NomNom stops two parties being given the same table at the same time. Guests booking online are never given a table that’s taken, or one another guest is partway through booking, and when you take or move a booking NomNom only lists the free tables. If a change you make would still put two bookings on one table, it asks you first. That check comes from a real report: two online bookings had been moved by hand onto the same table for overlapping times, and nothing stopped it.
The Table already booked warning
You’ll see Table already booked when you save a change that would put a booking on a table someone else is using at that time. That can happen when you edit a booking’s time, turn length or table, or drag it on the chart, including to a later time on the same table. The message names the other booking, for example Table 7 is already booked for Priya Shah at 7:30 PM (ref K7Q2MX). Assign it anyway?
- Cancel saves nothing. The booking stays as it was, so you can pick another table or time.
- Assign anyway saves it, and both bookings are then on that table.
Only assign anyway when you mean to — you know the earlier party will be gone in time, say. The phone app asks the same question.
Other warnings on the chart
- Swap tables? Drag a booking onto a table that already has one, and NomNom offers to swap the two bookings’ tables. Click Swap, or Cancel to leave both where they were.
- Bump booking? Drag a booking from the Unallocated row onto a table that’s in use, and NomNom offers to seat it there and move the other booking to Unallocated.
- Booking in progress. A faint Online booking in progress block means a guest is booking that table online right now. Choose Assign anyway and you and the guest could both be given it.
Find and fix double-booked tables
1. Open Optimise tables. In NomNom Web, click the Optimise tables button (the sparkle) in the top bar. In a narrow window it’s under More. It opens on the day you’re looking at and checks every area.
2. Look for Double-booked tables. If any table has two bookings at once, a red banner comes first, such as 1 double-booked table found — this plan clears it. Under Double-booked tables, each card names the table and area, with the time and party size of both bookings.
3. Check the label on each card. Fixed by this plan means one of the suggested moves underneath separates them. Reseat by hand means NomNom can’t move either booking for you.
4. Apply the moves. Nothing changes until you click Apply moves. Click Close to leave everything as it is.
In NomNom Web: the Optimise tables button in the top bar. In the phone app: the three dots at the top right → Optimise Tables → Apply.
More on its other suggestions: Optimising your table plan.
When it says Reseat by hand
Optimise tables won’t move a booking that’s seated, starts within the next hour, or whose guest asked for that table; those are marked (seated/pinned). Nor can it help when no free table fits. Move one of the two yourself. In NomNom Web, right-click it and choose Move to table, Swap tables or Unallocate. In the phone app, tap it and choose Move to, Swap tables with or Unallocate. If the guest requested the table, untick Requested table in the booking first (see When a guest requests a specific table).
Good to know
- Back-to-back is fine. A booking ending at 19:00 and the next one starting at 19:00 on the same table aren’t a double-booking.
- Cancelled and no-show bookings don’t hold a table, so they’re never part of one either.
- Bookings brought across from your old system. If your bookings were copied into NomNom from a previous booking system, they weren’t checked for clashes on the way in. Run Optimise tables on your busier days to catch any.