Speaking at Restaurant magazine’s Digital Innovation Forum, Willis told BigHospitality that the system is a form of encouragement.
“Now it’s a much clearer agreement – people have to show up for their reservation and if they don’t they lose the money for their ticket, which really helps when you’re trying to encourage people to remember a date,” Willis said.
The Michelin-starred restaurant has witnessed a change in its diner’s spend since implementing the system.
“We’ve seen a change in spending patterns with people,” Willis said.
“There’s definitely an increase in sales and people opting to spend money. They’ve paid a deposit, they’ve already paid something; it’s gone, it was the month before so now they’ve got a fresh budget for that month so you do see people spending more.”
In our exclusive interview, Willis discusses why the restaurant took the decision to go ticketed and the problems that come with it.