Why Wolf Pack Chorus’s Katie Sahadi chose Yelp Guest Manager
Wolf Pack Chorus is an up-and-coming approachable upscale restaurant in Cleveland, which itself is an up-and-coming city in the culinary world. Bringing in flavors from all over the world and occasionally making their own rules, Wolf Pack Chorus is making a splash on Lake Erie. It’s led by husband-and-wife team Chris and Katie Wolf.
We caught up with their GM Katie Sahadi to talk shop—particularly what’s been working well for her and what she needs to run the restaurant well. This may be a spoiler for readers, but Katie has switched her front-of-house (FOH) system to Yelp Guest Manager. We love to know how customers react to Guest Manager since our goal was to create a system that makes the already-challenging restaurant business easier.
On-demand customer support
Setting up a new point of sale (POS) or FOH system can take a lot of work. That’s especially true in a restaurant that’s already busy when things have to be done on the fly and every minute counts. So having dedicated customer support—and real customer support with a human, not just how-to videos—can be a make or break difference in getting systems running right.
Guest Manager customers each get a dedicated customer service manager that sticks with them through the whole onboarding process and beyond. So what’s that like?
As Katie put it, “We had somebody [from Yelp for Restaurants] there even when that person didn’t necessarily have to be. It’s nice because that care transitions over [once the restaurant is open].”
Yelp’s team doesn’t just train general managers—we help train servers and other staff, too.
When you’re opening a restaurant and there’s so much to do … Yelp still took accountability for training our staff.
— Katie Sahadi, GM, Wolf Pack Chorus
Her Yelp contact trained her one-on-one and then also trained her staff on the platform while she focused on other things, saving her time and energy.
When other critical technology Wolf Pack Chorus uses has broken during operating hours, she’s been directed by their customer service to watch a 32-minute video to solve critical, time-sensitive issues in the middle of service. She loves that Yelp has real people to help you in your time of need.
“Anybody can make an awesome app, but what makes it truly incredible is the people behind it,” Katie reflected.
Smoother service and higher guest volume
Another thing Katie loves about Guest Manager is the way the platform has brought order and perfect flow to their service, which in turn helped them increase their volume.
The settings they customized for the restaurant—which is still new, but maintaining 10 guests per 15 minutes—helped keep FOH service running smoothly, which is key in upscale dining.
“It made it so that our valet never got backed up so guests were sitting there waiting, it made it so that the hosts never had a swarm of people at the front so the dining room flow was good,” Katie explained. “The kitchen was never swamped and the servers were never swamped, especially during those crucial learning curve moments. We’ve taken the safeguards off and can now take more volume, with 15 customers per 15 minutes.”
The Saturday just before we spoke with Katie had been Wolf Pack Chorus’s highest-grossing day. That’s what we like to hear. And things are continuing to accelerate. “We’re booking out two weeks in advance for Friday and Saturday, and we can staff accordingly for that,” Katie noted.
No cover charges and budget-friendly pricing
Katie points out that the functionality of reservation and FOH systems like Yelp Guest Manager, OpenTable, and Resy are often similar. This is natural, of course, since these systems address the same demographics with the same needs. So what differences stand out?
One major difference for Yelp is its pricing structure. Unlike OpenTable, for example, Yelp does not charge per cover, instead opting for a flat monthly payment structure. Paying $1 or $1.50 per cover booked on the OpenTable app or 25 cents via a booking widget on a restaurant’s website can really add up, especially during busy periods. For restaurants with tight profit margins, high overheads, or simply those looking to turn more of a profit (and who isn’t?) every dollar saved goes a long way.
Check out the pricing structure for Yelp Guest Manager for a full breakdown of features and services. Plans are flexible, ranging from $99-$299 + $0 cover charge with custom plans available as well. Compare that to OpenTable’s pricing: $39-$449 + $1-$1.50 cover charge.
As Katie pointed out, Yelp’s pricing was a major selling point for her—especially eliminating prices you can’t control like cover charge. And while she was not at all in the market for the cheapest system, she was looking for the platform that offered the best bang for her buck and found that in Yelp Guest Manager.
Feature-packed platform
Having a wide variety of tools and flexibility can be a huge plus.
As Katie explained, “I’m a control freak but I think that every GM in a restaurant is, so it was very important to me to be able to control everything and Yelp gives you that option. You can control how many guests are able to step foot in your door within a 15-minute increment of time. You control which tables are available for the evening.
After seeing how much she could control, Katie saw Yelp Guest Manager’s value, touching on how important this is “for being able to not only run the restaurant smoothly but to be able to facilitate perfect customer experience.” She says it was a “no-brainer” when she realized how she could manipulate every aspect of the platform while also communicating with guests and her team.
There are options Yelp Guest Manager offers that Wolf Pack Chorus hasn’t needed quite yet, but expects to grow into in the near future. That includes Yelp’s waitlist service, for example, which allows customers to hop on a waitlist remotely via an app.
“Come summertime, when we have people hanging out of our door, that’s a different story. But right now there’s a general understanding that we’re not reservation only, but reservation prominent. So a lot of guests are calling ahead. But I’m sure the day will come when we’re lined out the door and we’ll have to use the waitlist.”
Remember having to go sit in a waiting area without knowing how long you’d have to go hungry? Well, those days are long over with our online waitlist via Yelp, Google Search, and Apple Maps. Your diners will love hopping on the waitlist at home or on the go and showing up when their table is ready.
The days of no-shows are going the way of the dodo, too.
“I quite like how we have the option to hold certain reservations with a credit card,” Katie noted. For customers who have a history of canceling or not showing up for reservations, or for extra large groups, being able to hold a credit card can drop the chance of a no-show to near zero. It’s basically an insurance policy for a restaurant, since no-shows and cancellations can mean the difference between a profitable and unprofitable night.
Ready to have a look?
If you’re looking to upgrade your FOH system for a platform that can do it all, Yelp Guest Manager could be the tool you need. Online reservations, check-ins, and waitlists? Check. Fully customizable floor plans? Check. Customer data like favorite drinks, birthdays, and other personalized items? Check. Integrations with third-party systems like popular POS systems like Toast and delivery apps? Check. Friendly and real-human onboarding help? You know it. And all at a budget-friendly price structure.
It’s been working for Wolf Pack Chorus, and you can make it your powerful ally as well. Customers remember high-quality service that top-notch FOH operations help facilitate. Arming your staff with the best tools helps them do their best work, and the results are happy customers and improved business.
It’s been one of the best tools for our restaurant’s success and the first thing I touch every morning when I come into work.
— Katie Sahadi
Interested in taking a test drive? Reach out to us for a free demo and we’ll show you all the bells and whistles. Maybe your restaurant can be the next success story and join Wolf Pack Chorus among the restaurants growing their business and pushing boundaries.