A menu for the bot: how to prepare it so it answers correctly

For the bot to answer correctly about the menu, upload it in a tidy form (PDF, photos, Excel, Word or plain text), and next to it fill in the venue description, the terms, the dress code and the ready answers. The bot knows about your venue what you've given it. So the quality of its answers is determined not by how “clever” the bot is, but by how clearly you wrote the source materials.

Let's look at which formats suit, how to set out each block, and what to check before launch.

Menu formats: what can be uploaded

In GuestKeepr the menu can be uploaded as a file: PDF, photos, Excel, Word or text. There's also a menu editor in the Settings section. Choose what you already have, but keep the nuances in mind:

The universal rule: the simpler the structure, the less chance of a mistake. If you want the bot to name prices and ingredients accurately, give it clean text or a tidy table, not a photo taken in the half-light of the dining room.

How to set out the menu

A few techniques that work in any format:

1. Sections with clear names. “Starters”, “Mains”, “Desserts”, “Drinks”, “Children's menu”. That's exactly how guests ask.
2. One item, one price. Don't write “from 20 to 40 depending on size” without explanation. Give sizes and prices on separate lines.
3. Ingredients and allergens. If you're prepared to answer questions about allergens, list the ingredients. If not, don't include half-truths.
4. Season and availability marks. “Weekends only”, “Seasonal, until the end of the month”. Guests will ask this question.
5. The currency stated explicitly. Venues work in different currencies (for example, drams or Moldovan lei), so put it next to the price.
6. Remove what's out of date. The bot will quote what's written, even if a dish was taken off long ago. Update the menu on the same day you change it in the venue.

The venue description

The menu answers the question “what can I order?”. The description answers “where am I going?”. In the venue profile the owner writes what makes the place different: music, atmosphere, format, which occasions it suits. Write briefly and to the point, as you'd say it to a guest at the door.

An example structure (fill in your own content):

• what kind of venue it is and what its cuisine or format is;
• where it is and how to get there;
• its opening hours;
• which occasions it suits: dinner for two, a group, a celebration.

Avoid general phrases like “the best place in town”. The bot will repeat them to the guest, to no use. Specifics (“live music on Fridays”) are more helpful.

Deposits and terms: what the bot can say, and what it can't

If you have deposit or minimum spend terms, write them in the venue profile. The bot will pass them on to the guest. This is an important limit, and it's worth stating directly: the bot only states the terms as text. It doesn't take payment, doesn't take prepayments and doesn't calculate the deposit. If money is needed, you take it by your own means.

So word the terms so that the guest understands them without questions:

• what exactly is required (a deposit, a minimum spend);
• when and how this step is done;
• what happens if the booking is cancelled or moved;
• who decides in a disputed situation.

A good example in spirit: “A minimum spend applies to the VIP room; the manager will tell you the amount when confirming.” If you need a template for cancellation rules, there's one in the article about a booking cancellation policy. The cancellation terms are also entered in the venue profile, and the bot states them as text.

Dress code and age

These two points cause the most awkward situations at the door, so write them down without ambiguity. The owner fills in the dress code and age restrictions in the venue profile.

What's worth stating:

• Dress code. What's allowed and what isn't: “no sportswear”, “closed shoes”. Avoid words like “smart appearance”, because everyone understands them differently.
• Age. From what age entry is allowed, and on what terms people can come with children. If the rules differ by day and by night, write both.
• Documents. If you check ID at the door, say so in advance.

For a club these blocks are especially important: guests ask about entry even before booking. The tasks of a club are covered in more detail in the piece about a virtual front desk for a club.

Ready answers

This is the most underrated part. The “ready answers” in the venue profile let you write in advance how to answer recurring questions. Start with the questions you're asked most often:

• is there parking;
• can people come with children and with pets;
• is there a terrace or a smoking area;
• can guests bring their own cake;
• how booking works on holidays;
• where to see the offers.

Write the answer the way you'd say it yourself: briefly, politely, without officialese. One thought, one or two sentences. If the answer depends on circumstances (“It depends on the date, the manager will confirm”), say exactly that: the bot will pass the question to a member of staff.

Offers go there too. Make sure their validity is clear to the guest, and remove an offer when it's over.

Testing: ask the bot questions as a guest

When everything is uploaded, spend twenty minutes trying it out:

1. Ask for the whole menu and for separate sections.
2. Ask the price and ingredients of a particular dish.
3. Ask about the deposit, cancellation and dress code.
4. Ask about an offer and about age.
5. Ask a question you have no answer for, and make sure the bot called a person.

Note where an answer is inaccurate. The cause is almost always in the source text, not in the bot: fix the material and ask again. The whole launch procedure is described in the article how to set up a booking bot.

The GuestKeepr virtual front desk bot holds the conversation in the guest's language (Russian, English, Romanian or Armenian), but the menu and the profile are written by you. If the menu is in one language and guests write in another, add dish descriptions in whichever language suits you, and check the answers.

How to keep things in order after launch

The menu and the venue profile go out of date faster than it seems. Set a simple rule: any change in the venue (a new dish, an item taken off, different opening hours, an offer that has ended) is reflected in the dashboard at once. It's convenient to assign this to one person, for example the shift manager, and to include it in their opening checklist.

Once a week, look through the conversations and note the questions the bot answered vaguely. Each such case becomes a new item in the ready answers. After a month you'll have built up your own reference, which is useful not only to the bot but also to new staff.

Frequently asked questions