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Restaurant group booking pre-orders

Group pre-order automation sends the organiser of a large booking a menu form for their guests, chases any missing choices and compiles the results. The kitchen gets a sheet totalled by dish and listed by guest, with every allergy shown clearly.

An example of how the studio would build it. No live services are connected.

From a large booking to a kitchen sheet ready before service.

  1. Step 01

    Booking spotted

    Read the confirmation email from your reservations system and pick out bookings above your group threshold.

  2. Step 02

    Form sent

    Email the organiser a Google Form for that booking, with the set menu, a name for each guest and an allergy question.

  3. Step 03

    Choices chased

    A few days before your cut-off, remind the organiser of missing choices and show who still needs to order.

  4. Step 04

    Orders compiled

    Collect the answers in Google Sheets, totalled by dish and listed by guest with allergies highlighted.

  5. Step 05

    Kitchen checks

    The head chef reviews the sheet, confirms any allergy questions with the organiser and prints it for service.

The result

Large tables are served on time, with every allergy known in advance.

Allergy answers are always shown to a person, never just counted, and anything unclear is confirmed with the organiser directly. Each booking has one form, so a changed booking updates it instead of sending a new one.

Before we connect it.

Where this is useful

Useful for restaurants, pubs and hotels that take Christmas parties, birthdays and work dinners, where pre-orders arrive by email in every possible format. A sensible first version sends the form and builds the kitchen sheet, while staff still handle the chasing until the timings feel right.

What we need to connect

  1. 01Access to the inbox where your reservations system sends booking confirmations, or to the system itself where it offers an API or webhooks.
  2. 02Your set menus, the number of guests that triggers a pre-order, the cut-off before the booking and the allergy question you already use.
  3. 03Who reviews each kitchen sheet, and how changes after the cut-off are handled.

What needs careful handling

Organisers often forward the form to guests who then fill it in twice, so each guest name keeps only its latest answer and the organiser sees the final list. Bookings change in numbers or date after the form goes out, so a change email updates the form and the sheet rather than starting again. Allergy information is never summarised away: each answer appears in full, and the restaurant still follows its usual allergen process on the night.

Questions people ask.

Does this replace our allergen procedures?

No. It collects allergy information earlier and puts it in front of the kitchen clearly. Your usual allergen checks with guests on the night still apply, and staff should confirm anything unclear before service.

Will it work with our reservations system?

Most reservations systems send a confirmation email for each booking, which is enough to start. Where your system offers an API or webhooks, the flow can read bookings directly and pick up changes sooner.

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