How Tinto use ResDiary to navigate an ever-changing dining environment

Tinto is a rustic space in Hawthorn, Melbourne, which is reminiscent of the atmosphere and cuisine found in bars across Barcelona. Founded by the Triado family, they established the sophisticated hang-out after returning from Spain, where they ran the wine bar and restaurant, Bar Kasparo.

 The dishes on offer combine traditional Spanish recipes with a sensibility for what Melbournians enjoy eating. Their seasonally adjusted menu features a range of tapas, raciónes and charcuteria options – including Jamon Iberico, air-dried ham presented on a traditional Spanish flywheel – while they work closely with suppliers to provide an extensive selection of Spanish and Victorian wines and beers.

 For group bookings of between 10 and 20 guests, the venue provides two menu options for service in the dining room, while an exclusive kitchen/chef’s table is available for groups of between four and eight guests. Tinto also offers different spaces – including entire venue hires – for private functions.

 The Triado’s say Tinto has been using ResDiary since their business opened in 2014.

 “Being able to offer event and group bookings through Resdiary is very handy. The close outs sections are fantastic, and the system is user friendly and intuitive,” they say.

 “Nothing is fixed at Tinto. The way our tables are presented depends on our bookings, so the flexible table management is what really appealed to us. Customers being able to make their own bookings, and put themselves on our standby list if a table isn’t available is also great.

 “It takes time out of our work.”

We’ve used ResDiary to manoeuvre people onto our website

 According to the Triado family, about 80 percent of Tinto’s bookings come through the customisable ResDiary widget that’s set up on their website. Using the ‘Book’ widget, customers have the ability to pick which area of the restaurant they want to dine in – a feature that isn’t offered by all booking partners. Patrons are also able to make special requests in the notes section of their booking, which the kitchen can often accommodate.

 Tinto uses ResDiary’s EPOS integration to hold credit card details for groups of more than ten, charge $50 if there is a no-show that they aren’t able to fill, and will take deposits for private functions involving entire venue hire. They are careful to only take deposits when the whole restaurant is booked out for a function, to ensure they are not making a loss if guests don’t arrive.

The venue has also used the channel management function for special events – including cheese and wine tastings, and special degustation menus – and have effectively promoted these events using their customer database.

 “We have watched most of the promotional and instructional features, and are in touch with ResDiary’s tech staff on a regular basis to ask how we can do this or that. The support team was very helpful, particularly when we first started,” they say.

 “The integrated payment option for deposits, group menus and events is another great bonus.”

Dining looks different every night

 Tinto regularly uses ResDiary’s close-out function to accommodate different booking configurations. The Triado’s says their close-outs depend on the number and types of bookings on any given day.

 “If you go to our individual close-outs on ResDiary, we may have 20-30 sections on a particular day,” they say.

 They add that colour codes for the progression of a dining experience – which changes depending on whether the customer is seated, if they’ve ordered, if they’ve paid and so on – is fantastic, and the automatic table joins for large bookings is another productive feature.

 “We’d absolutely recommend ResDiary to others. We can clearly see what’s going on in the restaurant. All of our staff use it in some capacity,” they say.

 “Every day looks different, so we rely on the complete flexibility that ResDiary offers.”