Case Study
How Tea Trolley went from spreadsheets to fully booked
50% of bookings online. No-shows cut in half. Hours of admin eliminated every week. All within two weeks.
In the first two weeks
50%
Bookings moved online
50%+
Fewer no-shows
5+ hrs
Saved weekly on admin
24+
Add-on & ticket sales
The additional add-on revenue alone covered the subscription cost.
The Problem
5–8 hours a week lost to manual booking admin
Reservations came through phone calls, emails, and a Google Form. Staff copied responses into a spreadsheet, manually assigned tables, and double-checked time slots by eye.
With 40+ reservations per week, the cracks were impossible to ignore. Double bookings crept in. No-shows were climbing. Staff were spending 5–8 hours every week on admin that had nothing to do with hospitality.
Events were worse — each one had to be manually created, details chased by email, and ticket sales tracked in yet another tool. Add-on requests like celebration cupcakes meant a separate back-and-forth conversation for every booking.
Before vs After
| Before | After |
|---|---|
| Google Form responses | Branded booking page |
| Spreadsheet table assignments | Visual floor plan |
| Manual reminder emails | Automatic SMS reminders |
| Back-and-forth for add-ons | Upsells built into booking |
| Eyeballing a grid for conflicts | Double bookings prevented automatically |
| Checking email, phone & spreadsheet | One dashboard for everything |
The Solution
Signed up in the morning. Live the same day.
Tea Trolley signed up for Table Mouse and was live the same day. No migration headaches. No new hardware. Just a booking widget embedded on their existing website at tea-trolley.com.
They set up their rooms and floor plans, configured time slots for tea services, and turned on SMS reminders — all before lunch.
The add-ons and events features opened up revenue that didn't exist before. Celebration cupcakes, event tickets — all sold directly inside the booking flow, no extra conversation needed.
“We went from chasing emails to having everything just work. Guests book themselves, reminders go out on their own, and we actually know who's coming each day.”
The Tea Trolley team
What Changed for the Team
Less admin. Less stress. More time for guests.
- No more checking three different tools to see who's coming
- No more copying Google Form responses into a spreadsheet
- Clear daily view of every reservation, dietary need, and special occasion
- Less stress before busy weekends — everything is already organized
- Guests arrive with details already captured, no awkward re-asking
The Results
Measurable impact in just two weeks
50% of bookings now happen automatically
No emails. No back-and-forth. No phone calls.
No-shows dropped by more than 50%
Automatic SMS reminders. Within weeks.
13 event tickets + 11 celebration cupcakes sold
Revenue that didn't exist before — all through the booking flow.
5+ hours saved every week
No more spreadsheets. No more copying form responses. No more eyeballing grids.
Three tools replaced by one dashboard
Spreadsheets, email, and phone check-ins — gone.
Guest profiles that actually help
Dietary needs, visit history, and special occasions — ready when guests arrive.
How It Works in Practice
Guests get a text reminder before their booking. No staff action needed.
Celebration cupcakes, event tickets — upsells happen before guests arrive.
The floor plan blocks conflicts in real time. No more eyeballing a grid.
Dietary needs, visit history, special occasions — ready when guests walk in.
Why Tea Trolley Chose Table Mouse
Not just any reservation tool
Built specifically for tea houses — timed seatings, events, and service windows
Floor plans prevent double bookings automatically
Add-ons and event tickets integrated directly into the booking flow
Clean interface staff could learn in minutes, not days