For cafes
Table booking for cafes
Most cafes do not need a booking system on a Tuesday morning. They need one for weekend brunch, for the group of ten who want to sit together, and for the afternoon tea that has to be ordered in advance. Tablez does that, and it is free at cafe volumes.
Up to 60 bookings a month free. No card, no term.
Why cafes end up with no booking system at all
The systems built for restaurants cost £50 to £150 a month and expect you to have a host stand. For a cafe with twelve tables and a coffee machine, that is absurd, so most cafes take bookings on the phone, in a notebook, or through Instagram messages. That works until it does not: the notebook is behind the till, the person who took the booking is off, and a table of eight turns up to find nothing kept for them.
Tablez is free for up to 60 bookings a month. That covers most cafes entirely. If you grow past it, the next step is £5 a month, paid yearly as £60, and we never charge per cover.
Bookings only when you want them
Weekend brunch only
Set Saturday and Sunday as your only bookable services, from 9am to 1pm say, and the calendar shows every other day as walk-in only. Midweek stays exactly as it is. You can keep half your tables out of the system so there is always space for someone who wanders in.
Short turn times
Turn times are set by party size, so a couple gets 45 minutes and a table of six gets an hour and a half. Slots are offered every 15 or 30 minutes. If your brunch rush is 10 to 12, cap covers per 15 minutes so the kitchen is not hit by six tables at once.
Group bookings you can vet
Put groups above a certain size on staff approved mode. The customer gets a "we have received your request" email, you get an alert, and you confirm when you have moved the tables around. Small parties can still be confirmed instantly.
Afternoon tea and anything that needs notice
Set a minimum notice period, for example 24 hours, so nobody books an afternoon tea for twenty minutes' time. The booking page explains it politely and offers the next available slot instead.
Where cafes share the link
Cafes live on Instagram, so that is the first place: put the link in your bio and mention it in stories. Read our page on booking links for Instagram and Facebook. Then Google Business Profile, where people searching "brunch near me" will see a reserve button. Then a QR code on the counter and the menus.
If you have a website, embedding takes one line. Squarespace and Wix are the most common cafe sites and both work without a plugin, as does WordPress.
The staff app on the counter phone
Install the staff app on the phone by the till. When a request arrives it beeps and shows accept and decline buttons big enough to hit with a wet thumb. Today's bookings are listed in time order so whoever is on can see that a table of six is due at 11 and keep the big table clear. Mark them arrived when they sit down.
What it does not do
Tablez does not take orders, do pre-payment for afternoon tea, or handle deposits yet. Deposits are coming soon. For now, if you need money up front for a special package, take it on the phone or by bank transfer and note it on the booking. It also does not manage a waiting list at the door; it is for bookings made in advance.
FAQ
Questions from cafes
Can I take bookings for one day a week only?
Yes. Only the services you set up are bookable. Every other day shows as closed for bookings on the calendar, and your walk-in trade carries on as normal.
I do not want to book out the whole cafe. Can I keep tables free?
Yes. Only add the tables you are happy to book. You can also cap bookings per service, so for example no more than 20 covers booked for any brunch, leaving the rest for walk-ins.
Will 60 free bookings a month be enough?
For most cafes taking weekend bookings, yes. That is about 15 a weekend. If you go over, the page asks customers to phone for the rest of the month and emails you. Starter at £5 a month, paid yearly, takes you to 150.
Can customers book from Instagram?
Yes. Put your Tablez link in your bio. It opens the booking page in the Instagram browser and works fine there. Customers do not need an account or an app.
Can I ask for dietary requirements?
Yes. There is a special requests box and a separate allergy note that staff see highlighted on the booking.