Opening a Restaurant? The Complete Beginner's Guide to Reservation Management
Planning to open a restaurant? Reservation management is something you must plan before day one. This guide teaches you how to set up an effective booking workflow from scratch.
Why Plan Reservation Management Before Opening?
Many restaurant founders focus all their energy on interior design, menus, and sourcing. Reservation management is often an afterthought — "we'll figure it out later." But in reality, your booking workflow determines your turnover efficiency and guest experience. Scrambling to set it up after opening is too late.
Reservation Management Basics
1. Define Your Seating Layout
- Total seat count
- How many tables accept reservations (do you reserve some for walk-ins?)
- Table flexibility (can two 2-tops be combined into a 4-top?)
- Capacity per dining period
These numbers form the foundation for all your booking rules. Use our Revenue Potential Calculator to estimate how much your seating layout can generate.
2. Set Dining Periods
- Start and end times for each period
- Estimated average dining duration (lunch: 60-90 min, dinner: 90-120 min)
- Turnover buffer (table clearing + next guest seating: typically 15-20 min)
3. Establish Booking Rules
- How far in advance can guests book: 7-14 days is recommended
- Cancellation deadline: Noon the day before is common
- Late arrival hold time: 15-20 minutes is industry standard
- Deposit for large parties: Recommended for 6+ guests, NT$200-500 per person
4. Choose Your Management Method
- Paper + phone: Lowest cost, but error-prone and no data tracking
- Spreadsheet / Google Forms: Slightly better, but still manual
- Online booking system: Automated reminders, waitlist, data tracking — most cost-effective long-term
On a tight budget? Start with a pay-per-use system. Eatsy charges no monthly fees and no contracts — ideal for new restaurants with unpredictable booking volumes.
New Restaurant Booking Checklist
- □ Seating layout and table map completed
- □ Dining periods and turnover buffers confirmed
- □ Booking rules established (advance window, cancellation policy, late policy)
- □ Booking channels confirmed (phone? LINE? website? system?)
- □ Staff trained: who handles bookings, how to record, how to handle issues
- □ No-show response plan prepared
Opening a restaurant involves endless tasks, but getting reservation management right means your revenue efficiency starts strong from day one. Want more? Read our complete guide on how to choose a reservation system.