Montclair Diner has been a community staple in Montclair, NJ since 1923. It’s also the birthplace of the famed “Whoopi Waffle”, named after Mrs. Goldberg herself, who regularly eats at the restaurant today. Eliot Mosby, a Chicago native, bought the dignified restaurant in May 2019. He has built a new wave of excited customers with spicy new menu items, Live Jazz Brunch Sundays, and an upgraded outdoor patio. For the seasoned regulars, he was sure to maintain the hometown feel and fundamental dishes those diners have come to enjoy over the last 99 years.
With so much tradition and history ingrained in the Diner, Mosby is sure to place a strong emphasis on local outreach and giving back to the community. Mosby has raised money and donated food to local hospitals, first responders, and hospitals in need. With the Diner a focal point of the community itself, Mosby continues to bring the community together – and now there’s more customers than ever waiting for a table at Montclair Diner. With food and company this good, wait times at Montclair diner can be over an hour. Patio season is arriving and those wait times are expected to climb even higher.
“On the first day using NextMe’s waitlist app, our main host said okay, I just tested it, and oh my god I love this!” – Lynda E., Director at Montclair Diner
Waitlist app keeps hosts and customers happy
Before using NextMe’s waitlist management software, the hosts at Montclair Diner would take guest names with pen and paper, then yell out names or call guests on their personal phones until the party finally came back to the restaurant. This, of course, was inefficient and disorganized for both staff and the guests. They received phone calls constantly from guests in line and too many no-shows. More importantly, this method does not help to increase revenue.
Lynda Edgeson, the Montclair Diner’s Chief of Staff, mentioned that the hosts no longer have to politely hurry along the lingering guests after their meal because everything is running so smoothly. “There’s just no need to with the increased efficiency,” she proudly exclaimed. “People are spending the same amount of time eating, but we are serving more guests each day”.
Guests at Montclair are more willing to wait now with customer engagement and updates in their custom virtual waiting room. Montclair utilizes their virtual waiting room by including their updated menu items and specials, community outreach bulletins, and a link to their popular Instagram page to gather even more followers – they currently have over 10,000!
Table turns have increased by 30-40% since introducing NextMe
When dealing with long wait times, customer engagement and communication are key to improving guest retention. Now guests waiting for a table at Montclair Diner can view their position in line through their custom Virtual Waiting Room while they walk around the close knit neighborhood and visit other businesses. Most importantly, they can gauge when they need to back so they’re on time for their table when it opens up – engaged, updated, and on time.
“There are very few phone calls. Everything is running so smoothly.” – Lynda E., Director at Montclair Diner
