There's a greater number of booking platforms and apps that have the potential to help both restaurants and diners streamline the process of making reservations, but for the 2018 season Maine's The Lost Kitchen is going completely analog.
Due to the fact that it received an overwhelming number of reservations last year, The Lost Kitchen set out to implement a better system for processing requests; the farm-to-table's new reservation system calls for foodies to send the restaurant a postcard in order to secure a spot for dining.
Once received, these physical postcards will be drawn at random so that each interested person can be contacted by phone, at which point further details will be collected about one's dining requests.
Mail-in Restaurant Reservations
The Lost Kitchen is Only Accepting Reservations by Mail for 2018
Trend Themes
1. Analog Reservations - Restaurants can implement an analog reservation system to take a break from technology and provide a unique customer experience.
2. Physical Mail - Using physical mail to make restaurant reservations can increase customer engagement and create a nostalgic experience.
3. Random Selection - Randomly selecting reservations from physical mail can create an element of surprise and keep customers engaged.
Industry Implications
1. Restaurants - Restaurants can explore new and creative ways of accepting reservations for a unique dining experience.
2. Hospitality - The hospitality industry can benefit from incorporating analog methods of customer engagement for a personalized experience.
3. Stationery - The stationery industry can market their products for unique uses, such as postcards for restaurant reservations.