A request for a table of 10 or more opens a group booking with three set menus and a per-guest deposit link. Unpaid holds are released after 72 hours, and three days before the dinner the kitchen receives dish counts and dietary notes.
Typical results
≈4 hrs/wk
Manager time on group emails and calls saved
72 hrs
Before unpaid requests are released
3 days
Ahead of the dinner, the kitchen gets dish counts
Figures reflect typical results for this kind of automation.
The challenge
Requests for tables of 10 or more come in by phone, email and the website, and each one turns into a thread about menus, prices and dates. Tables are held without a deposit, so a large group that cancels the same afternoon leaves a section empty on a busy night. The kitchen often learns the final headcount on arrival.
Before and after
Group no-shows and late cancellations per month
−50%Manager hours per week on group bookings
−80%The automation
Any reservation request for 10 or more guests opens a group booking. The organizer receives the three set menus and a payment link for a per-guest deposit. Unpaid requests get a reminder after 48 hours and are released after 72, freeing the tables. Paid bookings are confirmed in the reservation system. Three days before the dinner, the organizer is asked for the final headcount and dietary needs, and the kitchen gets a pre-order sheet with dish counts per menu.
How it works
- 01
Request for 10 or more
A booking request for 10 or more guests from the website, email or phone log opens a group booking.
- 02
Menus and deposit link
The organizer gets the three set menus and a per-guest deposit link for the requested headcount.
- 03
Reminder, then release
Unpaid requests get a reminder after 48 hours and are released after 72, so the tables go back on sale.
- 04
Confirmed in the reservations
Paid bookings are confirmed in the reservation system with the menu, headcount and deposit noted.
- 05
Headcount and kitchen sheet
Three days before, the organizer confirms the headcount and dietary needs, and the kitchen gets dish counts.
Starts from
- Request for 10+ guests
- Three set menus
Delivers
- Per-guest deposit link
- Confirmed reservation
- Kitchen pre-order sheet
The impact
Group no-shows and late cancellations drop by about half, from roughly 6 a month to 3, because every confirmed table carries a deposit. The manager saves about 4 hours a week of emails and calls, and the kitchen preps from exact dish counts and allergy notes three days ahead.
Questions about this automation
How is the deposit amount set?
The restaurant sets a per-guest deposit for each set menu, which is deducted from the final bill on the night. The payment link is created for the requested headcount, so the organizer pays once for the whole table. If guests are added later, a top-up link is sent for the difference.
What if the organizer changes the headcount after paying?
Changes are accepted through the same reply form until the final headcount request. Increases trigger a top-up link and an updated table assignment, while decreases follow the restaurant's own policy, either a credit on the bill or a partial refund approved by the manager. The kitchen sheet always uses the latest count.
Does it work with the restaurant's reservation system?
It connects to reservation systems that accept bookings through an API, and to Google Sheets for restaurants that keep group bookings there. Make runs the steps, the card processor creates the payment links, and messages go by email or WhatsApp. This is a multi-step build, usually rolled out in stages.