Your first week with Gasto
From an empty install to taking reservations. Expect about three hours, spread over a few days.
Fill in your business details
Name, address, phone number and the email address where reservations arrive. These details appear on every confirmation email your guest receives, so it pays to get them right straight away.
In depth: Your business details
Set your opening hours
One or more services per day. If you serve lunch and dinner, set them up as two separate services — that lets you choose a different turn time per service later on.
Holidays and closing days are added later as exceptions; you do not need to think of them all now.
HowReservation / Event › Roster › Manage roster
In depth: Opening hours and closing days
Decide what guests can book
A product is what your guest books. For most places that is one thing — a table for dinner — but if you also serve lunch, afternoon tea or a set menu, each of those is its own product with its own times.
Start small. One product per service is enough to begin with; you can always add more. What you set up here is what your guest chooses from in the booking module.
HowConfiguration › Objects › Manage products
In depth: What guests can book
Draw your table plan
The most important step, and the only one that really takes time. Start with one zone — your indoor space — and add the terrace once the rest is right.
Give every table the number your team already uses. A table plan that differs from what is called out on the floor costs you more than it delivers.
HowConfiguration › Modules › Floor plans
In depth: Creating a floorplan with the wizard · Setting up zones · Placing tables in the editor
Set turn times
How long does a table stay occupied? Decide it per party size — two people eat faster than six.
Set them generously at first. A turn time that is too tight will double-book your tables; one that is too generous costs you a few covers at most. You adjust after a week with real numbers.
In depth: Shifts and turn times
Invite your team
Give floor staff the Employee role: they may seat and move guests but cannot change settings. That way nothing falls over unintentionally during a busy service.
Keep the number of people who may change settings small — one or two is enough.
HowConfiguration › System › Users
In depth: Staff and roles
Put the online booking module on your site
One line of script on your own website. Test with a reservation in your own name first: that shows you straight away which confirmation email your guest receives and whether everything is right.
Remove that test reservation afterwards, or it will end up in your figures.
In depth: Online booking module
Run one service on paper and in Gasto
Keeping one evening in both places gives your team confidence: everyone sees that the screen says the same thing as the book. After that the book can go.
Do this on a normal evening, not your busiest. You want the calm to observe, not to firefight.
HowTables › <floor plan name>
In depth: Working with the floorplan viewer