Who can do without it?
Plenty of places. The honest answer is that software won't fix a problem you don't have.
| Your situation | Our advice |
|---|---|
| Café without table bookings, people drop in | No system needed. |
| A few bookings, the phone always gets answered | Stick to the phone and a tidy reservations book. |
| Calls get lost during service, lunch and dinner are full | Online requests help. |
| Guests from abroad, or many late-night bookings | Online requests help. |
| Lots of big groups with special arrangements | Keep the phone, go online for small tables only. |
How do you find out?
Count for two weeks. Keep a tally sheet by the phone.
- Missed calls during opening hours, from the call log.
- Voicemails left when you're closed.
- Requests on Instagram or by email that went unanswered.
- Evenings with empty tables despite those missed requests.
At the made-up Restaurant Laterne, that might be eight missed calls a week and three evenings with free tables. That's worth trying out. Two calls and a house that's full anyway means you can drop the subject. This threshold is our judgement, not a rule. What matters is whether free tables and missed requests happen together.
What do you really need if you go online?
Usually less than you're offered. It's enough if guests can send a day, time and party size and get an answer. And the request should arrive where you actually see it during service, such as a notification on your phone. On Google, the help page says you can add your own booking link or connect a provider, and that the provider may charge for it. So ask about the cost per booking before you sign, especially with reservation portals.
An Instagram profile doesn't work as a booking link on Google. Its link policy rules out social media and messaging links, and the link has to lead to a page where a booking can actually be completed.
For what fuller systems add, see our article on online table reservations. More bookings also bring more no-shows, so read how to reduce no-shows too.
What does a simple online request look like day to day?
With NFCeez you set your tables, occasions and the first and last booking time in the app. On your Smart Page, guests pick the day, time, party size and occasion, even at night when nobody can answer the phone. The request appears on your phone straight away, and one tap confirms or declines it. Guests get a booking number by email. The limit: there's no deposit and no fee, and arrangements with big groups are still better made by phone, as in the table above. More on table reservations.
Your next step: put the tally sheet by the phone today and look at it in two weeks.
How NFCeez does thisRequests that arrive even at night.Guests pick the day, time and party size on your Smart Page. The request appears on your phone, and one tap confirms it.See how it works
