With the Zenchef app (formerly Table), guests can follow and reserve their favorite restaurants. This means that your restaurant has an extra marketing channel at its disposal where you can tap into a network of loyal guests, without any commissions.

Use this guide to make sure your restaurant looks its absolute best in the app and you get the most out of this free marketing channel 🚀

First off, download the Zenchef app and check how your restaurant is currently displayed. A foodie yourself? 😋 Start following your favorite restaurants! Now read the tips below to get the most out of the app for your restaurant.

1. Create an attractive homepage for your restaurant

Your restaurant has its own profile in Zenchef. Of course, you want your profile to look good and to display the vibe as it is in your restaurant. Simply adjust the settings in Formitable and it will instantly appear in the Zenchef app as well.

💡 MUST DO's

1. Add multiple photos so guests can grasp the vibe of your restaurant in the app

2. Set a compelling and clear restaurant description

3. Set two cuisine types that correspond with the food served at your restaurant

4. Add your menu so guests know what kinds of dishes to expect

5. Indicate the price range for your restaurant or set an average spend per person

In Formitable, go to Settings > Restaurant.

7 things you can influence on your profile in the Zenchef app, from top to bottom (in Formitable):

• Your logo will, of course, appear on your Zenchef profile

• Your restaurant name and address appear on your profile

• Your description helps you to really bring across the essence of your restaurant

• Your photos will appear in the carousel at the top of your profile

• Your primary and secondary cuisine types will appear as descriptors on your profile

• Your price range or average spend per person is displayed at the top of your profile

• Your menus show which dishes you serve for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

2. Be discovered by more guests

In the Zenchef app, guests can find exactly what they are looking for by using specific filters. Let’s say they’re looking to eat Pizza for around 20 euros per person. They can use the price range and cuisine type filters to find restaurants in those categories.

The cuisine types and average spend per person can be filled in via Settings > Restaurant, and will also appear on your restaurant profile page.

3. Set up your Tickets for success

Your Tickets, or experiences, get the spotlight in the Zenchef app 🔦 and help you to stand out from the crowd. Below are three tips to set your Tickets up for success.

3.1 Optimise your current Ticket content

The first thing guests will see when exploring the app’s homepage are experiences from restaurants they follow. So your Tickets should look attractive and display what they're all about. Two things you can do to optimize your current Tickets:

• 📸 A photo says more than a thousand words: make sure your Ticket pictures correspond with the experience you offer. For example, display your outdoor dining in a Terrace Ticket.

• ✍️ Make sure your Ticket description helps guests to understand what they are reserving when they've selected a certain Ticket.

3.2 Highlight your unique Tickets

On the Zenchef app homepage, the first thing guests see are 'Recommended' experiences from restaurants they follow.

Recommended experiences are Tickets that are highlighted in Formitable. So if you don't have any highlighted Tickets yet, you might want to check whether one or two are worth recommending. So you'll appear at the very top of your followers' homepage. To highlight a Ticket:

1. Go to Products

2. Select the Ticket you want to highlight

3. In the left bar, go to Marketing

4. Toggle the switch underneath 'Highlight this Ticket'

3.3 Use Ticket tags to appear more often on the home feed

The more types of experiences you offer, the more chances for your restaurant to appear on the Zenchef app’s home feed, and the more exposure for your restaurant. Some of the categories on home are determined by Ticket tags, so to appear on a guest’s feed, make sure to use Ticket tags that correspond well to your experiences. To adjust:

1. Go to Products

2. Select the Ticket for which you want to adjust the tags

3. In the left bar, go to Marketing

4. Select a maximum of 3 tags that capture the essence of your Ticket

There are also other conditions per category that don’t involve Ticket tags, which are listed in the FAQ. If you want to be seen more frequently on the home feed, try to think of fun Tickets that correspond to those different categories or the Ticket tags.
​
​

4. Check out your insights in Formitable

Last but not least, you'll have several insights into the Zenchef app via Formitable.

• 👀 Recognise reservations that came in via the Zenchef app by the “z” logo in your Overview and the “Created by Zenchef app” at the bottom of the reservation details.

• 💙 View in a guest's profile whether they follow you on the app (in Standard and Pro).

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Zenchef app available in languages other than English? Yes, the app is available in Dutch, French and German. If your phone settings are in one of these languages, the app will automatically be translated.

How does my restaurant show up on the map? The restaurants on the map are shown based on the location set by the guest and then optionally the filters they’ve chosen. This can include availability, cuisine, and price range. Next to this the app takes the guest’s dining history to recommend restaurants similar to previously visited places.

Does the Zenchef app work with rankings, like other consumer platforms? No, the results shown in the app are based on an algorithm that tracks a guest’s behavior. It will recommend restaurants similar to what they search for, follow, or where they’ve been before.

Is making a reservation in the Zenchef app the same as reserving in the widget via the website? Yes, guests can add gift vouchers, pay the deposit add credit card details, and include their dietary restrictions. Just like they would via your website.

What happens when a guest makes changes or cancels via the app? The same process follows as if they would make changes or cancel the reservation via their confirmation or reminder email. The change will also be seen in the Formitable backend so you are always up to date.

Can guests subscribe to the waitlist? Yes, if you are fully booked and have the waitlist feature installed guests can subscribe to the Waitlist via the app. They’ll receive an email and a push notification if a spot opens up.

How can I get more guests to follow and share our restaurant? Offer app exclusive experiences to your followers and share this with your audiences. You can send a fun newsletter email sharing this with all your subscribers. Or share a post on your social media channels, letting your followers know they can also follow you (and reserve with you 😉) on the Zenchef app!

What are the conditions for the Home Page categories? The home page categories are based two things from the system:

• the times and days set up in Shifts

• the ticket tag

These are the rules per category, so make sure to create fun experiences for some of these!

• Suggested Restaurants: highlighted tickets in Formitable

• Book again: tickets based on the user's previous reservations

• Trending tonight: availability tonight after 5 pm

• Lunch plans: availability between 12 - 3 pm

• Friday Night: availability on the next Friday night

• Saturday Night: availability on the next Saturday night

• Sunday Lunch: availability between 10 - 1 pm on the next Sunday

• Late Night Nibbles: availability after 9 pm

The following categories are all based on their matching ticket tags:

• Chef's Menu

• Good for groups

• Unique experience

• Romantic spots

• Drinks & snacks

• Let's share

• Fine dining

• Ready for brunch?

• Vegan Experiences

• Vegetarian Experiences

• Dinner & Show

• Pop-up experiences

• Terrace spots

• Theatre menus

• Private rooms

• Casual eats

• Tasting menus

• Workshops

• Holiday Celebrations