Table booking and a walk-in waitlist for paint-your-own pottery studios
Walk-ins join the list from a QR code by the door and get a text when a table opens. Birthday groups and families book a table ahead. On Plus you can ask for a card when they book and charge a no-show fee only if they don't come.
- Walk-ins join by QR code
- Groups book a table ahead
- No-show fees on Plus
- Texts for the first 25 parties a month on Free
- No card to sign up
A paint-your-own studio fills up in a way most booking tools don't expect. Most customers walk in, pick a piece off the shelf and sit wherever a table is free. On a rainy Saturday that turns into a line at the counter, and families with young kids won't stand in it for long.
Groups are the other half of the business: birthday parties, scout troops and friends who want six seats together at 2pm. bavoli puts both on one screen, the walk-in list and the groups who booked ahead, next to a plan of your tables.
A Saturday at the studio
- Before opening
The day's groups are already on the list
Every group that booked shows up with its party size, its time and the note the guest left, such as "birthday, 8 kids". You know which tables they need before the door opens.
- 11:00
Walk-ins check in at the door
Families scan the QR card, enter a name, their party size and a mobile number, and see their place in line on their phone. They can pick a piece or step out for a coffee while they wait.
- 11:40
A table opens
Staff tap the next party on the list. bavoli texts them that it's their turn, and their status page changes at the same moment. With auto-release on, a party that got the text or email and doesn't come back within your grace time loses its spot and the line moves up.
- 2:00
The birthday group arrives
They booked last week and left a card for your no-show fee, which is charged only if a group doesn't come. Staff seat them from the floor plan and the booking moves to seated.
- Closing
Tomorrow is already set up
Everyone who visited is in your guest book with a visit count and notes. Tomorrow's groups are on the list, and each one gets an email reminder before the visit.
What the studio uses
A QR code waitlist
Print the QR card for the counter or the door. Guests join from their own phone with no app to download and see their place in line.
Groups book, small parties walk in
Set the smallest party that can book online, for example 5, and how many groups can start in each time slot. Everyone else joins the walk-in list.
No-show fees on Plus
Hold a card on online bookings and charge a flat no-show fee only if the group doesn't come, so a birthday party that never shows pays your fee for the Saturday table it held. Needs Plus and a connected Stripe account.
Occasions in your words
Guests can say what they are celebrating when they book. Rename the options or add your own, like "Birthday party" or "Team outing".
Your tables on a floor plan
Lay out your painting tables and any party room. Staff see which tables are free, booked or taken, and seat the next party with a tap.
A website with your booking link
A simple site with your hours, the booking page and the waitlist link comes with every plan. Pro adds your own domain.
Which plan fits a studio
Bookings and waitlist parties are unlimited on every plan. The plans differ in how many parties get texts each month, and card holds with a no-show fee start on Plus.
| Plan | Price | Texted parties | Adds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0, no end date | The first 25 parties each month | Waitlist, bookings, floor plan, guest book, website and email updates. A small bavoli badge on your pages. |
| Plus | $30 a month or $300 a year | Up to 500 parties a month | Card holds and no-show fees on online bookings. Hide the bavoli badge. |
| Pro | $60 a month or $600 a year | Up to 1,500 parties a month | Everything in Plus and a custom domain for your website. |
For example
A small studio with about 15 group bookings a month and a short line on a few weekends has about 23 parties a month to text. That fits the Free plan, which texts the first 25 parties each month for $0.
For example
A busy studio with about 40 group bookings a month and about 60 walk-in parties on the weekend list has about 100 parties a month to text. That fits Plus at $30 a month, which texts up to 500 parties a month.
If you want a no-show fee for birthday parties, you need Plus whatever your text count.
Guests add a card when they book online, and bavoli places a hold on it for the no-show fee you set. The fee is one flat amount per booking, and it is charged only if the group doesn't show. To keep it to groups, set the smallest party that can book online to your group size and let smaller parties walk in.
What bavoli doesn't do for a studio yet
bavoli runs the line and the bookings. The rest of the studio stays where it is today.
- It doesn't sell pieces, studio fees or party packages. You charge for those at the counter.
- It doesn't text customers when their fired pieces are ready to pick up.
- It doesn't sell seats in classes or workshops with a ticket price.
- A booking holds a start time. bavoli counts how many groups start in each time slot and doesn't block a table for the length of a party, so set that number with your longest parties in mind.
Frequently asked questions
Can families join the waitlist before they arrive?
Yes. The waitlist link works from anywhere, so you can post it on your website or Instagram and families can join on the drive over. The list closes on days you are closed, and you can switch it off whenever you want to stop taking names.
Can I take a deposit for birthday parties?
bavoli doesn't collect deposits up front. On Plus ($30 a month) or Pro, once you connect a Stripe account, you can protect birthday bookings with a card hold instead. Guests add a card when they book online, and bavoli places a hold on it for the no-show fee you set. The fee is one flat amount per booking, and it is charged only if the group doesn't show. To keep it to groups, set the smallest party that can book online to your group size and let smaller parties walk in.
How do I keep online bookings from taking every table?
Set how many groups can start in each time slot. The same number applies on every day you're open, and whatever you don't hand to bookings stays free for walk-ins.
Do the texts cost extra?
No. Texts come with the plan: the first 25 parties each month on Free, up to 500 on Plus and up to 1,500 on Pro. A party is one booking or one waitlist entry, however many texts it gets. Past the allowance, guests follow their place in line on their status page.
Can bavoli tell customers their pottery is ready?
Not today. bavoli's texts are about the line and bookings. Keep using whatever you use now to tell customers their fired pieces are ready.
Does it work for other craft studios?
Yes, when customers sit at a table and either walk in or book as a group, as they do at canvas painting, mosaic or candle making studios. A studio that mostly sells seats in scheduled classes will miss ticketing, which bavoli doesn't have.