Hospitality
Playbook
Dorsia is a members-only booking platform that connects passionate diners with access to prime time reservations at some of the best restaurants in the world.
What is Dorsia
Dorsia is a members-only booking platform that connects passionate diners with access to prime time reservations at some of the best restaurants in the world.
In exchange for this access, our members prepay a minimum spend per person at the time of booking that goes toward their food and beverage spend, excluding tax and tip.
The prepaid minimum spends are priced higher than the typical check average, leading to higher gratuities for servers.
Dorsia Reservations Overview
When a new Dorsia reservation is booked, the Restaurant will receive a notification with the reservation details.*
The Dorsia Member’s reservation will automatically be added to the restaurant’s reservation dashboard for the appropriate day.
Every reservation will be tagged with a Dorsia Member Guest Tag and include the Prepaid Minimum Spend amount in the reservation notes.
*Your restaurant has already been set up to receive text and/or email alerts from Dorsia. If you would like to review or change these settings, please reach out to your Dorsia Account Manager or email [email protected].
Steps of Service
During pre-shift, Restaurant teams will review all Dorsia member reservations for that day.
When a Dorsia Member is seated, the server will receive a chit with the Dorsia Member’s reservation details, including the prepaid minimum spend.
Servers should follow the restaurant's normal steps of service throughout the dining experience.
At the end of the meal, if the Dorsia Member has not reached their prepaid minimum spend, add the variance as "Open Food / Beverage / Retail" so the subtotal reaches at least the prepaid minimum spend listed on the chit.
The subtotal should never be less than the prepaid minimum spend. Service Charge is always applied to the full check amount.
If your restaurant includes an automatic service charge, please apply it to the bill first before closing out the check.
Close out the entire check to the Dorsia Payment Tender on file (located in “Other Payments”).
Dorsia charges each member to their credit card on file, so there is no need to drop a check. Our members do not pay anything at the restaurant during service, and can get up and leave as soon as they are done without signing a check.
If a Dorsia member asks to pay with a credit card, simply let them know that their card on file will be charged automatically for the overage and Service Charge.
Custom Requests
When Dorsia’s allocated inventory has been booked, or if the desired time on a specific date is not available, members are able to submit Custom Requests in the app. All Custom Requests will include a proposed minimum spend, and a specific date and time range for the desired reservation.
When a member makes a Custom Request, the restaurant will receive a notification from Dorsia with all the proposed reservation details.
The restaurant will have the option to approve or deny the request by simply clicking “Respond”, and then selecting “Confirm” or “Deny”.
Restaurants may also propose an alternative time and/or minimum spend for the Member to review. Members will have 30 minutes to approve or deny the alternative proposal.
The restaurant can review all Custom Requests under the “Pending Custom Requests” tab in the Dorsia OS Dashboard.
The restaurant should make their best efforts to respond to Custom Requests ASAP. If there is no reply from the restaurant, Custom Requests will be automatically denied 30 minutes before the reservation time.
If a Custom Request is approved, please note that the restaurant will need to manually enter the reservation into the reservations dashboard with the appropriate notes.
Approved Custom Requests are always in addition to the Dorsia guaranteed inventory. Approved Custom Requests will not replace existing inventory on the Dorsia app.
Modification Requests
All Modification Requests must happen in the Dorsia app. If a Dorsia Member contacts the restaurant directly to modify a reservation, please direct them to the Dorsia app and alert the Dorsia team.
Members with existing reservations can submit a modification request to increase their party size, which the restaurant can approve or deny at their discretion.
When a member makes a Modification Request, the restaurant will receive a notification from Dorsia with the Modification details, including the new prepaid minimum spend.
The restaurant will have the option to approve or deny the request by simply clicking “Confirm” or “Deny” in the Dorsia OS Dashboard.
The restaurant can review all Modification Requests under the “Pending Modification Requests” tab in the Dorsia OS Dashboard.
If the Modification is approved, the restaurant will need to update the party size and the new prepayment amount in the reservation notes.
All modification requests must be made in the Dorsia app. However, if a Dorsia member shows up with additional guests and the restaurant is able to accommodate, please notify Dorsia ASAP so the Dorsia team can provide the new minimum spend.
Please note that Members are not able to decrease in party size. If they show up with fewer guests, the minimum spend will stay the same.
Cancellations / No Shows
All cancellations must happen in the Dorsia app. If a Dorsia Member contacts the restaurant directly to cancel a reservation, please direct them to cancel in the Dorsia app and alert the Dorsia team.
Dorsia Cancellation Policy:
If a Dorsia member cancels more than 8 hours in advance of the reservation time, the member receives 100% of the minimum spend back into their Dorsia account as credits.
If a Dorsia member cancels within eight hours of their reservation time, the member receives 50% of the minimum spend back into their Dorsia account as credits, and the restaurant receives 50% of the minimum spend, less Dorsia and Processing fees.
If a Dorsia member no-shows, the restaurant receives 100% of the minimum spend, less Dorsia and Processing fees, and the Dorsia members' status will go under review.
When a member cancels a reservation, the restaurant will receive a notification from Dorsia with all the cancellation details.
The restaurant will need to remove the reservation from the reservations dashboard.
The table will automatically go back onto the Dorsia app, unless it is past the release time (the time at which inventory goes back to the restaurant if not booked by a Dorsia member).
Please do not ring-in canceled reservations or no-shows into the POS, as tax and tip are never included in cancellation/no-show payouts.
Payouts / Accounting
All Dorsia payouts will be sent at 12:00pm PST / 3:00pm EST / 8:00pm GMT the day following the reservation.
Payouts are sent via ACH Direct Deposit through Stripe.
Restaurants will receive an automated payout report email after each payout with the reservation and payout details.
All payouts can be viewed and reconciled on os.dorsia.com
Please email [email protected] with any payout related questions.
FAQs
Does the prepaid amount cover the entire meal?
No. Members prepay the minimum food and beverage spend before a reservation, which is treated similarly to a deposit. Prepayment is never applied to sales tax or gratuity.
What happens if the Dorsia member doesn’t reach the minimum spend?
If the member doesn’t reach the minimum spend, in order to make sure the itemized check reaches the correct subtotal, servers should add the designated open menu item i.e. “Dorsia Balance” for the remaining balance not spent. Members do not get a refund if the minimum spend is not reached.
Is gratuity included in the prepayment amount?
No, Dorsia includes strong in-app messaging to inform members that tax and gratuity are not included in the Dorsia prepayment. Dorsia’s default tip is set at 20% and includes the ability to adjust as necessary. During the meal, our members will be able view their checks in real time and see how far away they are from hitting the pre-paid minimum. At the end of the meal, our members can get up at their leisure without having to wait for the check.
How far in advance can restaurants release non-booked Dorsia tables?
Release times are customizable and set by the restaurant. We strongly advise restaurant partners keep release times as close to the reservation time as possible. The earlier reservations are released, the lower the restaurant listing will appear on the Dorsia app.
What if all Dorsia allocated tables are booked?
In cases where no inventory is available on the Dorsia app, members will have the option to make a special request for a table. Special requests are at the restaurant’s discretion but also come with a 10% Dorsia fee, which is substantially higher than reservation inventory.
What is Dorsia’s no-show policy?
In the event of a no-show, our members forfeit their full prepaid minimum spend. The restaurant will receive the full minimum spend amount after Dorsia’s fees are deducted.
As always, please do not hesitate to reach out to your Account Manager with any questions, and we are thrilled to have you as one of our Dorsia partners.