Restaurant table management: one live table plan for your till and booking diary
Staff see which tables are free, occupied, due a booking or waiting to be cleared. From the plan they seat walk-ins, move a bill to another table, combine bills, join tables for a group and put bookings on the right table.
- On the till and in the diary
- Walk-ins and bookings on one plan
- Double bookings refused
- Setup help anywhere in Ireland
Example screen, using the till's own colours.
Running the floor from memory costs you covers.
The diary says one thing, the floor says another, and the host is guessing.
Tables sit empty while guests wait
Nobody noticed table 6 came free ten minutes ago, so the couple at the door is told there is a wait.
The bill gets lost when a party moves
Moving a group to the garden means re-ringing the order on another table, or a bill with the wrong total.
The diary and the floor disagree
The book says table 4 is free at eight. The floor says it is still on dessert. Nobody finds out until the next party arrives.
Draw your room once, then run it every night.
- 1
Draw your room
Place and number your tables in the Floor Designer, then press Publish.
- 2
See every table
The till shows each table's state as it changes. New and changed bookings appear in the diary as they happen.
- 3
Seat, move and join
Seat walk-ins and bookings, move a bill to another table, or join tables for a group.
- 4
Pay and clear
Take payment from the table's bill. The table frees itself, or waits for a clean.
What the host and the floor team can do.
A live table plan on the till
Every table shows its number in large type and its state in colour: available, occupied, upcoming, reserved, needs clean, blocked, held or merged.
Who opened it, and how long ago
Each open table shows who opened the bill and how long the party has been there, so nobody is forgotten on a busy night.
Walk-ins in a few taps
Tap Walk-in, set the party size and see the free tables that fit. Or ring it through as a bar sale with no table.
Bills that follow the table
From the table, add items, take payment, split the bill, move it to another table, combine two bills or print the bill.
Join tables for big groups
A manager can push tables together so the group shares one bill, then split them again when the group leaves.
Bookings on the right table
Online bookings take the smallest suitable free table. In the diary, staff get best-fit suggestions, and the system refuses to double-book a table.
Bar tables stay walk-in
Each table can be walk-in only, bookable by staff, or bookable by staff and online. Set bar tops to walk-in only and they are never offered for online booking.
Booking notes on the table
Notes typed into a booking's special requests show in the table's details on the Table Management screen.
A waitlist guests can join
Guests scan a QR code to join the queue and follow their place on their phone. Staff seat them from the waitlist with a suggested table.
Seat a booking and its bill is on the table.
Table management in Inntally is not a separate app bolted onto your till. When you seat a booking from the diary, the table shows as occupied on the till and its bill is linked to the booking and the guest.
The till and the booking diary are one system, so there is no link between two products to keep working.
What stays in step
- Bookings, walk-ins and table bills on the same table plan
- Every till updates live, and new or changed bookings appear live in the diary
- Move a bill to another table in a few taps
- The system refuses to double-book a table
What each table colour on the till means.
Each colour means one thing, so staff can read the floor at a glance.
Nobody seated and no booking due in the next 90 minutes.
A booking is due at this table within 90 minutes.
A party is seated, a bill is open on the table, or a booking's start time has passed.
Set aside by a manager for a booking.
Paid and waiting to be cleared, if you use the cleaning step.
Out of use, for example a broken table. A manager blocks it; staff on the till can unblock it.
Held by a manager, for example for an expected party.
Joined with other tables for a group, sharing one bill.
Paper, a booking app and a separate till, or Inntally?
A booking app fills the diary. Table management runs the floor once guests arrive.
| Paper or whiteboard | Booking app + separate till | Inntally table management | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bill linked to the table | No. | Needs a link between two systems. | Yes. The till and the table plan are one system. |
| Seat a booking onto a bill | No. | Depends on the link. | Seat it from the diary and its bill is on the table. |
| Walk-ins | From the host's memory. | Tracked in the booking app, not linked to the bill. | Seated in a few taps, on the same plan as the bill. |
| Double bookings | Easy to make. | Usually blocked. | Refused for the same table and time. |
| Moving a party | Cross out and rewrite. | The booking moves; the bill may not. | Move a seated booking in the diary and its bill moves with it. |
Setup help, anywhere in Ireland.
We help you draw your floor plan and train your team, online anywhere in Ireland, and on site by arrangement. Restaurants, pubs, cafés and hotel dining rooms.
Works with the rest of Inntally.
Reservations
Online bookings, the diary, deposits and the waitlist.
See ReservationsInntally POS
The till for counter, table and tab service.
See Inntally POSNia Phone
An AI receptionist that takes table bookings by phone. Coming soon.
See Nia PhoneOrder Notes
Tap, type or say a table's order, check it, send it to the till.
See Order NotesGuest CRM
One profile for every guest who books: visits, spend and allergies.
See Guest CRMBuyer's guide
How the main restaurant booking systems compare in Ireland.
Read the guideTable management questions, answered.
What is a table management system?
It is a live plan of your tables that staff use during service, showing which tables are free, occupied, due a booking or waiting to be cleared. In Inntally, the till and the booking diary share the same tables, so a booking and its bill end up on the same table.
How is table management different from a booking system?
A booking system fills the diary. Table management runs the floor once guests arrive: seating walk-ins, moving bills, joining tables and closing bills. Inntally does both in one system. When you seat a booking from the diary, the table shows as occupied on the till and its bill is linked to the booking and the guest.
Do I need it if most of my trade is walk-ins?
Yes, that is where it helps most. Staff tap Walk-in, set the party size and see the free tables that fit. A table with a booking due within 90 minutes shows as Upcoming on the plan with the booking time, and staff can tap it to seat a walk-in before the booking.
Can I keep the bar for walk-ins and only take bookings in the dining room?
Yes. Each table can be walk-in only, bookable by staff, or bookable by staff and online. Bar tops can stay walk-in only, so they are never offered for online booking.
Can it join tables for a big group?
Yes. A manager can join tables so the group shares one bill, then split them again afterwards. When staff take a booking for a large party, the diary also suggests combinations from the tables you have marked as joinable.
Can a party move table without losing the bill?
Yes. For a party with a booking, move the booking to the new table in the diary and the bill goes with it. On the till, Transfer moves a bill to another free table, and Combine bill pulls another table's bill onto this one. A bill that is already part paid cannot be combined, so nothing is paid twice.
Can part of the venue be bookable only at certain times?
Yes. You can make a set of tables bookable only during set hours, for example a room that opens for bookings after 6pm. Outside those hours it is not offered for booking.
Does it work on a tablet?
Yes. The till's table plan runs in the browser and is built for touch screens. In the booking diary, dragging a booking to another table needs a mouse; on a tablet, staff change the table from the booking itself.
How do I set up my floor plan?
In the Floor Designer you draw your rooms, place and number your tables and set the seats. You can use a photo of the room as a guide. Changes stay as a draft until you press Publish, so you can edit without moving anything on the live floor. We can help you set it up.
What does it cost?
Table management comes with Inntally POS and Inntally Reservations. The till's table plan, walk-ins and table bills come with POS; the diary, online bookings, timed areas and the waitlist come with Reservations. Seating a booking straight onto a bill needs both. You can start a free trial with no card needed, and we can quote for your venue.
Run your floor from one live table plan.
Try Inntally free. No card needed. Your trial starts once we approve your account.