Case Study: How Truluck’s Elevates Unforgettable Dining Experiences with Tripleseat and TripleseatDirect

Key Results at a Glance

  • Seamlessly manages 20–30 private events per month, per location, across 12 distinct venues.
  • Streamlined bookings for large parties (8–12 guests) using TripleseatDirect.
  • Eliminated “phone tag” by securing bookings and credit cards instantly online.
  • Centralized communication ensures chefs, management, and guests are always in sync.

The Challenge: Delivering “World-Class” Service Without World-Class Tools

Summary:

  • Reliance on basic reservation notes or disparate systems made internal communication difficult.
  • Manual lead tracking risked missed opportunities during high-volume seasons.
  • Lack of automated tasks meant event managers had to manually remember every follow-up.

Since 1992, Truluck’s has been fiercely independent and committed to creating unforgettable moments through genuine Southern hospitality, world-class seafood, and hand-cut steaks. With 12 locations across Texas, Florida, Illinois, and Washington D.C., their event needs are diverse—ranging from intimate 12-person pharmaceutical dinners at their Arboretum location to 600-person full buyouts in Downtown Austin.

Managing this volume of high-stakes events requires precision. Before standardizing on Tripleseat, tracking these complex needs was a manual struggle, often relying on simple notes in reservation systems like OpenTable.

“Prior to Tripleseat, it was difficult to communicate with not only the guest but with my internal partners like chefs and management teams,” explains Misty Montague, Sales & Events Manager for the Austin Market. Without a dedicated system, keeping on task during busy seasons was a challenge, increasing the risk that vital details could fall through the cracks.

Inefficient and Fragmented Communication

Before Tripleseat, communicating event details was cumbersome. Coordinating between the guest, chefs, and management team required multiple tools or manual updates, leading to miscommunication and missed information. There was no centralized platform to ensure that everyone involved had real-time access to event changes or updates.

Poor Lead Tracking and Follow-Up

Using earlier systems, managing leads was cumbersome and disorganized. There was no streamlined way to capture, track, or follow up with potential clients, leading to missed opportunities and poor visibility into the event pipeline. The lack of structure in the lead-to-booking process slowed growth and hindered business performance.

Manual and Disorganized Task Management

Without Tripleseat’s automated workflows, managing tasks during busy seasons was highly manual. Staff had to rely on personal reminders or handwritten notes, which made it easy for tasks to fall through the cracks. The absence of automation created stress and inefficiency, especially when juggling multiple events.

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  • “I live and breathe by my Tripleseat calendar! It definitely helps especially during busy seasons when there is a lot going on to keep me on task and not let anything fall through the cracks.”

    Misty Montague, Sales & Events Manager, Truluck’s

Why Truluck’s Chose Tripleseat & TripleseatDirect

The Truluck’s events team knew their legacy systems weren’t meeting communications needs with both guests and internal partners. Seeking a better way to centralize leads, generate consolidated communication, and maintain consistency across all locations, they began looking for a cloud-based event management platform.

 

More recently, Truluck’s adopted TripleseatDirect, giving guests the power to book instantly online group dining events in the main dining room. The addition of direct booking created a faster, more seamless guest experience while freeing the team from repetitive, manual tasks.

The team chose Tripleseat and TripleseatDirect because it allowed them to:

  • Centralize internal and external communication
  • Grow event business through streamlined processes and automated tasks

  • Deliver a seamless, professional booking experience for guests—particularly for large party reservations of eight to twelve guests

The Solution: A Unified System for Private Events and Group Dining

Summary:

  • Tripleseat acts as the single source of truth for all event details, leads, and internal notes.
  • TripleseatDirect provides an immediate “call to action” on their website for medium-sized group bookings.
  • An automated, centralized task management.system in Tripleseat creates a permanent, referenceable paper trail for every event.

Truluck’s implemented Tripleseat to serve as the operational backbone for their events. “I live and breathe by my Tripleseat calendar,” Montague says. The platform’s lead management and automated tasks now ensure timely follow-ups before booking, while the Discussions feature keeps every guest interaction and internal instruction right where it’s needed.

To further streamline operations, Truluck’s utilized TripleseatDirect to bridge the gap between standard reservations and full private events. They now use TripleseatDirect specifically to manage large party reservations (8 to 12 guests) in their main dining rooms.

Centralized Communication and Context

The ability to recap every phone conversation or in-person meeting using the Notes feature has proven invaluable. “This has been helpful on many occasions to go back [to reference what was discussed],” says Montague. Whether it’s a question from staff or a guest, the answers are always immediately available in Tripleseat.

Streamlined Booking with TripleseatDirect

For guests wanting to book a large table without needing a full private room, TripleseatDirect offers a frictionless path. “It’s helpful for them to have a call to action button on our website that takes them directly through the TripleseatDirect booking process,” Montague notes. Guests can select their date, book it, and put a credit card on file instantly—all without a single phone call.

Automated Task Management with Tripleseat

Tripleseat replaces manual to-do lists with automated, centralized task management. Custom checklists, reminders, and notifications ensure every step — from inquiry to follow-up — stays on track. Teams can collaborate in real time, reducing missed details and last-minute stress.

“I love the automated tasks that triple seat has added, this definitely helps especially during busy seasons when there is a lot going on to keep me on task and not let anything fall through the cracks!,” says Montague.

The Results: Less “Phone Tag,” More Unforgettable Moments

By leveraging the full Tripleseat platform, Truluck’s has successfully streamlined a high-volume operation that varies significantly by location. They can now efficiently manage the 20 to 30 events per month at each location, from small social gatherings to massive corporate buyouts, without sacrificing the personalized service their brand is known for.

The addition of TripleseatDirect has specifically improved efficiency for their group dining. By allowing these groups to self-serve online, Montague’s team saves valuable time. “It saves them a phone call and having to play phone tag back and forth,” she says. “If the date is available, they can select it, book it, and we can confirm it on our end.”

TripleseatDirect makes group reservations easy

Optimize Your Event Workflow to Elevate Your Dining Experiences

Join top-tier venues like Truluck’s in delivering world-class hospitality with less manual work. Discover the platform that fits your needs. Request a demo today to see how Tripleseat can transform your event operations. Interested in TripleseatDirect? Let’s chat about how you can add it to your Tripleseat platform.

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