6 Pains of old-school gift cards
Restaurateur Jeff Lim, CEO of House of Ho, shares his previous experience with gift cards and
how OpenTable Gifts is the only way to go.
During his 30 years in the restaurant industry, Jeff Lim has developed a sentimental attachment to the idea of diners
buying gift cards for friends and loved ones.
“The main purpose of giving a gift card was usually to celebrate an anniversary or a special day or even just an excuse
to get together because the restaurant was so popular. Whatever the reason it was always fun and positive.”
So one has to ask...why the slow uptake with restaurant gift cards? As an operator, Jeff says there are many reasons.
1. The accounting nightmare of managing voucher booklets.
2. Inefficient process of accepting pre-payments and cashing in vouchers against a meal.
3. Locating the misplaced booklet to tally up the voucher with the book stub.
4. Don’t even mention the issues of training staff...
5. Tracking down the vouchers that would go missing from the office to find out later that they had been cashed in.
6. The potential of voucher fraud and risk service interruption to deal with it.
In the past, the operator's experience and management of gift cards was not operationally efficient and diminished
the sentimental value it meant to uphold.
Admittedly, when OpenTable approached Jeff to present the Gifts programme, he was extremely apprehensive.
However, after the demonstration, Jeff said “to my surprise they had covered all the negative aspects I had previously
experienced.”
The simplicity of guests presenting the gift card and using it against their meal was secure and easy for all parties
(especially staff). Jeff no longer had to worry about potential fraud either.
The most important thing for Jeff as an operator, is knowing that he will be paid 'automatically', resolving the
accounting problems, giving him peace of mind.
So Jeff’s perspective on Gifts has changed. He shares: “Only if you do it with OpenTable. I can only recommend gift
cards this way to any other operator. I no longer consider gift cards as an after thought, but a serious way to promote
and generate revenue for my business.”
“I no longer consider gift cards as an
afterthought, but a serious way to
promote and generate revenue for
my business.”
Jeff Lim, CEO of House of Ho
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