How to run a free restaurant booking system in Google Sheets (UK template)
Not every independent needs a paid booking platform. Here's how to set up a Google Sheet diary that the whole team can use, stop it overbooking, and connect it to phone answering.
- 01A Google Sheet can work as a free table booking system for a small restaurant if everyone uses the same columns and one tab.
- 02Use these columns: Date, Time, Guests, Name, Phone, Status, Source, Stafff ID, Notes.
- 03Set simple capacity rules — maximum covers per time slot, largest party you'll take without a chat, and how long a table is held.
- 04A formula such as SUMIFS can total covers per slot so you can see when a time is full.
- 05You'll outgrow it when you need online booking, deposits, table plans or several sites — that's when platforms like ResDiary or OpenTable earn their fee.
Can you run restaurant bookings from a Google Sheet?
Yes. For a small restaurant taking most bookings by phone and walk-in, a shared Google Sheet does the job of a paper diary with fewer crossings-out, and it's free with a Google account.
The advantages: everyone sees the same diary on a phone, tablet or laptop; you can search by name or number; version history shows who changed what; and nothing gets lost when the book goes missing. The drawback is that a spreadsheet has no rules unless you add them — so the setup below matters.
What columns should a restaurant booking spreadsheet have?
Keep one row per booking on a single tab called “Bookings”, with these nine columns in this order. They're the same columns Stafff uses, so the sheet works whether or not you ever connect phone answering.
- Date — the day of the booking, in one consistent format.
- Time — the arrival time, on your slot pattern (for example every 15 minutes).
- Guests — the number of covers, as a number, so formulas can add it up.
- Name — the lead guest's name.
- Phone — a mobile number for confirmations and changes.
- Status — for example Confirmed or Cancelled. Change the status rather than deleting the row, so you keep a record.
- Source — where it came from: phone, walk-in, email, Stafff.
- Stafff ID — left blank for bookings your team types in; filled automatically if Stafff made the booking.
- Notes — high chair, birthday, “allergy discussed with chef”. Keep it short.
How do you set up the sheet step by step?
Ten minutes of setup saves weeks of confusion. Use Google Sheets' built-in tools rather than colour-coding by hand.
- Freeze the header row (View → Freeze → 1 row) so the column names stay visible.
- Add dropdowns for Status and Source with data validation, so everyone uses the same words.
- Format Date as a date and Guests as a number.
- Create a filter view for “today” so front of house sees only tonight's bookings without re-sorting everyone else's view.
- Share the sheet with named staff accounts, not “anyone with the link”. It contains guests' names and numbers.
- Agree one rule: new bookings go on a new row at the bottom. Sort with filter views, never by dragging rows.
How do you set capacity rules so you don't overbook?
Decide your limits first, then use a simple formula to see how full each slot is. A spreadsheet won't stop someone overbooking, but it can make it obvious.
- Covers per slot: the most guests you can seat in each 15, 30 or 60-minute arrival window — often limited by the kitchen, not the tables.
- Largest party without a chat: for example six. Anything bigger goes to the manager.
- Sitting length: how long a table is held, such as 90 minutes, so you know when it frees up.
- Opening hours and closed dates: block these on a separate tab so nobody books a Monday you're shut.
- To total covers for a slot, add a small summary tab with a formula like =SUMIFS(Bookings!C:C, Bookings!A:A, A2, Bookings!B:B, B2, Bookings!F:F, "Confirmed") and compare it with your limit.
How does an AI phone answering service integrate with Google Sheets?
The AI checks your sheet for free capacity, writes new bookings as new rows, and updates the same row when a booking is changed or cancelled. It should also respect bookings your team types in by hand.
Stafff works this way. When you connect your sheet, Stafff writes every booking it takes into the Bookings tab using the columns above, with its own reference in Stafff ID. It reads rows your staff added — walk-ins, phone notes — so those tables count as taken before it offers a time. Changes and cancellations update the original row rather than adding a new one, and it only changes bookings made under the caller's own phone number, after a clear yes. Bookings also appear on the “Tonight” view in the Stafff portal, and Stafff can keep its own diary if you'd rather not use a sheet.
When do you outgrow a spreadsheet booking system?
You've outgrown a spreadsheet when you need guests to book themselves online, take deposits, plan tables visually, or manage more than one site. At that point a restaurant booking platform is usually worth its fee.
Widely used options in the UK include ResDiary, OpenTable, SevenRooms and Collins. They add online booking widgets, deposits and card guarantees, table plans, guest history and reporting. Compare them on per-cover or monthly fees, contract length and how much of your guest data you can export.
Worth knowing: Stafff doesn't integrate with ResDiary, OpenTable, SevenRooms or Collins today. If you already use one, look at voice tools that connect to it directly; if you're on a sheet or paper diary, Stafff is built for you.
Quick answers
- Is there a free restaurant booking system in the UK?
- The simplest free option is a shared Google Sheet used as a diary, with fixed columns and a few capacity rules. It works well for small restaurants taking bookings by phone and walk-in. Paid platforms add online booking, deposits and table plans. Stafff's phone answering is paid, but connects to a free sheet so you don't need a booking platform.
- What columns should a restaurant reservation template have?
- Use Date, Time, Guests, Name, Phone, Status, Source, Stafff ID and Notes, with one row per booking on a single “Bookings” tab. Keep Guests as a number so formulas can add it up, use dropdowns for Status and Source, and change the status to Cancelled rather than deleting rows so you keep a record.
- How do I stop overbooking with a spreadsheet?
- Set a maximum number of covers per arrival slot, a largest party size you'll take without checking, and a sitting length. Then add a summary tab with a SUMIFS formula that totals confirmed guests per date and time and compare it with your limit. A spreadsheet can't block a booking by itself, so check the total before confirming.
- Is there an AI phone answering service that integrates with Google Sheets?
- Yes. Stafff can write phone bookings into your Google Sheet's Bookings tab, read rows your staff type in so walk-ins count as taken, and update the same row for changes and cancellations. It checks your capacity rules before offering a time and reads the booking back for a clear yes before confirming.
- Is it safe to keep guest phone numbers in Google Sheets?
- It can be, if you share the sheet only with named staff accounts, turn on two-step verification for those accounts, avoid “anyone with the link” sharing and delete old bookings regularly. Guests' names and numbers are personal data under UK GDPR, so keep only what you need and for no longer than you need it.
Sources
Keep your Google Sheet. Stop missing the calls.
Stafff answers your restaurant's phone, checks your sheet for free tables and writes bookings straight into it. We set it up with you during the founding pilot for UK independents — book a demo to see it working with a sheet.