We’ve outlined below the settings required to effectively set up your diary to manage Christmas party nights. We have also highlighted optional setup depending on the booking flexibility you are looking to achieve.
Add a selectable Booking Option
Create the booking option for your specific party night; timeslot availability, covers, advance booking notice, add links to the menu, cancellation policy and a description of the night's festivities. For more info on how to add, please click here. If you are only running the party night and not taking a la carte table bookings alongside this, don’t forget to tick in to ‘enforce booking option’ for the customer.
You can choose to have the party night bookable via your online widget (web booking) or a separate direct booking URL (private only).
Optional: If your party night is running outside of your normal service times and you want to promote bookings with a direct link on your website or via email marketing (private online widget link), see the best setup option here.
Booking management
You may need to increase and override your normal max covers per time slot here to boost capacity at that specific time, especially if you're creating bookable sittings. If your party night booking availability differs to your normal service times, you will need to override your time slots using the partial open days setting here.
Optional: If you require your party night bookings to be allocated to tables within a function space, rather than your main restaurant area, you will need to close out your other restaurant areas at timeslots surrounding the party night, this includes the time before and after if your area is normally only used for functions. Make sure to remove any 'min covers' set for your area here.
Optional: you could create a new restaurant area for your Christmas bookings, if you are going to change your table layout. You will need to close out the new restaurant area at times before and after the festive season and then close out your normal areas during the festive season.
Adding card/payment rules (payment integration feature required)
Optional: After creating your booking option, set up a specific rule allocated to the individual offer. This could be card capture, prepayment for food menu per person, prepayment for an entire packaged night per person or a deposit for the whole booking.
Widget notification
Optional: Add an online widget message here to notify customers of your upcoming party nights so they are aware ahead of choosing a booking date/time.
Booking terms & conditions
Optional: You may wish to update your terms & conditions here by adding in your party night cancellation requirements or reviewing no show policies.