How QXY Dumplings conquered the returning diner wave with Yelp Guest Manager

“Yelp Guest Manager lets people line up and make reservations so easily from Yelp, and combined our systems into one screen which was something that we always wanted.”Jesse Li, General Manager at QXY Dumplings

Summary

QXY Dumplings is a well-loved spot that needed to find a way to efficiently manage their returning diner traffic. After getting up and running with Yelp Guest Manager, within just a few months QXY Dumplings saw:

• 85% of waitlist customers seated

• 15k+ Kiosk guests

• 15k+ waitlist guests seated

• 28K+ total guests in 2022

Background

Qing Xiang Yuan Dumplings, also known as QXY Dumplings, is a Chicago mainstay serving up fresh, authentic Northern Chinese cuisine. With a windowed kitchen and intimate dining room, QXY welcomes diners to savor the dumpling experience from start to finish. With diners praising the authenticity of their food, as well as their unique flavors, QXY strikes the difficult balance between tradition and innovation to stand out in a very competitive restaurant scene.

Challenge 

Opened in 2015, QXY spent their first years carving out a niche for their concept within their community. With a focus on quality, they took the time to make a reputation for themselves as more than the average takeout spot. They educated their customers on why it’s worth it to choose quality, like when it comes to selecting one of QXY’s premium teas rather than the low grade free oolong offered at some other dumpling restaurants.

Despite all that effort to earn a great reputation, the COVID-19 pandemic hit them as hard as anyone. And, after all that, they needed to take advantage of the resurgence of diners to make a strong comeback. Customer behavior had changed though, and old tactics for maximizing diner traffic (and profits) weren’t as effective anymore. Having limited seating for reservations made this situation even tougher, as the mix of reservations vs. walk-in diners had shifted. QXY needed to re-optimize their customer traffic to get as much as possible out of new and returning guests.

Solution

Eager to claim their share of resurging diners, QXY switched to Yelp Guest Manager in July 2021. With a seamless training and onboarding experience, their FOH staff were up and running in no time at all. By having a streamlined method of managing tables for reservations, waitlist, and take out orders all in one place, staff were able to turn tables faster and more efficiently.

The self-service waitlist feature allows customers to check estimated wait times and get in line remotely, with text notifications to let them know when their table is ready. Meanwhile, the Kiosk feature allows diners who come by in person to join the same line, with more accurate wait times than those quoted by hosts. These features free up FOH staff to take care of other vital tasks. Plus, these improvements give management the time to focus on some of their other great programming like their popular dumpling making classes.

As more and more diners have returned, QXY leveraged Yelp Guest Manager to remove uncertainty and improve visibility for both new and returning diners. Diners know exactly what to expect from their waitlist or reservation experience, so Qing Xiang Yuan Dumplings has been able to make the most of the resurgence of diners, and keep their focus on the quality of their food and guest experience.

They’ve grown their business to an average of more than 1300 parties seated every month in 2022.

“Yelp gives the guest an estimated waiting time and a text alert when their table is ready. So the waiting customers can take their time walking around Chinatown and come back on time instead of waiting in front of the restaurant to be called.”Jesse Li, General Manager at QXY Dumplings