Guides for operators
Eight problems. Plain fixes. Here’s how.
The problems venues search for, each fixed in four steps, whatever system you run.
Free how-to guides for UK restaurants, pubs and bars, each with the generic steps first and where Stampede does them.
No-showsGoogle reviewsGuest dataLapsed guestsGroup bookingsSquare bookingsLoyaltyQuiet nights
One profileVIP
Sarah MitchellEvery venue
AI insights
Table 12, Margarita ready. Tell the kitchen: nut allergy.
Visits14
Spend£1,342
Loyalty320
Device
Last 30 days3 visits peak
This visit · Table 12Square
2×Jerk wings to share£16.00
1×Half jerk chicken£14.50
1×Margarita£9.50
ReviewData used12.62.4GB
No-shows
Guest data
Loyalty
Quiet nights
One profileVIP
Sarah MitchellEvery venue
AI insights
Table 12, Margarita ready. Tell the kitchen: nut allergy.
Visits14
Spend£1,342
Loyalty320
Device
Last 30 days3 visits peak
This visit · Table 12Square
2×Jerk wings to share£16.00
1×Half jerk chicken£14.50
1×Margarita£9.50
ReviewData used12.62.4GB
Powering 2,500+ UK venues
Eight guides
Pick a problem.
Each guide opens on one real night at a venue, then the four steps that fix it.
- Deposit · Sat 20:00 · 6£60.00Card ending 2291Mon 12:40Paid, and recorded on the booking
Megan O’NeillBooked on your pageGuide · 4 stepsHow to reduce restaurant no-shows
Four habits that stop booked tables sitting empty, whatever system you run.
The short answer- 1Take a deposit on the nights that matter.
- 2Make the cancellation terms plain before they pay.
- 3Remind guests before the visit, with an easy way to cancel.
- 4Keep a waitlist, so a freed table gets filled.
- Google · 9 days agoNo reply“Waited forty minutes for our mains.”
Clive E.Guide · 4 stepsHow to get more Google reviews
Ask every guest, make it one tap, and answer what lands.
The short answer- 1Ask every guest, soon after their visit.
- 2Make it one tap, and never reward a review.
- 3Reply to every review, good and bad.
- 4Fix the themes that keep coming up.
- Tue · 13:102× Set lunch£52.001× Rioja, bottle£34.00Customer: none£86.00Guide · 4 steps
How to collect guest emails and data
Wi-Fi, bookings and ordering, each asking once, with consent.
The short answer- 1Ask as guests join your Wi-Fi.
- 2Take bookings on your own page.
- 3Match ordering and till spend to the guest.
- 4Keep one record per guest, with consent.
- BookingsLapsed12 JuneTable for 229 MayTable for 2Nothing since94 days
Graham WhitleyEvery fortnightGuide · 4 stepsHow to bring back guests who stopped coming
Spot who stopped coming, then give them a reason to return.
The short answer- 1Decide what lapsed means for your venue.
- 2Find the lapsed guests who opted in.
- 3Email them a personal reason to come back.
- 4Run it every week, and stop when they rebook.
- Pre-order · Olivia’s party12 of 16 ordered
OliviaShort rib
CallumHake, brown butterGF
AishaWild mushroom risottoV+8 more ordered · 4 still to choose
GillianSquash tartVGGuide · 4 stepsHow to take group bookings and pre-orders without the admin
The enquiry, the deposit and every plate, sorted before the night.
The short answer- 1Route every large party to one enquiry process.
- 2Take the deposit by a link that chases itself.
- 3Collect every guest’s dish before the night.
- 4Take allergies person by person, with the pre-order.
- Seated · Table 12On every device
Priya Shah6th visit · party of 3Pre-order · from your Square items1× Lobster linguine1× Margherita1× Falafel bowl2× Pale ale, pintFor the team- £30.00 deposit, already on Square
- A friend at the table is vegan and gluten-free.
Guide · 4 stepsWhat to look for in a booking system for Square
What a venue on Square should ask of a booking system, in four checks.
The short answer- 1Ask for a two-way Square sync, not a one-way read.
- 2Build pre-order menus from your Square catalogue.
- 3Get bookings, pre-orders and deposits onto the till.
- 4Put spend on the guest, and rewards at the till.
- Points on spendYour rate · 1 per £1Flat white · £3.40+3Round for six · £52.50+53Earned off the till, nothing keyed inCallum Reid23 visitsOn a stamp cardThe same one stamp for eachGuide · 4 steps
How to run a restaurant loyalty programme that works
Reward what guests spend, skip the app, and give them a reason to return.
The short answer- 1Reward spend with points, not a stamp a visit.
- 2Put the card in the phone wallet, with no app.
- 3Let guests redeem at the till, where they pay.
- 4Give members a reason back, then measure who returns.
- Day planner · TueQuiet night14 of 60 covers booked171819202122T1T2T4T6T9T12Guide · 4 steps
How to fill quiet nights
Ask the right guests, give them a reason, and count the covers it brings.
The short answer- 1Find the guests most likely to come on a quiet night.
- 2Give them a reason: an event or a modest offer.
- 3Put a booking button in the message.
- 4Count the covers it brought in, not the opens.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions.
Owners and managers of UK restaurants, pubs, bars and hotels with one specific problem to fix: tables left empty by no-shows, too few Google reviews, guests you know nothing about, regulars who drifted away, group bookings run by email, a booking system that does not talk to Square, a loyalty scheme nobody uses, or quiet midweek nights.
No. Every step is general practice that works whatever booking, Wi-Fi, loyalty or email tool you run. Where Stampede does a step for you, the guide says so in a separate note and links to the product page.
The problem costing you most this month. If tables sit empty, start with no-shows. If you cannot email last month’s guests, start with collecting guest data, because winning back lapsed guests depends on having their details and their consent.
Yes. They are free to read, with no sign-up and no form in the way.
Rather see it running?
See the fixes from every guide running on your venue, in a walkthrough with our team.