we’ve made some updates to the NextME App. We want to thank all of our existing customers for their valuable feedback as their input has gone a long way into helping us to determine new features to include. With that said, lets take a look at whats new!
After launching NextME, one of the most requested features has been the ability for hosts to easily track table numbers. The addition of table tracking as a feature allows us to offer more robust analytics and contributes to the accuracy of our quoted wait times.
Table tracking is accomplished by simply adding the table number you anticipate seating your patrons in the “Table #” field on the live waitlist.
With NextME, I never have to worry about using pagers, taking notes on what patrons look like, or shouting names over people in a loud room. I have more time to help everyone who walks in, and the customers are seated faster. Everyone wins!
Want to learn more about NextME? Head to our website to see what it’s all about! And don’t forget to check out Kuma’s Corner to get your ultimate burger fix.
Happy Waiting!
Your Friday Night Just Got Better
We’ve all been to a restaurant when it’s busy: The waits are long, and if you live in a city like Chicago, the waits are even longer.
Although Chicago doesn’t have a shortage of fantastic restaurants, everyone seems to know which ones are the best. For example, if someone wants deep dish, they’ll probably go to Lou Malnati’s. If they want a good burger, they’ll go to Kuma’s Corner.
(I may be a little biased because I work at Kuma’s Too, but that’s beside the point.)
This is the famous Kuma burger, and you probably got hungrier just looking at it.
Whether you’re in the industry or not, we all know what it’s like to be hangry. We trade an hour wait for the certainty of a delicious meal. Yet, knowing this, we’re always filled with an irrational mix of anxiety and rage until the host says that message from above — “Your table is ready!”
As a hostess myself, I’ve seen customers’ faces light up all too many times after giving them the good news. I’ve also experienced the looks of panic and subtle death stares when I tell people they have to wait 45 minutes to an hour to be seated. The servers constantly bringing out burgers, mac and cheese plates and wings that saturate the room with a delicious aroma of homemade buffalo sauce doesn’t help, either.
Lucky for me, working at Kuma’s has its perks: Between the friendly staff, delicious food, and awesome beer selection, I definitely haven’t had much to complain about. Plus, they have an awesome digital waitlist app called NextME that I use when the restaurant gets packed. It not only makes my life easier, but helps increase table turns and decrease hangry customers.
Since Kuma’s doesn’t take reservations, NextME does a great job at managing our walk-ins. All I have to do is enter the patron’s name and number into the digital wait list, and the app will send diners an automated text saying which spot in line they’re in using a web link. When it’s someone’s turn to be seated, I press a button that sends them another text telling them their table is ready. I don’t even have to tell my customers to download anything!
How to Manage Waitlists at No-Reservation Restaurants
“Are there services where you can pay someone to wait in line for you? Any creative workarounds? There’s gotta be some random startup that’s solved this problem, no?”
“I’ve also noticed that many of the brunch spots in yelp that are tagged as “takes reservations” don’t actually take reservations for brunch … super annoying.”
NextME has! NextME is a digital waitlist app that allows you to hold your place in line with just your cellphone number. The app sends you a text message confirming your placement on the list and provides a link to a countdown clock for you and your party. The best part is you don’t have to download anything on your end, you just have to visit a restaurant that’s using it. As you can imagine, having a countdown clock means that instead of standing on your feet in line, you’ll be making the most of that extra time. When the clock gets low, NextME will send out another text, which you will reply to keep or cancel your reservation. From there, you’ll be notified when the restaurant is ready to seat you.
PS** If your favorite restaurants aren’t using NextME we’ve put together a nice referral program. Make sure to request NextME at your favorite restaurants and we’ll compensate you once they sign up.
Take a look at our website when you have some time:
