Restaurants using Eat App have the ability to generate reservations online. This can be done through online booking widgets and Eat App's partnership network.
What does your booking widget look like?
Setting Up Restaurant for Online Reservations
The following steps will get you up and running and ready to receive bookings from the web.
1. Edit your online hours
The first and most important in setting up your online booking widget is making sure your restaurant hours are correctly defined. This means setting up your shifts.
By default your restaurant is given a default shift, to learn more about how to set up your shifts correctly read our article on shifts here.
2. Set up your Restaurant Layout
To learn more about setting up your restaurant layout click here.
Once done, you are now ready to start generating reservations online at your restaurant.
Booking Widgets
Once your restaurant is set up to start receiving online reservations, navigate to the settings tab of Eat App and click Advanced Settings located on the upper right corner.
Once you are on the Advanced Settings, switch over to the "Widget" tab. This is where you will be able to access your various restaurant booking widgets
Widget link
This link can be used as a hyperlink anywhere on your website to generate reservations.
Widget Iframe
This is the code for an iFrame that can be plugged into your website.
Popup Installation
This is the code to create a pop up button which displays your booking widget.
Adding your widget across the web
To take full advantage of your restaurant booking widget, you'll want to place it on as many channels on the web as possible to make sure you are maximizing the potential of receiving online reservations.We recommend the following:
Your Restaurant Website
To add your booking widget to your website, you will need access to the website builder you used to put the site together.
Once logged in you can create a hyperlink with a nice call to action such as "Book now" or "Reserve your table" and your booking widget link. Alternatively, use your website builder's pre-built buttons to create a nicer user experience.
Facebook also provides restaurants with the option to add a large "Reserve" button right on the restaurant's facebook page.
Adding the 'Reserve' button on your Facebook and Instagram pages directly through Facebook
- Log in to the Facebook page of your restaurant
- On the left hand sidebar of your Facebook page, select "Business Apps"
- Scroll down to the "Reservations" category and locate "Eat App" and then click "Connect".
- You will then be taken to an authorization page from Eat App where you'll need to select the restaurant you want to connect.
- Once selected, you will be redirected back to Facebook where you will need to connect your Instagram account, Ad account and Facebook pixel (these three are required to complete the process).
- Your "Reserve" button will now be live on both your Facebook and Instagram profiles and you can manage your booking widget settings directly from Eat App.
Adding the 'Reserve' button on your Facebook and Instagram pages from Eat App
- Log into admin.eatapp.co with your restaurant's username and password
- Click on the "Services" tab once logged in and navigate to the "Instagram" tab
- Click on the "Setup" button, this will open a Facebook login page where you'll need to be logged into your restaurant's Facebook account
- Select ‘Continue’ when prompted to connect Eat App to Facebook
- Ensure that the correct Facebook Page is connected, along with the Instagram Profile, Ad Account and Facebook Pixel, then select ‘Continue’
- Allow the Eat App Integration to manage business extension and select ‘Next
- Your "Reserve" button will now be live on both your Facebook and Instagram profiles and you can manage your booking widget settings directly from Eat App
Google My Business Profile
Your Google my Business profile can also be a great way to acquire free restaurant reservations using the power of Google Search and Google Maps.
NOT all countries supports the Google reserve button. Here is the list of Supported Countries
The steps below assume that you have already set up and claimed your Google my Business profile.
In the event you haven't done this yet, click here to learn how. To add your booking widget to your Google my Business profile, sign in to your Google My Business account. If you have more than one listing, choose the one you want to edit.
Click the URLs section, which depending on what business category you are in might show additional URL options.
Enter your booking link into the Reservation field and click apply.