Prepare your venue rules
Dojo describes a system for reservations and walk-ins with seating and guest-management features. Start with your operational requirements rather than copying a generic floor plan.
- List tables, permitted combinations, accessibility needs and areas that should not be sold online.
- Define service times, last arrival, turnaround assumptions and the number of guests the kitchen can handle in each period.
- Separate ordinary tables, large parties, special events and private-dining enquiries.
- Agree who can override capacity, close a service or issue a refund.
Ask the onboarding team to demonstrate each essential rule. A feature appearing on a product page does not establish how it will behave in your particular configuration.
Reconcile existing reservations and deposits
Choose a changeover owner and a cut-off time. Export only the data you are entitled to use, following the old provider’s process and your privacy obligations. Agree who checks the import and how changes made during the transition will be captured.
- Count future bookings before and after.
Check dates, party sizes, contact details and important notes. Resolve duplicates without accidentally cancelling genuine reservations.
- Keep a separate deposit ledger.
Record who collected each payment, where the funds sit and which system must handle refunds. Do not assume stored card tokens or authorisations transfer.
- Keep an authorised fallback list.
Limit access to guest information and remove temporary copies when no longer needed. Document how staff will operate if the new system is unavailable.
Test the complete guest journey
Use provider-approved test methods where available. If a live test payment is needed, agree it with the provider and reconcile the charge and refund; do not use real customer records as test data.
- Book on a phone and desktop; verify date, party size, accessibility of the form and the confirmation message.
- Test cancellation, amendment, deposits and an unavailable service. Confirm staff see the same result as the guest.
- Check every website and profile link you control. Confirm Google booking-channel setup with the provider rather than assuming it is automatic.
- Verify permissions, notification recipients and a workable process for guest requests.
Launch with clear ownership
Train a shift lead and another colleague before the first live service. Agree who handles booking questions, software support and disputed charges. Check the first service against your reservation count and deposit ledger, then review exceptions with the team.
Do not end the old contract solely because a new widget appears to work. Check notice and export access, using our pricing checklist. Set guest expectations with the deposit and no-show guide; for the front-end journey, see restaurant website design.
Sources and method
Author: Time Consulting editorial team. Checked: .
We checked the public primary sources below and separated published product information from our practical planning suggestions. This is desk research, not a hands-on product test or a whole-market recommendation. Features, eligibility and terms can change; confirm your own written offer before committing.
- Dojo Bookings — Published booking, queue and guest-management features.
- W3C: accessible form labels — Labelling form controls for accessible interactions.
- ICO: planning direct marketing — Planning lawful, fair marketing and respecting people's choices.
We may receive an introducer fee. Provider approval, pricing and contractual decisions remain with the relevant provider. Ask about a source, correction or our commercial relationship.