Automatic deposits for larger groups
“Is there a way to set up an automatic deposit for groups over a certain size on specific days?”
Yes - and you don’t need to request it by hand. Point the access rule for those days at an access profile whose Minimum Spend applies only to larger parties. Smaller parties book as normal. Larger groups save a card, or pay a deposit, as part of booking.
The four building blocks
Section titled “The four building blocks”1 · Access ruleWhen
The days, times and dates bookings are taken. Each rule uses one access profile.
Availability → Access Rules2 · Access profileWho and how
Party sizes, tables, duration, no-show handling, and which minimum spend and payment policy apply.
Policies → Access Profiles3 · Minimum spendHow much
A price per cover. The deposit is that price times the number of guests.
Tables → Pricing4 · Payment policyWhat happens
Card on file or charged now, the cancellation window, and what a no-show costs.
Policies → GeneralHow a booking finds its deposit
Section titled “How a booking finds its deposit”Guest picks a date, time and party size
Which access rules are open then?Day of the week, time, the rule's dates, and any override
Is the party inside the profile’s Party Size?A rule whose profile doesn't fit the party isn't offered
Does the profile have a Minimum Spend?
No
No depositBooked without a card, unless a pre-order is paid for.
Yes, larger parties only
At or below the sizeNo deposit.
Above the sizeDeposit = price per cover × guests.
Yes, every party
Every bookingDeposit = price per cover × guests.
The profile’s payment policy decides how it’s secured
Card on file
Card saved, nothing chargedCharged only for a no-show or a late cancellation.
Capture
Charged nowComes off the bill when they visit. Kept for a no-show or a late cancellation.
How the amount is worked out: the price per cover (the price list’s default, or a table’s own price if you set one) times the covers - the party size, or the table’s minimum covers if that’s higher. A party of 7 on a table with 8 minimum covers, at £10 a head, is £80.
Set it up: groups of 6 or more on Fridays and Saturdays
Section titled “Set it up: groups of 6 or more on Fridays and Saturdays”Work in this order, so each step can pick the one before it.
1Create the priceTables → Pricing → + Add price list
- Name
- Weekend groups
- Default price per cover
- £10 (see the recommendations below)
- Per-table prices
- Leave empty, unless some tables (a booth, a private room) should cost more
2Choose how it's securedPolicies → General → Payment Policies
- Payment
- Card on file (nothing charged unless they don't show) or Capture (charged now, off the bill)
- No-show deposits
- Capture, charged 60 minutes after the reservation start time
- Customer modify / cancel
- Up to a cutoff: 48 hours before
3Build the profilePolicies → Access Profiles → + Add Table Access Profile
- Profile name
- Weekend dinner
- Party Size
- 1 to 12 - the full range you take online, small groups included
- Minimum Spend
- Price list: Weekend groups. Tick Only apply to larger parties and enter 5 ("larger than 5" means 6 or more)
- Payment & Policy
- The policy from step 2
- Late / No-Show
- Late after 15 minutes. Tick Automatically mark as a no-show after 30 minutes
4Use it on Friday and SaturdayAvailability → Access Rules
- One rule for every day?
- Duplicate it. Keep Sunday to Thursday on the original, and Friday and Saturday on the copy
- Friday / Saturday rule
- Edit it ("Entire series") and set Table Access Profile to Weekend dinner
- Check
- No other table rule is open on Friday or Saturday at the same times
Result: on Fridays and Saturdays, parties of 1 to 5 book without a card, and parties of 6 or more are asked for £10 a head as part of booking. Every other day is unchanged.
When a guest doesn’t arrive
Section titled “When a guest doesn’t arrive”Reservation start time passesThe guest hasn't been checked in
Late threshold reached (e.g. 15 minutes)Shown as Late on the grid. Nothing is cancelled.
Is “Automatically mark as a no-show” on?
Yes
Marked no-show at your thresholdThe table is freed for walk-ins and the guest is told.
No
Stays LateUntil staff mark it a no-show. Nothing is charged until they do.
The payment policy’s No-show deposits setting
Card on file, set to Capture
Card chargedThe deposit amount, at the start time plus your delay (e.g. 60 minutes).
Payment: Capture
Deposit keptIt was charged at booking. Nothing more is taken.
Set to Release
Nothing chargedThe no-show is recorded on the guest’s history.
- The delay is your safety net. If the guest turns up late and staff check them in, or the no-show is undone before the charge time, nothing is charged. If the charge has already gone through, refund it from the reservation’s Payment tab.
- Pre-orders follow their own setting - “Pre-orders & add-ons on a no-show” charges or releases them. Pay-in-venue items are never charged.
| Cancellation | Card on file | Capture |
|---|---|---|
| Before the cutoff | Card released, nothing charged | Deposit refunded in full |
| After the cutoff | The guest can only cancel by accepting the deposit charge | Deposit kept |
Recommended settings
Section titled “Recommended settings”Starting points, not rules - tighten them for your busiest nights and loosen them when you want to fill tables.
| Setting | Most nights | Peak nights & large groups |
|---|---|---|
| Payment | Card on file - low friction, full no-show protection | Capture - commitment up front, comes off the bill |
| Customer modify / cancel | Up to 24 hours before | Up to 48 hours before |
| No-show deposits | Capture, 60 minutes after the start time | Capture, 60 minutes after the start time |
| Pre-orders & add-ons | Card on file | Capture |
| Pre-orders on a no-show | Capture | Capture |
| Price per cover | £10 to £20 a head, about a third of your average spend | The same, or a little higher |
| Only apply to larger parties | Larger than 5 (groups of 6+) | Larger than 5, or every party on a special night |
| Party Size | Always set it, from 1 to your largest online group | The same |
| Late / No-Show | Late after 15 minutes, auto no-show after 30 | The same |
| Deposit Policy (staff requests) | Unpaid deadline 24 hours before, release unpaid reservations, warn 48 hours before | The same |
Common set-ups
Section titled “Common set-ups”| You want | Do this |
|---|---|
| Groups of 8+, every day | Put the minimum spend, larger than 7, on your Default access profile. Every rule without a profile of its own uses it. |
| Fridays and Saturdays only | The set-up above: a separate profile, used only by the weekend rule. |
| Every booking on a special night | Open the rule, choose This day only, and give that day a profile with a minimum spend for every party and a Capture policy. |
| A one-off event night | Add a rule whose start and end are the same date, and tick Override schedule so your usual rules step aside that day. |
Before you go live
Section titled “Before you go live”- One table rule per time slot. If two table rules are open on the same day and time, a guest can see both and pick the one without a deposit. Split rules by day or time, and let the profile split by party size.
- Party Size is set on the profile. A profile without it uses your Default profile’s range (or 1 to 6), and larger groups won’t see the rule at all.
- “Larger than” is one below your group size. For groups of 6 or more, enter 5.
- The price is per cover. There’s no flat amount per booking, and a table’s minimum covers can raise the count.
- Test it. Book for 5 and for 6 on a Friday in your widget: the 6 should ask for a card, the 5 shouldn’t.
- Bookings taken by staff (phone, walk-in) aren’t charged automatically. Use Request a deposit when adding the reservation, and the guest gets a link to pay or save their card.