Deposits and booking fees
Charge up front so bookings get honoured.
There are two ways to ask for money up front, and they do different things:
- Deposit — an advance that comes off the check when they arrive.
- Booking fee — a charge for holding the table that isn't credited against what they eat.
A deposit is for large parties and difficult dates; a fee is for events where the room has a cost of its own.
Before you start
Charging online needs your payments set up in Settings → Online payments. In countries where our processor doesn't operate yet, this part isn't available.
What the guest sees
When booking online, the form asks for payment before confirming. The booking enters the book with the amount visible on its row: Deposit $XX or Paid $XX.
Applying the deposit
When they arrive and are seated, the terminal offers Use deposit at charge time, with the amount and the guest's name. It's applied as a payment method against the total.
A booking fee doesn't appear there: it's already been charged and doesn't come back to the check.