The best way for a pub to take table bookings is to make the dining area bookable and keep the bar for walk-ins, then manage both from one live list. Sunday lunch, Friday nights and match days are when bookings matter most. A pub that books its dining tables and still welcomes people at the bar gets the best of both.
Decide what’s bookable
Pubs usually split the room:
- Dining area or restaurant: bookable, with set table times.
- Bar and standing area: walk-in only.
- Garden: walk-in in good weather, or a few bookable tables in summer.
- Function room or snug: booked for groups and events.
Be clear about it on your website and at the door, so drinkers don’t feel unwelcome and diners know they can book.
Sunday lunch
For many pubs, Sunday lunch is the busiest service of the week. Tips:
- Take bookings in sittings, for example 12pm, 2pm and 4pm.
- Ask larger tables to book, and keep some tables for walk-ins.
- Ask for a card on file for big Sunday groups, as a roast for ten that doesn’t turn up is expensive.
Match days and events
Big games, quiz nights and live music change the room. Before the day:
- decide whether dining tables stay bookable or the room goes walk-in only;
- block online booking for those slots if you need to;
- tell guests with existing bookings what to expect.
One list for bookings and walk-ins
Pub teams are often small and busy at the bar. Keeping bookings and walk-ins in one place, on a tablet behind the bar, saves walking back and forth to a diary. See managing walk-ins and reservations together.
Phone bookings still matter
Many pub regulars phone to book. Put phone bookings straight into the same system so they block the table online too. See phone or online bookings.
How ForStars fits
ForStars works for pubs as well as restaurants and cafés: guests book dining tables on your own website, staff enter phone bookings and seat walk-ins on the kiosk, and the whole team sees one live floor plan. Peak auto-blocks pause online booking for a busy slot on their own. See features.
Questions owners ask
Should a pub take bookings for the bar?
Usually not. Keeping the bar walk-in keeps the pub feel and leaves room for passing trade.
How far ahead should Sunday lunch be bookable?
Most pubs take Sunday bookings two to four weeks ahead, and more for Mother’s Day and Christmas.