Guide
Taking Sunday roast bookings without the Saturday night phone calls
The Sunday roast is the busiest, most stressful service in many pubs. Everyone wants the same table at the same time, and the kitchen has one oven. A bit of set up means the book fills itself and the kitchen knows what is coming.
Set your roast hours
Under Opening hours, add a service period on Sunday that matches your roast, for example 12:00 to 15:00. Use Last booking, minutes before the end of a period so nobody books a table at 14:45 for a three course roast.
Protect the kitchen
Go to Tables. Under Party sizes and capacity, set Max covers per service to the number the kitchen can really cook. Under Pacing, choose Covers per 15 minutes and set a maximum, so the whole pub does not sit down at 1pm.
Roast choices and deposits (Pro)
On the Pro plan, add a set menu under Events and menus, with your roast choices as the courses. Then turn on Ask big parties to pre-order from a set menu and set the party size it starts from. Those parties get a link in their confirmation email to pick their dishes, and the kitchen sees the totals.
If no-shows are a problem on Sundays, go to Deposits, choose a deposit or card hold, set the amount a head, and under Only on these days tick Sunday. See how to take deposits.
Step by step
- Add the roast service. Go to Opening hours, find Sunday, press Add period and set the start and end times.
- Set the last booking time. In the same page, set Last booking, minutes before the end of a period.
- Cap the covers. Go to Tables. Under Party sizes and capacity, fill in Max covers per service.
- Pace the arrivals. Under Pacing, choose Covers per 15 minutes and set Maximum per 15 minutes. Press Save.
- Add your roast set menu. On Pro, go to Events and menus, press Add a set menu, and list your courses.
- Switch on pre-orders. Tick Ask big parties to pre-order from a set menu and set the party size.
- Add a Sunday deposit if needed. Go to Deposits, choose what to take, and tick Sunday under Only on these days.
Watch it and read more
FAQ
Common questions
Can I make a Sunday roast an event?
Yes, on Pro. An event is for one date, so add one for each Sunday you want to list. It can carry a set menu, a price a head and its own capacity.
Can I stop people booking ordinary tables on a roast day?
On Pro, make the roast an event and tick Close normal table bookings for this date and time. Otherwise your Sunday service period decides what can be booked.
Do I need Pro for the Sunday roast?
No. Hours, the cover cap and pacing work on every plan. Set menus with pre-orders, events and deposits are Pro.
Can guests tell me about allergies?
Yes. In Booking page look, tick Ask about allergies and dietary needs and it appears on the booking form.