JOURNAL / INDEX · 370 ENTRIES · PAGE 1 OF 2 LAST ENTRY 2026-10-08
THE JOURNAL PUBLISHED FROM LONDON · 51.5072°N 0.1276°W

Everything we learn, written down

Bookings, menus, online ordering, search. Written by the people building the product, between services.

Last published 8 Oct 2026 — the TableSpark team, London
ARTICLES363
FILMS14
TOPICS9

All entries

1–12 of 14 Newest first · Films Films ✕

October 2026

2026-10 1 entry
FIG. 02 Building the websiteFilm
Building the website 2026-10-06

Film: A booking page that looks ready, and what happens when a guest books

A one-prompt restaurant page looks finished until a real guest books: the deposit goes through, the booking is gone, and every glitch lands on the guest. Then the same booking runs through a connected restaurant system: site, Inbox, floor plan and kitchen.

August 2026

2026-08 10 entries
FIG. 03 Bookings and reservationsFilm
Bookings and reservations 2026-08-14

Film: Stop a Mobile Booking Becoming a Service Dispute

A mobile booking form can lose a reservation before the guest reaches submit. Test each field, keyboard, error state, confirmation and inbox handoff on a real phone.

FIG. 04 Menus and allergensFilm
Menus and allergens 2026-08-14

Film: When the Menu Opens but the Answer Does Not

A menu PDF can open on a phone and still be hard to use. Test loading, zoom, text size, links and the route back to current booking information before publishing.

FIG. 05 Bookings and reservationsFilm
Bookings and reservations 2026-08-09

Film: Close the Allergy Handoff Before Service

A 76-second restaurant allergy handoff covering owned booking disclosure, named responsibility, current ingredient checks, written kitchen and service receipt, and the final guest conversation.

FIG. 06 FilmFilm
Film 2026-08-08

Film: When a Free-From Label Outlives the Evidence

A public gluten-free, dairy-free or vegan label can outlive the evidence and kitchen controls behind it, leaving an allergic guest to trust a dangerous mismatch.

FIG. 07 FilmFilm
Film 2026-08-06

Film: Pull the Dish Before the Next Ticket

A 90-second restaurant food-withdrawal and recall workflow: stop sale, trace the affected batch, choose the correct notice route, update every guest-facing surface and leave a decision log.

FIG. 08 Running the siteFilm
Running the site 2026-08-06

Film: The Form Said Sent. Did Anyone Receive It?

A 90-second end-to-end restaurant contact-form test covering public submission, confirmation, restaurant-side receipt, named ownership, reply verification and a last-known-good log.

FIG. 09 Menus and allergensFilm
Menus and allergens 2026-08-05

Restaurant Allergen Information Online: The Two-Stage UK Check

See how to keep allergen information aligned before purchase and again at delivery with a two-stage check.

FIG. 10 Guest data and privacyFilm
Guest data and privacy 2026-08-05

UK Restaurant Booking Email Consent: Service vs Marketing

See how to separate booking service messages from marketing selection with an evidence-led consent check.

FIG. 11 FilmFilm
Film 2026-08-05

Can Restaurants Reward Five-Star Reviews? UK Rules Explained

Five-star incentives can distort a restaurant’s review evidence and create consumer-law and platform-policy risk. This TableSpark film explains the current UK position on review incentives, review gating, staff targets and negative feedback.

FIG. 12 FilmFilm
Film 2026-08-04

Turn Private-Dining Interest Into Enquiries

Private-dining enquiries get lost when event details sit in notebooks, inboxes and conversations. This TableSpark film shows a clearer route from a mobile-first restaurant website to the owner hand-off.

July 2026

2026-07 1 entry
FIG. 13 FilmFilm
Film 2026-07-24

A restaurant website shouldn't only look good on a laptop

Most of your guests find you on a phone. Fifty-five seconds on menus, bookings and ordering that feel native at six inches.

The pass · every other Thursday

One short note. No noise.

The best of the Journal plus one thing worth stealing for your restaurant's website — twice a month, unsubscribe in a click.

We'll only ever email you the Journal. Promise.