Digitization continues to advance and does not stop at gastronomy. Many restaurateurs are therefore wondering whether they should provide their customers with a free guest WiFi in their restaurant and thus enable convenient Internet access. Although you may have initial concerns, you will quickly realize that guest WiFi access in gastronomy is quick and easy to set up and offers many advantages.
What are the advantages of a guest WiFi?
A WiFi for the guests in your restaurant will set you apart from your competitors and make you competitive in the long run. Attract new customers and make your gastronomy not only a hotspot for delicious food and drinks, but also make it easier for working professionals and digital nomads to access the Internet using a free guest network. Your guests will stay longer in the restaurant and order one or two more drinks or dishes.
Take also advantage of the digitization potential by linking the provision or connection to the guest WiFi to rating options, advertising measures or feedback. When being asked for the guest network, you can train your staff to kindly ask guests for a positive Google review for your restaurant. Additionally, you can set up a redirect to your website, display drink or food specials, or show a feedback form once the customer has successfully connected to the restaurant's WiFi.
To avoid having your staff constantly busy giving out the WiFi access data to each guest individually, you can place QR codes on the tables or on the menus that automatically establish Internet access without any password entry. You can also link to your restaurant's social media channels and hashtags so that your guests link to them when they visit, creating more awareness of what you have to offer.
It is important not to simply offer an existing private WiFi to guests, but to actually offer their own guest WiFi. This way you will protect the devices of your home network as well as your private data from unwanted access. Do not be afraid of the technology: A guest WiFi can be easily set up in just a few steps.
How to set up WiFi guest access in the restaurant?
A separate guest account with its own name and password must be created. This then establishes a separate network alongside your home network. The guest WiFi will run through the same router this way – so you do not need to buy additional devices – and will still have its own identifier.
- In your browser, enter the IP address of your router. This can also be found in the user manual.
- Log in with the administrator name and password. For additional security, you can change the credentials.
- Search for a guest network or access in the router settings and activate the function by clicking on it.
- You can now name your guest WiFi via the "SSID" field. This name will then be displayed to your guests in the list of available networks.
- In the next step, set the password for the guest network. It is possible to offer the guest WiFi as a free network. However, to avoid misuse, you are better protected with a password.
- Select "WPA2" as the mode for encryption.
- Disable the "Access to local network resources" function. This will prevent guests from accessing your home WiFi.
- Check that the "Allow access to settings" function is turned off. Now your customers can easily use the guest WiFi and your home network is well protected.
Many restaurateurs wonder who is liable in the event of illegal data sharing through the guest network. According to a 2018 ruling by the German Federal Court of Justice, the person who caused this to happen is liable. So if a guest downloads illegal music or videos without your knowledge, for example, you are not liable for this illegal data exchange.
Do not forget to inform your guests that the guest WiFi is used at their own risk and that an uninterrupted Internet connection cannot always be guaranteed. In this way, you as a restaurateur additionally protect yourself from liability claims.
Who is liable for the guest WiFi?
Many restaurateurs wonder who is liable in the event of illegal data sharing through the guest network. According to a 2018 ruling by the German Federal Court of Justice, the person who caused this to happen is liable. So if a guest downloads illegal music or videos without your knowledge, for example, you are not liable for this illegal data exchange.
Do not forget to inform your guests that the guest WiFi is used at their own risk and that an uninterrupted Internet connection cannot always be guaranteed. In this way, you as a restaurateur additionally protect yourself from liability claims.
