When a guest books on your booking page, NomNom chooses their table for them the moment they pick a time. It rules out the tables that can’t take the booking, then gives the party the smallest one left. Once you know the order, it’s easy to see why a booking landed where it did — and what to change if you’d rather it hadn’t.
Which tables are in the running
At the time the guest picked, a table is only considered if:
- its Online booking switch is on, and so is its area’s Online switch
- it can be booked that day under Available days, and online that day under Online booking days
- it seats the whole party, adults and children together
- the party isn’t smaller than its Smallest party online
- it’s free for the whole turn length: nobody booked on it, and no other guest partway through booking it
- it’s Dog friendly, when the guest is bringing a dog and you’ve marked any tables that way
A table group only counts as free when every table in it is.
Which one it picks
From the tables left, NomNom takes the first in this order:
1. The smallest table that fits. A party of three gets a free four-top before a free six-top.
2. Single tables before table groups. If a six-top and a group that seats six are both free, the six-top goes first.
3. Higher priority. Between tables of the same size, the one with the higher Priority goes first.
4. The lowest table number. Table 4 before table 9. Tables named with words rather than numbers come after the numbered ones.
Priority only settles a tie between tables of the same size. It never puts a bigger table ahead of a smaller one, whatever the hint under it suggests. Use it to choose which two-tops fill first — the window tables before the ones by the kitchen door, say.
In NomNom Web: Configuration → Tables → click a table. In the phone app: Configuration → Tables → tap a table. Configuration is for admins only.
Which area
If your booking page lists times under each area’s name, the guest chooses the area when they pick a time, and the table always comes from that area.
If the guest doesn’t choose — because you’ve turned Display rooms off, or the booking came through Reserve with Google — NomNom tries your areas in the order they’re listed under Configuration → Areas, and the first area with a suitable table free wins. So a free six-top in your first area is chosen ahead of a free two-top in your second. To change which area fills first, drag your areas into a different order.
In NomNom Web and the phone app: Settings → Online Booking & Discover → Display rooms (admins only).
Why did an online booking go on my big table?
Nearly always because nothing smaller could take it at that time:
- The smaller tables were booked. Even a short overlap with the turn length rules a table out. If you’d rather hold the big table back, give it a Smallest party online — see Keeping big tables for bigger parties online.
- The smaller tables weren’t in the running. Check each one’s Online booking switch, Online booking days and Available days, and whether it’s Dog friendly if the guest was bringing a dog.
- Another guest was partway through booking them. Each guest’s table is held for about 15 minutes while they finish booking.
- The free small table was in another area. If the guest didn’t choose an area, the first area in your list wins. Reorder your areas, or turn Display rooms on so guests choose.
- A table’s size is wrong. NomNom trusts the Table size you’ve saved: a four-top saved as a six is treated as a six.
You can still move the booking, or tidy up the whole day — see Optimising your table plan.
Good to know
- Bookings you take yourself aren’t picked this way. In NomNom Web or the phone app you choose the table, or leave the booking unallocated. The online-only settings — Online booking, Online booking days, Smallest party online, Dog friendly — don’t limit you, but Available days does.
- It isn’t retrospective. Changing a table’s settings never moves bookings already made.
- Guests changing their own booking. If a guest changes their time or party size online, NomNom picks a table for the new booking afresh.
- Turn lengths matter. The longer each booking holds its table, the fewer tables are free at busy times — see Setting how long a table is held.
- New to tables? See Setting up your areas and tables.