Setting up your restaurant’s rooms, tables, table combinations, and table plan in easyTable is essential for managing bookings efficiently. This guide will walk you through each step, ensuring your system is ready to handle reservations smoothly.
Step 1: Setting Up Rooms
Rooms in easyTable refer to different sections or areas of your restaurant, such as the main dining area, outdoor patio, or private dining rooms.
- Navigate to Settings > Tables and rooms > Rooms.
- Click on the Add Room button to create a new room.
- Enter the Room Name (e.g., “Main Dining,” “Patio,” or “Private Room”).
- Set the Room Priority (e.g., Highest, High, Medium, Low, Lowest or Offline). The system will prioritize booking in rooms with the highest priority.
- Click Save to confirm the room setup.
Step 2: Setting Up Tables
Once your rooms are configured, the next step is to set up the tables within each room.
- Go to Settings > Tables and rooms > Tables.
- Select the room for which you want to add tables
- Click the Add Table button under the room name.
- Enter the following details:
- Table Name/Number: Assign a name or number to the table (e.g., “Table 1,” “1”).
- Seats: Specify the number of seats available at this table (e.g., 2, 4, 6).
- Table Priority: Set the priority for booking this table within the system (Highest, High, Medium, Low, Lowest and Offline.).
- Click Save to add the table to the selected room.
- Repeat the process to add all the tables in your restaurant.
Step 3: Creating Table Combinations
Table combinations allow you to combine smaller tables to accommodate larger groups. This is vital to avoid losing reservations from bigger parties.
- Navigate to Settings > Tables and rooms > Combined tables.
- Click on the green Add combination button to create a new combination.
- A pop-up window will appear, allowing you to select tables for the combination. Click on the tables that should be combined, or use the Select all option.
- Define the total number of Seats when the tables are combined (e.g., combining two 4-seat tables results in 8 seats).
- Set the Priority for the combination (e.g., Highest, High, Medium). The system will prioritize booking these tables together based on the priority level.
- Click Save to store the table combination.
- Repeat the process to create all necessary table combinations for larger groups.
Step 4: Designing Your Table Plan
The table plan allows you to create a visual layout of your restaurant, ensuring you and your staff can easily manage seating arrangements. This is particularly useful during busy periods.
- Go to Settings > Tables and rooms > Table plan.
- Select the room for which you want to design the table plan from the Room dropdown.
- Use Unallocated Tables First: In the Unallocated tables section, drag tables into the white box representing your room layout. This ensures that tables already configured in the system are not duplicated.
- To add new tables, drag table shapes from the Add table section (left side) into the layout area. Choose from various shapes, such as round, square, or rectangular tables, based on your physical layout.
- Arrange the tables in the layout to reflect the actual seating arrangement in your restaurant.
- Set table priorities by dragging the tables according to their importance (e.g., Highest, High, Medium). This helps the system allocate tables during bookings based on availability and seating preferences.
- Click Save table plan to confirm the layout.
Step 5: Review and Test Your Setup
After completing the setup of rooms, tables, table combinations, and the table plan, it’s essential to test the system to ensure everything works smoothly.
- Make a test booking to check how the system allocates tables based on your priority settings.
- Verify that table combinations are applied correctly for larger group bookings.
- Ensure that the table plan reflects the actual layout of your restaurant.
Why This Setup is Important
Setting up rooms, tables, table combinations, and a visual table plan ensures that your restaurant operates efficiently and maximizes its seating capacity. By correctly configuring these elements in easyTable, you can:
- Accommodate larger groups: Ensure that bigger groups can be seated by combining tables as needed.
- Minimize booking errors: Reduce the chance of overbooking or booking unsuitable tables for guest preferences.
- Optimize table usage: Prioritize high-revenue tables and ensure that every table is used effectively during busy periods.
- Improve guest experience: Guests receive the best seating arrangements based on availability and priority.
Table Priority and Booking Algorithm
easyTable uses a smart booking algorithm to allocate tables based on the following rules:
- If multiple rooms are available, the system will attempt to book tables in the room with the highest priority first.
- The system will try to book a single table before combining tables for larger groups.
- It selects tables or combinations that best fit the number of guests for optimal table utilization.
- If multiple tables with the same seat count are available, the system will choose the table with the highest priority. For combinations, the priority of the first table in the combination is considered.
By following these steps, you ensure your restaurant is set up to handle reservations efficiently, accommodate groups of all sizes, and provide a seamless experience for both staff and guests.