Start typing a regular’s name into a new booking and NomNom offers to fill in the rest: their phone number, their email, and how often they’ve booked with you. There’s nothing to set up and no list to keep. NomNom builds your guest list from the bookings you already take.
How your guest list builds itself
Every time a booking is saved with an email address or a phone number, NomNom checks whether it already knows that guest:
- It looks for the same email address first, then the same phone number. Spaces, dashes and brackets in a number don’t matter, and nor does writing a UK mobile as +44 or 07.
- If it finds them, anything missing from their record is filled in from the booking. Details it already has are kept.
- If it doesn’t, they’re added as a new guest.
This happens for every booking: the ones you take in NomNom Web or the phone app, bookings made on your booking page and bookings made through Google. A booking with only a name, or with a stand-in such as a full stop in the email box or 07 in the phone box, doesn’t add anyone. NomNom needs a real email address or a phone number of at least six digits.
Suggestions in NomNom Web
In the New reservation form, you can find a guest in two ways: type into Find a returning guest by name, phone or email at the top of the Guest section, or simply start typing into First name and Last name. Matches appear under whichever you’re typing in.
Suggestions start after two characters. Each one shows the guest’s name, a star if they’re a VIP, their phone and email, and how many bookings you have for them. Click one to fill in First name, Last name, Phone and Email.
In NomNom Web: New reservation → Guest.
Suggestions in the phone app
On a new booking, tap Name. Use Search existing customers at the top, or type into First Name and Last Name and matches appear under Existing customers. Tap one to fill in their details. Their name then shows in a green bar at the top, and their VIP setting and notes come with them.
In the phone app: the + button → New Reservation → Name.
How matches are found
Each word you type is checked against first names, last names, email addresses and phone numbers, and the closest matches come first: an exact match beats one that starts with what you typed, which beats one that just contains it. So Sam Tay brings Sam Taylor to the top, and 900123 finds anyone whose number contains those digits. Up to 20 matches are shown.
Good to know
- The booking is what’s on the form. Picking a suggestion just fills in the boxes. If a regular gives you a new number, change it on the booking. Their guest record keeps the number it already had.
- The booking count covers every booking you have under that email or phone number, including cancelled ones and ones still to come.
- Walk-ins don’t get suggestions. The walk-in form doesn’t look guests up (see Seating a walk-in).
- Finding a guest without starting a booking. In NomNom Web, Search lists matching Customers as well as bookings. Click a customer to start a booking with their details filled in. See Looking up a guest and their booking history.
- Each venue has its own guest list. A guest who has only booked at your other venue won’t be suggested here until they book with this one.
- Someone not coming up? See A returning guest doesn’t come up when I type their name.