A Christmas party enquiry sitting in a site inbox
In September, a company emails one site asking about a Christmas party for sixty people. The GM is on holiday and the assistant manager does not know the private dining room rates, so it waits. Another enquiry goes through the website's general form to head office and is forwarded twice. A third caller is told the site is full, and nobody suggests the sister restaurant ten minutes away that has space.
The events manager, when the group has one, keeps a spreadsheet of enquiries they know about. They do not know about the ones that never reached them. By November, the organisers who did not hear back have booked somewhere else, and the private dining room sits empty on a Thursday that should have been full.
Why event enquiries leak
- Enquiries arrive through many channels: site inboxes, website forms, booking platforms, social media messages and phone.
- Each site handles its own, unless it thinks to pass it on.
- Room availability, minimum spends and menus are in different documents at each site.
- Follow-up depends on a person remembering, in the busiest season of the year.
- When one venue is full, the enquiry is declined rather than offered elsewhere in the group.
This is about enquiries for private dining and events across a group. Everyday table bookings are a different process, handled by your reservation system.
The value that walks away
Events are often the highest-value bookings a restaurant takes, and a slow reply is usually a lost booking, because the organiser has emailed several venues at once. Enquiries declined at a full site are lost to the group entirely. Proposals sent without a follow-up go cold. And without a record of enquiries and conversions, the group cannot see which venues and rooms are in demand.
How we build the group events pipeline
- Every channel feeds one pipeline: a group events form on the website, forwarding rules from site inboxes, and a quick entry screen for phone calls.
- Each enquiry records date, party size, budget, type of event and preferred area, and the system shows which venues and rooms are available and suitable.
- Enquiries are assigned to the events team or the GM by rules you set, with a reminder if not answered within your target time.
- Proposals are built from templates with each venue's rooms, menus and minimum spends, and sent by email with a link to accept.
- Deposits are taken by card through Stripe or your payment provider, and the booking is confirmed.
- Confirmed events are handed to the site with the menu, timings, dietary notes and contact details, and the table reservation is made in your booking system.
| Stage | What is tracked | Who is reminded |
|---|---|---|
| New enquiry | Channel, date, size, budget | Assigned person |
| Proposal sent | Venue, room, menu, price | Events team to follow up |
| Deposit paid | Amount and terms | Site GM |
| Event confirmed | Final numbers and dietary notes | Kitchen and floor team |
An events season that is easier to manage
The events team sees every enquiry in one pipeline, from every channel and site. When one venue is full, the system suggests another with space, and the enquiry stays in the group. Follow-ups happen because the pipeline reminds people. Sites receive confirmed events with everything they need, instead of a forwarded email chain. After the season, the group can see enquiries, conversions and value by venue.
Is this your events process?
- Event enquiries arrive in site inboxes and are handled locally.
- Nobody knows how many enquiries the group gets.
- Full venues decline enquiries rather than offering a sister site.
- Proposals are not followed up consistently.
- Event details reach the kitchen as a forwarded email chain.