It is three weeks out and a booking comes in online: two people, Saturday, half seven. A perfectly good booking. It goes on your six-top.
Nobody chose that. Your online booking already gives each party the smallest table that fits, so a couple normally lands on a two. But the twos and fours go first, and once they have, the next table that fits a couple is the big one. By the time the family of six rings on the Thursday, it has been gone for a fortnight.
One of our venues put it to us plainly while going through a Saturday’s bookings after service: another table of two on a table of six. So we have given you a way to say what a table is for.
Smallest party online
Every table now has a Smallest party online setting. Set a six-top to 3 and online bookings for one or two people will never be given it. Set it to 4 and it is kept for fours and up. It sits in the table’s settings, just under Online booking, and goes as high as the table has seats.
Table groups have their own, separate from the tables inside them. If you join 11 and 12 to seat eight, you can keep that pairing for parties of five or more while 11 and 12 on their own still take anyone.
Who gets offered what
Take three tables — a two, a four and a six — with only the six given a smallest party of three. Online, it plays out like this:
| Party online | 2-seater | 4-seater | 6-seater (3+) |
| 2 people | ✓ | ✓ | — |
| 3 people | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| 5 people | — | — | ✓ |
The two-seater was always too small for a three. What is new is the last column: the six is no longer there for a couple to fall back on.
What it changes, and what it does not
- It only affects online bookings. Your booking page, the booking button on your own website, NomNom Discover and Reserve with Google all respect it. You and your team can still put a couple on a six whenever it suits — on a quiet Tuesday, it might.
- It never moves anyone. Bookings already on a big table stay exactly where they are. The setting only decides what is offered from here on.
- Children count. Two adults and two children are a party of four.
- If the only table left is kept for bigger parties, a smaller party simply will not see that time online. They pick another time, or they ring you — which is often the conversation you wanted anyway.
- Guests changing their own booking are treated the same way. If someone on your six-top trims their party to two online, they are moved to a smaller table if one is free. If not, that time is not offered, and they can call.
Every table starts at Any size, so nothing changes until you decide it should.
Setting it up
In NomNom Web, go to Configuration → Tables and click a table’s name. Under Online booking you will find Smallest party online: use the plus and minus to set it, then Save. For joined tables it is the same, in Configuration → Table groups.
A sensible place to start is one above the table’s obvious pairing: sixes at three, eights at five. If a big table starts sitting empty on quieter nights, bring it back down. It takes a second.
The trade-off, honestly
A minimum is a bet that a bigger party will come along. On a busy Saturday that bet usually wins. On a wet Wednesday it can mean turning a couple away online for a table that then stays empty all evening.
We have kept it deliberately simple — one number per table, always on — so it does exactly what it says and nothing behind your back. If you would find it useful for a big table to open up to smaller parties closer to the day, tell us. We would like to hear how you would use it.
Ready when you are
Smallest party online is live in NomNom Web now. If you would like a hand working out the right numbers for your room, get in touch — we are always happy to help.