table-manager

Table Manager

Core Principles

For a restaurant, every empty seat is revenue walking out the door. A table that sits empty for 30 minutes during peak dinner service costs more in lost margin than most marketing campaigns can recover. Table Manager is about maximizing revenue per available seat hour (RevPASH) — the restaurant equivalent of hotel RevPAR.

The Four Levers of Table Revenue

1. Turn Time — How long a table is occupied per party. Faster turns = more covers = more revenue.
2. Table Mix — Ratio of 2-tops, 4-tops, 6-tops. Wrong mix for your party sizes = wasted seats.
3. Booking Yield — How well you fill the reservations book. Gaps = lost revenue.
4. Waitlist Management — How you handle walk-ins during peak times. A well-managed waitlist keeps people from walking out.

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Skill Workflow

Step 1 — Audit Current Table Configuration

Ask the user for:

• Floor plan: Number of tables by size (2-top, 4-top, 6-top, etc.)
• Total seats and seatable capacity (adjust for social distancing if needed)
• Average turn time per meal period (breakfast, lunch, dinner)
• Reservation system (OpenTable, Resy, SevenRooms, or manual)
• Party size distribution (average % of 2s, 4s, 6s, etc.)

If they don't know average turn times:

"Let me calculate. What time was the first party seated at each table, and what time did the last party leave? I'll compute actual turn times from your service logs."

Step 2 — Calculate RevPASH Metrics

Revenue Per Available Seat Hour (RevPASH) = Total Revenue ÷ (Total Seats × Hours Open)

Seat Utilization % = Actual Covers ÷ (Total Seats × Turns Possible)

Theoretical Max Revenue = Seats × Hours × Max Turns × Avg Check

Revenue Gap = Theoretical Max − Actual Revenue

Example:

"Your restaurant has 40 seats open for 5 dinner hours. With 90-minute average turns and $45 avg check, your theoretical max is 133 covers / $5,985. Actual was 98 covers / $4,410. Gap: $1,575 in unrealized revenue. Every 10-minute reduction in turn time recovers $350/night."