Experience setup

Recommended Experiences for restaurants

Practical starting points for restaurant Experiences, including lunch, dinner, brunch, bar seating, tasting menu, chef's counter, patio, and large-party workflows.

Updated 2026-06-22

Most restaurants should start with a small number of clear Experiences. Guests should understand the choice immediately, and staff should be able to operate each Experience without extra explanation.

Start with the Experiences that change availability, table assignment, duration, payment rules, or guest expectations.

Common Restaurant Experiences

Experience Use when
Lunch Lunch has different hours, menu, duration, or staffing from dinner.
Dinner Dinner is the main bookable service.
Brunch Brunch has its own schedule, menu, or guest expectations.
Bar Reservations Guests can reserve bar seats or high-tops separately from the dining room.
Patio Dining Outdoor seating is intentionally bookable and may have seasonal rules.
Chef's Counter Counter seats are limited and the guest promise is distinct.
Tasting Menu The visit has a longer duration, deposit, or fixed menu.
Large Party Dining Larger groups need longer duration, deposit rules, or manual setup.
Private Dining Inquiry Use the Private Events request workflow when guests should submit an inquiry instead of booking live inventory.

Lunch And Dinner

Lunch and dinner are often separate Experiences when:

  • The duration is different.
  • The table mix is different.
  • The public party-size limit is different.
  • The menu or service style is different.
  • The restaurant wants separate booking links.

If lunch and dinner are operationally identical except for hours, one Dining Experience with the right schedule may be simpler.

Brunch

Create a separate Brunch Experience when brunch has:

  • Different days
  • Different duration
  • Different party-size limits
  • Different cancellation policy
  • Different description or guest expectations

For example, a Sunday brunch with larger groups and a two-hour limit should usually be separate from ordinary lunch.

Bar, Patio, And Counter Seating

Create separate seating Experiences only when guests should choose that seating type.

Good separate Experiences:

  • Bar Reservations
  • Patio Dining
  • Chef's Counter

Keep one dining Experience if staff should simply assign the best available table.

Tasting Menu And Chef's Counter

Use a separate Experience when:

  • The duration is longer.
  • A deposit or card hold is required.
  • Guests need to answer allergies or dietary questions.
  • The capacity is limited.
  • The seating area is specific.

These Experiences usually benefit from a direct booking link on the relevant website page.

Large Parties

For large parties, choose one of two paths:

  • Keep the ordinary Experience limit lower and ask guests to contact the restaurant.
  • Create a Large Party Dining Experience with longer duration, minimum notice, and deposit rules.

Use a separate Experience when the venue is comfortable taking those large-party bookings online.

Suggested Starter Setup

For many restaurants:

  1. Dinner
  2. Lunch, if lunch is materially different
  3. Brunch, if offered
  4. Bar Reservations or Chef's Counter, if guests can intentionally book those seats
  5. Large Party Dining, only if large parties should self-book

Add more Experiences only when the guest promise or operational rules differ.

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