Which booking software suits a restaurant in Ireland?

Restaurants use a booking module tied to the floor plan, not a plain calendar. A calendar says 25 people are coming at 8pm; a floor plan tells you there is no free table for six at that time.

Short answer

Choose a module that places each party on a specific table, not just a number of seats.
It should show free and reserved tables for each time slot, so you see what is left before the rush.
Look for bookings kept with the menu and table orders, so the host is not working in two places.
Contact details in a booking are personal data, used only for the reservation.
State your cancellation policy before confirming a booking, and write it down.

What the software needs to do

Show free and reserved tables for each time slot on the floor plan.
Let you choose a table of the right size for the party.
Show bookings by day and time slot, so you can plan the service.
Record each booking’s party size, time and table in one place.
Sit in the same application as the menu and orders.
Keep the floor plan and the day’s list in one place for the whole team.

What the law and the rules say

Names, phone numbers and email addresses in a booking are personal data under the GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.
A reminder about an existing booking is not marketing. Promotional messages need separate consent.
State the cancellation policy before confirming. Check the wording with your adviser.

A practical example

Example, for illustration: a 60-cover restaurant has 25 bookings on a Friday, and some guests do not show. Each empty table is seats you cannot sell that evening.

A paper book 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 or their size.
Keeping phone bookings in a notebook and online ones elsewhere, so the two never line up.
Not stating the cancellation policy before confirming, which can become a legal risk.
Not recording the bookings that were not kept, so the same mistake repeats.

How 4restaurants.net helps

The floor plan and bookings sit in the same application as the evening’s table orders.
Guest SMS is optional (Plus plan and above, through your own 4notify account), so confirmations can also go out through your existing channels.
Each booking is placed on a table, with its party size and time.