How big does a party need to be to count as a group booking?

It is your call, and it depends on your floor and your kitchen. Pick the size at which a table starts to affect the rest of the service, often somewhere around six to ten covers, and route bookings above it to an enquiry with a deposit and a set menu or pre-order.

Should I take a deposit for a group booking?

For large parties, usually yes, because the cost of a no-show grows with the table. Send it as a payment link with a deadline, remind before it lapses, and say what it covers and when it is refundable. In Stampede, the deposit link reminds the guest on a schedule and can cancel the hold on its own if it is not paid in time.

How far ahead should I ask for pre-orders?

Far enough for the kitchen to order and prep, and close enough that the party knows who is coming. A cut-off a few days before the booking suits most set menus; allow longer for very large events.

How do I handle allergies for a big party?

Ask for them person by person with the pre-order, not as a note at the end, and make sure they reach the floor and the kitchen with the booking. In Stampede, allergy notes sit on the booking, are flagged on the day planner, and the booking opens on the Square till when you seat it, so the team sees who has which allergy before the party sits down.

Can each guest choose and pay for their own dish?

In Stampede, yes. Guests pick from your menu, with modifiers and split-pay, when they book or at any time before they arrive, and the order is recorded against the booking so the kitchen can prep ahead.

Can I sell tickets for an event instead?

Yes. In Stampede you can make an event ticketed, set ticket types and prices, and guests pay up front through your own booking page. Each guest gets a wallet pass for the door, you check them in with a scan or the door list, and refunds stay in your control.

Does Stampede charge per cover for big parties?

No. You pay one flat price per venue, with no per-cover fees, so a party of sixteen costs you no more to take than a table for two.

A guide for operators

Big tables. No admin. Here’s how.

The enquiry, the deposit and every plate, sorted before the night.

The short answer

1Route every large party to one enquiry process.
2Take the deposit by a link that chases itself.
3Collect every guest’s dish before the night.
4Take allergies person by person, with the pre-order.

Read the steps

Enquiries

Pipeline value£18,400

Enquiries

Pipeline value£18,400

Powering 2,500+ UK venues

The problem

Sixteen, by hand.

Olivia’s party of sixteen is on Saturday. Half the choices are still in an inbox.

Stampede — Same party, same Saturday. The difference is one process, from the enquiry to the plate.

How venues fix it

Four steps.

Works whatever booking system you run.

Olivia GrantWeb enquiry form

In progress

Covers16DateSat 28 NovBudget£900

Template · private dining

Thanks Olivia! Here's our set menu for 16. Share it with the party so everyone picks their own.

Step 01

One front door

Send every large-party enquiry to one place, with the date, party size and budget captured up front, and give each an owner and a status. Above a set party size, online bookings become enquiries.

In Stampede

Large parties route to the enquiries manager: one board, with stages, an owner and the guest’s budget on every enquiry.

See enquiries and events

Deposit request£160.00

Link sent by emailMonReminder sentWedPaid · card 4417Thu 14:02Unpaid holds cancel themselvesBooked

Step 02

Deposit by link

Take the deposit as a payment link with a clear deadline, saying what it covers. Remind the guest before it lapses and release the hold if it is unpaid, rather than chasing by phone.

In Stampede

A deposit request is a payment link that reminds the guest on a schedule and can cancel the hold if it is not paid in time.

See enquiries and events

Pre-order · Olivia’s party12 of 16 ordered

OliviaShort rib

CallumHake, brown butterGF

AishaWild mushroom risottoV

GillianSquash tartVG

+8 more ordered · 4 still to choose

Step 03

Pre-order every plate

Send the menu and let each guest choose their own dish before the night, with dietary needs marked. Set a cut-off a few days before, so the kitchen can order and prep to the numbers.

In Stampede

Guests pick from your menu with modifiers, dietary tags and split-pay, and the pre-order is recorded against the booking.

See table bookings

Allergies · on the bookingA

ACoeliac· Tom · Hake, GFAShellfish· Anna · Short rib

Flagged on the day plannerOpens on the Square till when seated

Collected with each pre-order

Step 04

Allergies up front

Collect allergies with the pre-order, person by person, and make sure they travel with the booking to the floor and the kitchen. The worst time to learn of a coeliac guest is at the pass.

In Stampede

Allergy notes sit on the booking, flagged on the day planner, and the booking opens on the Square till when you seat it.

See Stampede for restaurants

Proof

The proof.

Operators running on Stampede, in their own numbers.

A Sunday roast at an ART Hospitality venue

24,604covers in a single month

0.3%no-show rate across eight venues

“You innovate at a rate I have never seen in a software company.”

Edwin Kirk, founding director, ART HospitalityRead the story

Food at the George & Dragon, a Sankey's venue

4.59 → 4.80Google rating, year on year

2.3×average bill from email bookings

“Having everything under one roof is simply superior, full stop.”

Matthew Sankey, owner, Sankey'sRead the story

A dish being finished at Howies, Edinburgh

3,920guests enriched with real spend

6 weekstheir first six weeks with Stampede

“Every payment lands on the guest who made it now. Everything a guest does with us, online and in our venues, finally joins up in one view.”

Louis Scott, Howies, EdinburghRead the story

89%
Wi-Fi marketing opt-in rate: 55p
average value of a guest contact: 2,500+
UK venues run on Stampede

How we measure these figures

Keep reading.

The terms this guide uses, defined in plain English, and the sources it relies on.

How we compare

Compare us.

Honest, sourced comparisons against the tools venues switch from, checked against the record and dated.

Seven more fixes.

The other problems venues search for, each with the steps that fix it.

Deposit · Sat 20:00 · 6£60.00
Megan O’NeillBooked on your page
Card ending 2291Mon 12:40Paid, and recorded on the booking
Guide · 4 steps
How to reduce restaurant no-shows
Four habits that stop booked tables sitting empty, whatever system you run.
Google · 9 days agoNo reply
Clive E.
“Waited forty minutes for our mains.”
Guide · 4 steps
How to get more Google reviews
Ask every guest, make it one tap, and answer what lands.
Tue · 13:10
2× Set lunch£52.001× Rioja, bottle£34.00
Customer: none£86.00
Guide · 4 steps
How to collect guest emails and data
Wi-Fi, bookings and ordering, each asking once, with consent.
BookingsLapsed
Graham WhitleyEvery fortnight
12 JuneTable for 229 MayTable for 2Nothing since94 days
Guide · 4 steps
How to bring back guests who stopped coming
Spot who stopped coming, then give them a reason to return.
Seated · Table 12On every device
Priya Shah6th visit · party of 3
Pre-order · from your Square items1× Lobster linguine1× Margherita1× Falafel bowl2× Pale ale, pint
For the team
- £30.00 deposit, already on Square
- A friend at the table is vegan and gluten-free.
Guide · 4 steps
What to look for in a booking system for Square
What a venue on Square should ask of a booking system, in four checks.
Read the guide
Points on spendYour rate · 1 per £1
Callum Reid23 visits
Flat white · £3.40+3Round for six · £52.50+53Earned off the till, nothing keyed in
On a stamp card
The same one stamp for each
Guide · 4 steps
How to run a restaurant loyalty programme that works
Reward what guests spend, skip the app, and give them a reason to return.
Day planner · TueQuiet night
171819202122
T1
T2
T4
T6
T9
T12
14 of 60 covers booked
Guide · 4 steps
How to fill quiet nights
Ask the right guests, give them a reason, and count the covers it brings.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions.

Ready for Saturday?

See enquiries, deposit links and pre-orders running on your venue, in a walkthrough with our team.

Big tables. No admin. Here’s how.

Sixteen, by hand.

Before

After