Creating an event
What this covers
The event form, field by field. Needs the manage-events permission.
Go to Events → New event. It is saved as a draft, so nothing goes live and nothing is blocked until you publish — "Saved as a draft — you can add an image and publish later."
Details
- Title — what guests see. "Autumn Tasting Menu" beats "Event 3".
- Description — the pitch, on your public event page. What they will eat and drink, how long it runs, anything they should know before booking.
Seating and party size
- Seating mode — Seated (table-assigned) or Communal (headcount pool). See What the Events module is for if you are unsure.
- Capacity — leave blank and Tabledoo fills it from the tables you select ("Auto (sum of selected tables)"). Set it yourself for a standing event where the chairs are not the limit.
- Min pax and Max pax — the smallest and largest booking you will take. Setting them the same fixes the party size, which is how you sell "two places" at a chef's table.
- Price — display only, shown in your currency, payable on site. No payment is taken.
Tables blocked by this event
Which tables leave the normal booking pool for the event window. Three ways to choose:
| Selection | Use when |
|---|---|
| All tables | A private hire or a whole-room event. Every active table is blocked. |
| By area / section | The event takes the terrace or the private room, and the rest of the restaurant trades normally. |
| Specific tables | You know exactly which tables it uses. |
This is the single most consequential choice on the form. Block too much and you lose a night's normal trade; too little and you have nowhere to seat the event. If "By area" shows "No sections defined on your tables yet", set sections on your tables first — see Sections.
Schedule
- Recurring — off for a one-off (pick a single Date); on for something that repeats, which then asks for days of the week and a start and end date. See Recurrence and event dates.
- Start time and End time — the window. This is what blocks the tables, so include setup and turnaround if you need the room.
Booking cutoff
How far ahead guests must book — a number plus hours before or days before, or No cutoff.
This is separate from your normal booking notice, and it usually needs to be longer. A tasting menu where the kitchen shops on the morning needs "2 days before"; a quiz night can take walk-up bookings.
Image
Shown on your public event page and when the link is shared. Landscape works best — Tabledoo suggests around 1200×630, which is the size social networks crop to. You can add it after saving the draft.
Then publish
Saving leaves the event as a draft. Nothing is blocked and no guest can see it until you publish, which is a separate step with a check of its own — see Publishing and resolving conflicts.