How Signature Pub Group Took the Stress Out of Christmas Group Bookings
Christmas might feel a long way off, but for hospitality operators, the busiest trading period of the year is won long before December arrives.The venues that enjoy the smoothest festive season are often the ones that start planning months in advance, putting the right systems in place before the bookings begin to flood in. Signature Pub Group up did exactly that.Here’s how they used SetMenu to simplify Christmas group bookings, reduce manual administration and help their teams stay one step ahead throughout the festive season.
The challenge
Managing Christmas bookings across multiple venues brings a huge amount of administration. Before using SetMenu, much of the pre-order process was handled manually through emails and spreadsheets. As booking numbers increased, so did the complexity. Tracking who had submitted their menu choices, following up outstanding dietary requirements and keeping everything organised became increasingly time-consuming.
As Zara Browell from Signature Pub Group explains:
“Previously a lot of our Christmas pre-orders were managed manually through email or spreadsheets, which can quickly become difficult to track when bookings increase.”
A simpler way to manage festive bookings
Using SetMenu, Signature Pub Group moved their Christmas group booking process into one central platform. Instead of chasing organisers for menu choices, guests could share menus with their groups and collect pre-orders before arriving at the venue. Dietary requirements were submitted in advance, and teams could clearly see which bookings were complete and which still required follow-up. The biggest difference was visibility. Having every group booking organised in one place meant less administration, fewer emails and a much smoother planning process during the busiest time of the year.
Helping kitchens prepare for success
The benefits didn’t stop with the bookings team. Because the majority of pre-orders had already been submitted before guests arrived, kitchen teams were able to prepare for service with far greater confidence. Knowing what large tables had ordered ahead of time allowed chefs to plan more effectively, reduce pressure during peak service and maintain a smoother operation throughout the festive period. At the same time, front-of-house teams could spend less time taking large orders at the table and more time focusing on delivering a great guest experience.
A better experience for guests
The platform also made life easier for the people organising Christmas celebrations. Rather than coordinating dozens of menu choices over long email chains, organisers could simply share the menu with their group, collect everyone’s selections and submit everything before the booking. This reduced the usual back-and-forth and gave guests greater confidence when arranging larger celebrations.
According to Zara, that simplicity also helped support larger festive bookings.
“For group organisers especially it made things easier because they could circulate the menu and collect choices ahead of time rather than trying to do everything on the day.”
The outcome
- Reduce the administration involved in managing festive bookings.
- Keep pre-orders, dietary requirements and guest information in one place.
- Give kitchen teams advance visibility of large group orders.
- Reduce pressure during busy festive services.
- Make Christmas booking management far easier to scale across multiple venues.
Would they recommend SetMenu?
“For group organisers especially it made things easier because they could circulate the menu and collect choices ahead of time rather than trying to do everything on the day.”
Christmas may feel a long way off, but for hospitality businesses, preparation starts months in advance. The earlier operators can simplify the booking journey, the more time they’ll have to focus on what matters most when December arrives: delivering exceptional hospitality.
If you want to get ahead for Christmas, you can book in a free demo here