Group Bookings — The Big Table That Loses Money

Someone books for twelve on Saturday. A birthday. The floor manager is delighted and blocks off the big table and two entertainers for the night.

At close, the group has spent less per head than an ordinary table, two regulars were turned away at ten, and one entertainer spent four hours keeping twelve people happy for not much money.

⚠️ A big booking is not automatically a good booking. It depends on how it is priced, staffed and timed.

The short version

• Judge a group by spend per head, not by the size of the booking
• Groups often spend less per head than ordinary tables — the host pays, the guests hold back
• Use a minimum per head, or a package, rather than an open tab
• Staff by group size: one entertainer cannot hold twelve people
• Protect your regulars' tables — a group that displaces them costs more than it looks

Why groups disappoint

What it looks like	What usually happens
Twelve people, a big night	The host buys, the others nurse one drink
A full section	The section is full of people spending little
A celebration	Long stay, slow spending, late arrivals
An easy win	Regulars turned away to make room

⇒ The size of the group and the size of the bill are not the same thing.

One — work out spend per head

Total group spend ÷ number of people

Group of 12 …spent 96,000 ⇒ 8,000 per head
Ordinary table of 3 …spent 45,000 ⇒ 15,000 per head

⇒ The group looks bigger and earns about half as much per seat.

⚠️ Check your last five group bookings this way before taking the next one.

Two — price it so it pays

An open tab leaves group spend to chance. Two better shapes:

Minimum per head …e.g. 12,000 per person, charged whatever is ordered
Package          …fixed price per head covering a set of drinks and a duration

⇒ A package is easier to sell to the organiser — he knows the total in advance — and protects you from the twelve-people-one-drink night.

⚠️ State it at booking, in writing. A minimum mentioned on the night always becomes an argument.

Three — staff for the size

Up to 4 people …one entertainer can hold the table
5 to 8         …two
9 or more      …three, or split the group across tables

⇒ One entertainer with twelve people spends the night running between them, nobody gets real attention, and spending stays low.

⚠️ Count the entertainers against what they would have earned on the floor. A group that ties up three girls for four hours needs to pay for that.

Four — protect the regulars

A group booked at the big table on Saturday
Two regulars arrive at ten and there is no table for them

⇒ Losing a regular costs more than the group earns. A regular comes back every fortnight; most groups come once.

Rule …groups are confirmed only after regulars' usual tables are accounted for

Five — timing and the deposit

Groups arrive late and in pieces.

Booked for 9pm, first two arrive at 9:40, the rest by 10:30
⇒ the table sits half-empty through the best hour

⚠️ Take a deposit for groups, and agree an arrival time. A deposit makes late arrivals and no-shows the organiser's problem, not yours.

Six — after the night, write it down

Group size ／ spend ／ spend per head ／ entertainers used ／ hours ／ regulars displaced

⇒ After a few months you will know which kinds of groups pay and which do not.

The numbers to keep

One   spend per head for every group booking
Two   entertainers and hours tied up per group
Three regulars turned away on nights with a group
Four  deposits taken, and no-shows

⚠️ Three is the hidden cost. Nobody records the regular who went home.

A sheet for the office

────────────────────────────────────
  Group bookings

  Judge by SPEND PER HEAD, not size
  Price …minimum per head, or a package, in writing at booking
  Staff …1 per 4 people, roughly
  Deposit …always, with an agreed arrival time
  Regulars' tables come first

  After: size / spend / per head / girls / hours / regulars lost
────────────────────────────────────

Common objections

"A group fills the room"

⇒ It fills seats. Check whether it fills the till.

"A minimum will put the organiser off"

⚠️ A package with a clear total is often easier for him to agree to than an open tab he cannot predict.

"We can't refuse a big booking"

⇒ You don't have to refuse it. Price it and staff it so it pays.

"Deposits feel unfriendly"

⇒ For groups they are normal in most hospitality. Present it as holding the table for them.

"Our groups spend well"

⇒ Then spend per head will show it. Measure before assuming.

This week

One   take the last five group bookings and work out spend per head
Two   compare with an ordinary table on the same nights
Three decide on a minimum per head or a package
Four  write the deposit and arrival-time rule
Five  add "regulars displaced" to your group booking notes

Doing it by hand, or on a screen

Spend per head is easy once. Comparing every group against ordinary tables over months is not.

By hand …pull the bill, count the people, compare against other tables
On screen …bookings carrying spend and the entertainers assigned

⇒ tasteck records each booking with its spend and the entertainers assigned, so the money side of a group can be compared against ordinary tables from records.

⚠️ There is no head-count field. Note the group size in the booking's memo, or spend per head has to be worked out by hand from your own notes.

Wrapping up

• Judge groups by spend per head, not size
• Groups often spend less per head than ordinary tables
• Price with a minimum or a package, agreed in writing at booking
• Staff by size — one entertainer cannot hold twelve
• Take a deposit and agree an arrival time
• Regulars' tables come first

A big booking is good news only if the bill is big per seat too.