Seasonal set menus with an optional pre-order
A seasonal set menu - a festive menu, a Valentine’s menu, a summer tasting menu - runs for a set date range alongside your normal bookings. Guests pick it as its own experience, can pre-order their menu choices while they book (or skip and decide on the night), and can add extras like a shot or a bottle. This guide builds one end to end, using a festive menu as the example:
- £45 per person, three courses with choices, one filling carrying a +£2 supplement
- Runs every day for six weeks, during your normal opening hours
- The menu is an optional pre-order, paid at the venue
- A £5 per person deposit kept as a card on file
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours before. After that the deposit is charged; the pre-order isn’t, as it hasn’t been paid
The pieces
Section titled “The pieces”One bundle for the set menu, one for add-ons.
Settings → InventoryThe deposit, how the menu is paid and the cancellation window.
Settings → Policies, Settings → Tables → PricingTies the menu, extras and money together.
Policies → Access ProfilesThe dates and hours, and the tile guests pick.
Settings → Access RulesBuild them in this order, so each step can pick the one before it. The quickest route is to duplicate your normal table profile and access rule (the copy icon on each row) and change only what’s different, so the seasonal menu keeps your usual seating areas, booking length and opening hours.
1. Build the menu
Section titled “1. Build the menu”- Bundle
- A new bundle named after the menu, for example Festive Menu, applying to Table profiles. Add a wide banner image if you like
- Item
- One item, for example Festive Menu (per person), with a photo
- Variant groups
- One group per course, each set so the guest picks one option - see below for where the price goes
Pricing a set menu with choices
Section titled “Pricing a set menu with choices”A set menu is one item with a variant group for each course. When any option in an item has a price, Sidedoor works the item’s price out from the options: the item shows From £x, where x is the cheapest combination, and the item’s own price field is locked. So put the menu price on the options of one course - usually the course with a supplement - and leave the other courses at £0.
| Variant group | Options | Option price |
|---|---|---|
| Starters | Each starter | £0 |
| Mains | Each main | £45 |
| The main with a supplement | £47 (the £45 plus the £2 supplement) | |
| Desserts | Each dessert | £0 |
Guests see From £45 and pay £47 only if they choose the supplement. If a course has a second choice (for example tacos, burrito or quesadilla), add it as its own group at £0.
- Bundle
- A second bundle for extras, for example Festive Extras, applying to Table profiles
- Items
- Each extra at its own price, for example a shot at £6, with a photo
Keeping the extras in their own bundle means the menu gets its own pre-order step and the extras appear after it as optional add-ons.
2. Set up the money
Section titled “2. Set up the money”- Payment
- Card on file - the deposit is only charged for a no-show or late cancellation
- Pre-orders & add-ons
- Pay in venue - nothing is taken online for the menu or extras
- Modify / cancel
- Up to cutoff, 24 hours before the booking
- No-show deposits
- Capture, so a no-show is charged the deposit
- Pre-orders & add-ons on a no-show
- Release / refund, so pre-ordered items are never charged or kept for a late cancellation
- Price list
- A new list, for example Festive Menu, at £5 per cover. A table of four secures £20 on their card
3. Create the table profile
Section titled “3. Create the table profile”Duplicate the table profile your normal bookings use, rename the copy (for example Festive Menu) and change these tiles:
- Pre-orders
- Turn it on, pick the set menu bundle and tick Optional (guests can skip)
- Optional add-ons
- Turn it on and pick the extras bundle
- Payment / policy
- The payment policy from step 3
- Price list
- The price list from step 4
- Tags
- Optional: a tag such as Festive Menu, so these bookings stand out on the grid and in reports
Everything else - areas, assignment, duration, booking window - stays as it was copied from your normal profile.
4. Publish it as an experience
Section titled “4. Publish it as an experience”Duplicate your normal table access rule, rename the copy and change:
- Schedule
- Start and End set to the menu's first and last day. Days and times stay as your normal rule, so it runs during your usual opening hours
- Table Access Profile
- The table profile from step 5
- Guest-Facing Display
- A title, a short description (the price and what's included) and a photo
- Show as experience
- Tick Show this rule as an experience
Your normal rule carries on as before, so guests who don’t want the set menu can still book a table as usual. After the end date no more bookings can be made for the menu. When the season is over, untick Show as experience (or delete the rule) to take the tile down.
How guests book it
Section titled “How guests book it”Guests who skipped can add the menu before their visit from their booking in the Sidedoor app, or from a pre-order request link. Turn on the Pre-order request automation under Marketing → Automations to send that link a few days before each booking - see Running pre-orders from start to finish.
Cancellations and no-shows
Section titled “Cancellations and no-shows”If you’d rather take payment for the menu when guests book, set Pre-orders & add-ons to Capture. With Pre-orders & add-ons on a no-show left at Release / refund, a late cancellation still refunds the menu and only the deposit is kept. See Choosing a payment setup for the trade-offs.
On the night
Section titled “On the night”Reservations → Pre Orders lists every pre-ordered menu with each guest’s choices, with item totals for the kitchen. Filter it to the date and print it for service. See The Pre Orders view.
Checklist
Section titled “Checklist”| Check | Where |
|---|---|
| Menu shows From £45 and each course has its choices | Settings → Inventory |
| Payment policy is Card on file, Pay in venue, Up to cutoff 24 hours | Settings → Policies |
| Profile has the menu under Pre-orders with Optional ticked, and the extras under Optional add-ons | Access Profiles |
| Rule has the right Start and End dates and Show as experience ticked | Access Rules |
| A test booking in your widget shows the menu step with Skip, then the extras, then £5 per person on the card | Your booking widget |