To invite guests who have not returned, create a list from the restaurant's completed visits and send a relevant message to eligible contacts. With Rezervem Connect, select a win-back list or tags, send an approved WhatsApp template from the mobile app and track delivery and replies. Give guests a real reason to visit again.
Who is this for?
Restaurant owners, CRM teams and group managers can use this method when repeat visits appear to be declining. Rather than offering the same promotion to every historical contact, it encourages attention to each guest segment's usual visiting pattern, preferences and current relationship with the venue.
1. Define the inactive guest group
A weekday regular, a special-occasion guest and a seasonal visitor have very different expectations. Set a useful inactivity criterion based on the restaurant's actual service pattern rather than a universal cutoff.
Distinguish reservations from completed visits. A cancelled booking, a no-show and a confirmed arrival are not the same event. Check the quality of check-in records before labelling someone inactive.
Use actual visits rather than treating cancellations or no-shows as a dining experience. Start with the last completed visit and the guest's normal visit rhythm.
2. Separate completed visits from future reservations
Look for duplicate records, incorrect last-visit dates and guests assigned to the wrong outlet. Exclude or separately assess those who already have a future reservation; an invitation saying 'we haven't seen you' could otherwise feel careless.
In a restaurant group, use each branch's completed-visit history to create the right win-back audience. Select the contacts who have stopped visiting that restaurant rather than treating every historical group contact as inactive.
3. Add eligible contacts to Connect
Review current commercial electronic messaging approvals, relevant İYS refusal records and Meta WhatsApp opt-in. A guest's number being stored in CRM is not permission to contact them for a promotion.
If a guest previously raised a service complaint, ask the responsible hospitality team whether a generic campaign is an appropriate next interaction. Access to guest history should follow the relevant data purpose and staff permissions.
Select the eligible guest list and use available tags to focus the campaign on the people you intend to invite.
4. Write a genuine return invitation
A new menu, reopened terrace or confirmed event can provide a more meaningful invitation than an automatic discount. Keep personalisation proportionate: do not disclose unnecessary details about a guest's previous visits in a marketing message.
Do not advertise an unavailable gift, special offer or priority benefit. State which restaurant is inviting the guest, why the message is relevant and how they can make a reservation if they wish.
5. Send the approved template
Choose a Meta-approved marketing template and verify the correct venue name, language, date and booking destination. Prepare and send the campaign in the Connect mobile app.
Use eligible test recipients only. Check refusals, incorrect outlet links and overlap with other scheduled invitations. Establish who will handle replies and guests asking for a different dining time.
6. Read replies and completed visits separately
Track eligible recipients, messages submitted and delivered, available read receipts, replies and opt-outs. A booking or completed visit should be credited to the campaign only when a verified tracking or matching method supports that conclusion.
Use the results to refine relevance and timing rather than simply sending more messages. For guests who decline further contact, update the next eligible audience accordingly.
Connect reports delivered, read and replied messages. Review actual return visits in the restaurant's reservation and visit records.
Where Rezervem fits
Rezervem Connect manages permission-based WhatsApp win-back campaigns through guest lists, tags, approved templates and delivery reports. You send from the mobile app and see read status and quick-reply outcomes. Build the initial inactive-guest audience from reservation or completed-visit records; reservations made from the message's booking button are tracked as conversions on Manager's Campaigns screen.
Important limitations
- Do not send promotional invitations to guests without current messaging permission.
- Reading the invitation is not proof of a completed return visit.
Frequently asked questions
- How many months without a visit counts as inactive? — Use the venue's guest patterns and data quality rather than a universal threshold.
- Must I offer a discount? — No. An authentic new dining experience may be a better invitation.
- Does Connect require CRM? — No. It can operate independently, but CRM visit history is not automatically available.
- How do I measure a return? — Review verified reservations and completed visits separately from message delivery.
