The restaurant playbook
Build a customer list your team can understand.
A database becomes useful when staff know where a record came from, what its order history means and which contact choices apply. Start with those basics before planning a campaign.
See it with your restaurant in mind1. Start with a question the restaurant needs to answer.
“Who placed this order?” and “Has this person ordered from us before?” are practical starting points. They are different from “Who can receive a promotional message?” or “Which campaign caused the sale?” Write down the questions that matter to the team. Then ask which fields and workflows answer each one. This avoids collecting information merely because a form has room for it, and prevents a contact list from being mistaken for a complete marketing system.
2. Separate the contact, the order and permission.
These records are connected, but they do different jobs. Keep their meaning clear when reviewing software or preparing an existing list.
| Information | What it helps you do | What it does not establish |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurant contact | Find a Business-local relationship and available contact details. | Ownership of every field in the person’s private account. |
| Order history | Understand the orders recorded for that restaurant relationship. | The reason somebody bought or every purchase they made elsewhere. |
| Sharing and marketing choices | See the applicable customer choices for a particular use. | Unlimited permission to send messages through every channel. |
| Imported provider record | Preserve an existing source relationship where supported. | A new consent event or automatic equivalence to a GastroGrowth account. |
3. Inspect a real record after a direct order.
Use a controlled demonstration order so you can explore the product without exposing somebody else’s information. Follow the record from the customer side into Manager.
- 01
See what the customer provides
Walk through the account and order flow, including pickup or delivery. Note which details the customer is asked to share and which choices are optional. The current checkout requires a verified email account; a restaurant-local contact record is not a substitute for that account.
- 02
See what your team can access
Open the restaurant customer directory and the relevant detail view. Check the available contact details, orders and last-order context. Use the staff access you intend to give the team, rather than assuming every member should see or change every customer field.
- 03
Look for the operational use
Ask a staff member to explain what the record helps them do. Finding the relevant order or recognising a repeat customer is a concrete use. If a field has no clear purpose for service, question whether it needs to be part of your everyday workflow.
4. Prepare an existing list before discussing an import.
An old spreadsheet may contain useful relationships, duplicates and uncertain information together. Its size alone does not make it valuable. Begin by understanding the source and intended use.
Keep the origin with the record
Identify the system or process that created the contact and the restaurant it belongs to. A reservation list, a manually maintained delivery book and a provider export can have different meanings. Do not combine them first and try to reconstruct the source later.
Check obvious quality problems
Look for inconsistent country codes, empty values, copied notes and repeated rows. Flag uncertain matches rather than deciding that two similar names must be the same person. Review what the supported import workflow can validate and which decisions still need a person.
Preserve permission evidence separately
Do not fill an empty permission field with “yes” to complete a spreadsheet. A past order, an imported phone number or a familiar name does not create a new marketing choice. Keep the relevant source and status available for the people reviewing the import.
Know the current import and export boundary.
GastroGrowth supports adding an existing Business-local contact and has import and xMenu reconciliation workflows. It does not currently offer a complete self-service bulk CSV migration or a restaurant-level customer database export. A guest can have a separate account privacy-export function; that is not an operator export of the restaurant’s customer list. If portability or a large migration is essential, make it a specific requirement in the demo rather than assuming it is included.
Discuss your migration requirements5. Agree how the team will keep records useful.
A simple maintenance routine is often more valuable than adding another field. Decide who can make changes and how uncertainty is handled.
Make corrections deliberate
When a customer points out an incorrect detail, use the appropriate supported workflow. Distinguish a restaurant contact correction from a change to the guest’s own account. Staff should know which information they can maintain and when the customer needs to act.
Avoid unverified personal assumptions
Order choices are not reliable evidence of a person’s health, beliefs or household. Keep restaurant information relevant to the job it serves. If food preferences or allergen information are provided, use the actual customer and product process rather than inventing a conclusion from an order.
Keep source relationships understandable
If the same customer appears through more than one source, review the supported reconciliation approach. Do not assume that joining records also joins their permissions, points or purchase history. Imported provider loyalty is separate from GastroGrowth’s first-party reward ledger.
6. Choose a few measures with clear definitions.
Use the same restaurant scope and time period when comparing results. Keep counts of people, orders and revenue separate. The following are review questions, not promised features of an automated cohort-reporting product.
| Review question | Definition to agree first |
|---|---|
| How many direct orders did we receive? | Which order statuses count and which cancellations or test orders are excluded. |
| Which customers returned? | The restaurant relationship, period and order history used to identify a returning customer. |
| What did returning customers order? | The included products and completed orders; avoid treating correlation as a reason for purchase. |
| Did a reward get used? | The configured coupon or points rule and a confirmed redemption, distinct from merely viewing an offer. |
| Did an action improve the business? | The relevant costs and other changes during the period; a before/after change alone does not prove cause. |
7. Give the relationship a practical next step.
Start with something the restaurant can explain consistently. A useful customer record can support better service even before any promotional message is sent.
Make ordering again easy
Keep the restaurant’s direct link visible and its menu current. If customers have to search for the right location or ask how pickup works every time, fix that friction before asking a campaign to create more demand.
Use clear reward conditions
If you configure points or a coupon, explain the qualifying order, redemption conditions and any limits. Test the customer experience and staff understanding. A reward is an offer the restaurant makes; it is not evidence of a guaranteed increase in repeat orders.
Check messaging readiness separately
Do not promise an automated email, WhatsApp or push campaign because contacts are present in Manager. Channel setup, provider acceptance, permissions and delivery capability are separate questions. Advanced campaign orchestration and win-back programs are outside the current general website promise.
8. Bring precise questions to your software review.
Ask to see a contact created by an order, an existing contact added through the supported flow, and the visible customer history. Ask who can access the record, what the guest controls, how imported records are reconciled and which export is actually available. Then explain the specific service or retention job you need to perform. That conversation is more useful than a yes/no question about whether a product “has CRM”, because it reveals the work your restaurant will really be able to do.
See it with your restaurant in mindA few things you might be wondering.
Is a customer database the same as a marketing list?
No. A database can support order fulfilment and restaurant history. Permission for promotional communication is a separate matter.
Can I use this guide as proof of compliance?
No. It describes product scope and practical record-management questions. Your restaurant still needs its own appropriate data-handling arrangements and operating procedures.
Will an imported contact automatically get a guest account?
No. A Business-local contact import does not create or claim that person’s global GastroGrowth account.