If your restaurant has a private function area, you can use simpleERB to monitor these bookings as well.
Here are a few helpful hints on how to go about setting this up and monitoring bookings.
Add the private function area to your diary for bookings
Set up the private function room, as a separate restaurant area in your 'restaurant area setting' here. When creating the area, add the minimum number of covers required for that area to become bookable. (We can turn the area off to online booking later!) From the example below, we have made the minimum booking as 20 covers.
Next move on to the 'table layout' here , and add in the tables. Here is where you can turn off these tables to online booking or table joins. See our article here on how to do this.
Join tables in the area so you can accommodate the party as a single booking
It is best to join all the tables together so that when you are adding the booking, this will be a single booking in simpleRB. Of course, if you use your function area for party nights, you can still book them individually. You can see below we have joined the 4 tables of 10 covers we have in the private function room. You can see our article here on table joins for further information.
Add catering packages or event equipment as booking information buttons
You could add in your catering packages and different vent equipment customers would require so that you can quickly mark this in the booking. This helps staff quickly see what is required for the booking and it will also be viewable in the Diary or Print View 'quick notes section'.
Use the booking notes section to add in specific details about the event such as run times, room set up. See the example below we have created.
Please be aware simpleERB is not specifically built as an event management software or to be used as an event run sheet. It is useful however for smaller restaurants to record the basics of the function booking to avoid double bookings and have the booking viewable by all staff.
Use payment/card capture with Stripe integration to hold against the booking
Using the Stripe integration for payment/card capture, you can take payment for the function booking in simpleERB. Set up the payment/card capture rule for the minimum booking number at the times you take function bookings. This way when the customer calls and you input the booking, simpleERB will flag up that an email is required to take the payment. For further information on payment/card capture, see our articles here or our video here.
*We currently integrate with the following payment providers to securely process and manage the payment process; Stripe and takepayments. Please be aware that the payment provider will charge you a transaction service fee on all payments processed.