Quick answer
Set restaurant prepayment rules by identifying which bookings need a financial safeguard, then defining the conditions by day, meal, dining area and party size. Rezervem Manager supplies the reservation context and supported rule workflow; Rezervem Pay handles the separate payment process. A prepayment collects money, while a pre-authorization places a temporary hold. Explain the difference before the guest confirms a booking.
A moment during service
A quiet weekday lunch and a special tasting dinner may use the same physical tables but carry different preparation risks. Copying a single deposit rule across both services can create unnecessary friction. The host, online booking flow and payment provider need to reflect the same policy, including what happens when a guest cancels within the agreed terms.
1. Identify the services needing a safeguard
Compare standard meals, special menus, busy dates and larger parties. Select a financial policy only for situations where the operational need is clear. Write the guest-facing terms first, including whether the transaction is a collection or a card hold. A precise policy is easier for staff to apply and easier for guests to understand.
2. Separate date and meal conditions
Treat recurring weekly service, exceptional dates and different meals as distinct cases. Do not assume lunch and dinner should use identical terms. Verify which rule is active for the restaurant and whether the configured feature applies to the booking route the guest is actually using.
3. Check dining area and party size
A private room, terrace and main dining room may require different conditions. Make the party-size threshold explicit and test bookings on either side of it. Confirm what happens if a group changes size or requests a different area, rather than relying on a rule that was only tested once.
4. Verify the enabled pricing and payment path
Rules can use day, meal, area and party size. Confirm during setup that these rules are enabled for your restaurant’s account. Compare what Manager records with the guest booking screen and the behavior supported by the payment provider. Test deposit, hold, cancellation and refund outcomes separately.
5. Explain the terms and repeat the booking test
Review the displayed conditions in the public booking link, staff process and any connected partner route. Record who handles changes and refunds. Compare the policy with the no-show checklist, which covers the wider service workflow rather than only the financial safeguard.
How we do it
With Rezervem Manager, we review the booking day, meal, area and party size and verify the rule that applies in the configured flow. Where Pay is involved, we test the actual payment or hold behavior rather than assuming identical support across processors. The restaurant sees which conditions are active before applying the policy to guests.
Important limitations
- Prepayment and pre-authorization are different transactions, with distinct cancellation and refund consequences.
- Pricing rules and payment features are not on by default in every account; they are enabled for your restaurant during setup.
Frequently asked questions
- What can determine a rule? — The supported configuration can use day, meal, dining area and party size.
- Should every booking require a deposit? — No. Apply safeguards to services with a justified operational need.
- Does a card hold mean money is collected? — No. A hold and a completed charge have different outcomes.
