Dojo Bookings.
Reservations, walk-ins and deposits.

What is Dojo Bookings?

Dojo Bookings is the reservations and table-management product in the Dojo ecosystem. If you already know Dojo for its card machines, this is the part that manages the front of house: the diary, the floor plan, online bookings from your website and Google, walk-ins, waitlists, and the guest communications that go around them.

Assess the complete front-of-house workflow: how reservations and walk-ins share tables, how guests receive updates, and what happens during a busy service. A demonstration using your real floor plan is more useful than a feature list alone.

The one-line version we give clients: it's a reservation book that also protects your covers with card deposits and feeds you demand from Dojo's own diner app — for a fixed monthly fee rather than a cut of every booking.

What does Dojo Bookings cost?

Request a written quote for your venue rather than treating a trial or headline feature as a complete price.

Dojo advertises a 30-day free trial on its Bookings page. Confirm trial eligibility, what happens when it ends, the subscription or usage charges, payment processing costs, setup, messaging and any optional integrations. We do not promise a permanent free plan or a particular charging model.

We can help you request the current package and compare it with your existing booking agreement. Check minimum terms, renewal, notice and data export before deciding. Discuss your venue’s booking requirements →

Dojo Bookings features in full

Dojo describes the following capabilities. Confirm which are included in your package and demonstrate the workflows your team needs.

Diary & table management

• Digital floor plan and table management; confirm service and pacing controls
• Online booking widget for your own website — guests book on your site, not a marketplace
• Bookings direct from your Google Business Profile (the "Reserve a table" button)
• Automatic seating allocation; test how availability and pacing work for your venue

Walk-ins & waitlists

• Virtual queue — guests join a waitlist and get a text when their table is ready, instead of crowding the door
• Walk-in management that folds into the same diary as reservations

Guest communications

• Guest communications; confirm available reminders, channels and messaging charges
• Guest profiles and preferences; agree staff access and appropriate handling of guest data

Protection & payments

• Deposit tools; confirm card-hold, cancellation and no-show charge workflows
• Payment requirements, settlement and reconciliation to be confirmed for your package

No-show protection & deposits

Deposits and clear cancellation terms can support a no-show policy, but cannot eliminate missed bookings. Staff need to know when a charge applies, how to handle refunds and disputes, and how guests are told the terms.

Ask Dojo to demonstrate the options supported by your package before publishing a policy:

• Service rules — which dates and services can use different deposit settings?
• Party-size rules — can deposits be configured for your large-table policy?
• Payment workflow — confirm deposits versus card holds, later charges, refunds, bill deductions and guest consent

The Dojo diner app & virtual queue

Dojo’s diner app provides a way for guests to discover venues, book or join a virtual queue. Confirm listing eligibility and local availability. Being listed does not guarantee extra bookings.

Two workflows to test in a demonstration:

• Discovery — check how your venue appears and how app bookings are identified in reporting
• Virtual queuing — for walk-in-led venues, guests can join your queue from their phone and be paged when a table frees up, smoothing the door on busy nights

Dojo positions that reach as part of Bookings itself rather than a separate marketplace listing — we'll confirm exactly how it's packaged for your venue.

Setting up Dojo Bookings

Agree the onboarding scope, supported devices, website access, staff training and target date with the provider. Do not assume setup will take a fixed number of minutes or require no additional equipment. Here is a practical checklist:

1. Free consultation & quote

   We review your requirements and help request a written proposal. The provider confirms the package, availability and price.

2. Floor plan & services built

   Agree who configures and signs off the floor plan, services, table combinations and pacing rules.

3. Deposit & no-show rules set

   Demonstrate the supported deposit and no-show settings, then confirm guest terms, refunds and staff permissions.

4. Widget & Google connected

   Confirm website permissions, supported Google booking connections and diner-app listing before setting a launch date.

5. Go live & hand-hold

   Arrange training, test a complete booking and cancellation, and record who handles urgent support. Time Consulting can help coordinate; provider support and availability are governed by the agreed service.

Dojo Bookings and OpenTable: questions to compare

Compare the current written packages and your own booking-channel mix. OpenTable’s UK plans distinguish network bookings from direct website, phone and walk-in bookings; it is misleading to apply a cover fee to every diner.

Sources: Dojo Bookings and OpenTable UK plans, reviewed 20 September 2026. Neither platform is universally cheaper or better for every venue. Compare actual channels, package costs, staff workflow and contract terms.

Who Dojo Bookings is right for

Consider a demonstration if you need a shared reservations and walk-in workflow, want to explore deposits, or are assessing booking and payment integration. Match the demonstrated functions to your venue’s requirements rather than assuming everything is included in one bill.

For a venue taking few bookings, weigh the setup and ongoing costs against a simpler process. Any return depends on your usage and results, not a guaranteed saved no-show.

Dojo Bookings FAQs