Takeout Event Tips for Valentine’s Day and Beyond

After learning about the Resy At Home Events tool from Pasjoli’s restaurant success manager, Hsing knew she had found the right platform to host the large-format special occasion meals. “Using Resy At Home allowed us to pre-sell the items nearly two months in advance and make them available only on the specific days we wanted,” says Hsing. “That’s something we just couldn’t do with our day-to-day takeout platform.”

Now that Hsing has planned and executed Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve, and soon Valentine’s Day through Resy At Home, she shares her pro tips to ensure your event is a success.

Pro Tip #1: Plan Your Menu Early and Carefully Consider The Temperature Of What You’re Selling

“Plan in advance so you’re not scrambling at the last minute,” says Hsing. Practicing what she preaches, Pasjoli already has its Valentine’s Day menu and event page available even though the holiday is more than three weeks away. Advanced planning also helps the team purchase inventory more efficiently since they’ll have a much better sense of total quantities earlier in the preparation process.

Hsing cited the ability to spread out pickup times in Resy as a way to maximize orders while minimizing stress in the kitchen. To avoid diners overcrowding the most desirable time slots, Pasjoli’s packages are prepared as “Ready to Heat”, so the time when the food is picked up doesn’t affect its quality.

Pro Tip #2: Overcommunicate

“You want to use all the spaces you have to tell your guests exactly what to expect and minimize any confusion,” says Hsing. She recommends putting essential information in the Need To Know section including pickup date and times, the format of the food, and the number of people that each package serves.

Pasjoli also customizes the confirmation emails and texts that go out to each ticket holder, using the space to upsell optional supplements like a “Breakfast in Bed Brunch for 2” for the following day.

To publicize your event, Hsing stresses the importance of sending an email blast to your diner list the day you start selling tickets, and then including a blurb about it in each communication thereafter. “We send emails about our weekly specials twice a week and showcase all upcoming events at the bottom,” says Hsing. “We also blast it on our social media channels. We’re definitely not afraid to blast through multiple avenues about our events right now.”

Hsing appreciates that each event created in Resy has an individual landing page and unique URL. This makes it easy for her to send guests directly to the ticketing page, removing barriers to purchasing and ultimately increasing revenue for the restaurant.

Pro Tip #3: Use Resy OS During Your Event Service

One tip that Hsing learned over the course of hosting several events on Resy is to use the Resy OS app during the event to simplify the pickup process. “It was a really good practice for us to start marking people as ‘Done’ after they had picked up,” shares Hsing. “From there, it was easy to see who had not yet picked up so we could reach out to them and remind them to stop by.”

Hsing concludes, “Overall, Resy Events was really easy to use.” She looks forward to using the upcoming Add-Ons feature where guests will be able to add bottles of wine, merchandise, and other items to their orders. This will drive even more revenue for Pasjoli, helping them continue to operate until the day diners can return for their renowned lively tableside service.

*Opinions and views in articles shared on Resy OS are presented for the purpose of discussion and commentary on topics of interest in the restaurant industry; they should not be viewed as substitutes for advice given by professionally engaged business consultants and advisors.