What software do Australian restaurants use for table bookings?

Most restaurants use a booking module tied to the floor plan, not a plain calendar. A calendar says 25 people are coming; the floor plan shows there is no free table for six.

Short answer

Most restaurants use a booking module with a floor plan, tying each booking to a table, not a seat count.
Bookings sit in one list, in the same application as the menu and orders.
Your team confirms each booking with the contact details recorded on it.
Each booking records its date, time, party size and table.
Contact details in a booking are personal information, used only for the reservation.

What the software must do

Show the floor plan, with free and reserved tables for each time slot.
Let you choose a table of the right size, so a six-top is not held for two guests.
Show bookings by day and by time slot, so you can plan the service.
Record the party size, the table and any special request on each booking.
Show the cancellation policy before confirmation, if you have one.
Sit in the same application as the menu and orders.

What the rules say

Names, phone numbers and emails are personal information, kept only as long as needed (Privacy Act 1988, where it applies).
A message about an existing booking is not promotional. Marketing needs consent and an unsubscribe option (Spam Act 2003).
State the cancellation policy before the booking is confirmed.

Practical example

Hypothetical example: a 60-seat restaurant has 25 bookings on a Friday, and some guests do not turn up. Each empty table is seats you cannot sell. Multiply empty tables by your average spend per cover.

A calendar does not show which tables are free before the rush. A floor plan does, at a glance.

Common mistakes

Using a generic calendar that knows nothing about tables and their size.
Keeping phone bookings in a notebook and online ones elsewhere.
Not stating the cancellation policy before confirming, which can become a legal risk.
Not recording missed bookings, so the same guests are booked again.

How 4restaurants.net helps

The floor plan and bookings sit in the same application as the evening's orders.
Each booking is recorded per table, per room and per time.
The host sees the day's bookings and free tables in one place.