Running a restaurant is tough. Keeping track of events can be even tougher. But don’t worry! There’s a simple fix: WordPress event calendar plugins.
These nifty tools can make your life way easier. They help you manage bookings, plan schedules, and promote your events without breaking a sweat. Imagine having a full house every night, with happy customers enjoying your special events. Sounds good, right?
In this article, we’ll show you the top WordPress calendar plugins for restaurants. We’ll break down what each one does, how much they cost, and why they’re great for event management.
Why bother with an event calendar plugin? Well, it keeps everything in order. Your guests will always know what’s happening and when. From daily specials to big parties, these plugins keep things running like clockwork.
Ready to make your event management a breeze and see your restaurant thrive? Let’s get started!
Best WordPress Events Calendar Plugins
- The Events Calendar
- Amelia
- Eventin
- Timely All-in-One Events Calendar
- Events Manager
- WP Event Manager
- Sugar Calendar
- WP Booking Calendar
- Modern Events Calendar
The Events Calendar
The Events Calendar is one of the best WordPress event management plugins that’s perfect for restaurants juggling multiple events. It’s a breeze to use, letting you showcase everything from daily specials to big weekend bashes.
What makes it so great? For starters, you can display your events in different ways – monthly, daily, or as a list. If you upgrade to Pro, you’ll get even more viewing options.
One cool feature is how it works with Google Maps. Your guests can easily find their way to your restaurant for that fine dining event or live music night. Plus, it plays nice with Google Calendar, so folks can add your events to their personal schedules with just a click.
The Events Calendar looks good on any device, so whether someone’s checking your schedule on their phone or computer, it’ll look sharp. It’s compatible with our restaurant themes like Caverta or Dina.
Key Features:
- Easy Event Creation: Quickly create one-time or recurring events with a simple interface. You can set up events with just a few clicks, making it ideal for busy restaurant managers.
- Customizable Views: Choose between month, week, or list views to display your events. This flexibility allows you to present your schedule in the most effective way for your audience.
- Event Categories and Tags: Organize events using categories and tags for better filtering. This feature helps visitors find events that interest them without scrolling through irrelevant listings.
- Google Maps Integration: Automatically add a map to event locations, making it easy for guests to find you. This is particularly useful for new customers or those attending special events.
- Event Search: Built-in search feature helps visitors find specific events quickly. This improves the user experience by allowing guests to easily locate the events they’re interested in.
- Integration with Other Tools: Seamlessly integrates with tools like Eventbrite and WooCommerce for ticket sales and promotions. This means you can sell tickets and manage payments directly through your website.
- Import/Export Events: Easily import events from other calendars and export your events as needed. This is helpful if you use multiple calendar systems or want to back up your event data.
- Customizable Templates: Adjust the look and feel to match your restaurant’s branding. Customization options ensure your event listings align with your restaurant’s style and theme.
Pricing: free version and premium from $89/year.
Amelia
Amelia is an efficient WordPress booking plugin that functions as a virtual concierge for your restaurant. It simplifies the booking process, for any event you have on your location.
What’s cool about Amelia? For starters, it’s super easy to use and you can set it up pretty fast. The interface is clean and simple to understand.
Amelia handles all sorts of bookings. Got a recurring event like a weekly chef’s table? No problem. One-off special occasions? It’s got you covered. You can even set up different time slots for your events or reservations.
One of the best parts is how it handles payments. Customers can pay online when they book, which means less hassle for you on the night.
Key Features:
- User-Friendly Interface: Amelia offers a clean, intuitive interface that makes booking easy for both customers and administrators.
- Automated Booking System: The plugin automates appointment scheduling, minimizing the need for manual intervention. This ensures a smooth booking experience and reduces administrative workload.
- Multiple Booking Options: Support for one-time appointments, recurring bookings, and group bookings. This flexibility allows you to cater to a variety of customer needs.
- Calendar View: Visual calendar displays make it easy to manage your schedule. You can view appointments by day, week, or month, simplifying event and appointment management.
- Email and SMS Notifications: Automatic notifications keep both customers and staff informed about upcoming appointments, reducing no-shows and ensuring everyone is on the same page.
- Payment Integration: Amelia integrates with popular payment gateways like PayPal and Stripe, allowing you to accept payments directly through your website.
- Employee Management: Manage multiple staff members, each with their own schedule. Assign specific appointments to employees based on their availability and expertise.
Pricing: free version and premium from $59/year.
Eventin
Eventin is like a Swiss Army knife for restaurant event planning. It’s a WordPress plugin that takes the headache out of organizing everything from small dinner parties to big food festivals.
With Eventin, you can set up as many events as you want. One of the best things about Eventin is how it handles tickets. You can sell them right on your site, and each guest gets their own QR code.
The free version of Eventin is pretty solid, but if you want to get fancy, the premium version lets you brand your events, use advanced search, and even send out notifications to guests.
What really makes Eventin stand out is how well it plays with others. It connects easily with tools like Zoom, WooCommerce, and even payment systems like Stripe.
Pricing: free version and premium from $69/year or $159/lifetime.
Timely All-in-One Events Calendar
Think of Timely All-in-One Events Calendar as your restaurant’s digital event planner. It’s a WordPress plugin that’s a jack-of-all-trades when it comes to managing your events.
Got a weekly pasta night or a monthly wine tasting? This plugin’s got you covered. It handles everything from one-off specials to recurring events with ease. You can even duplicate events to save time – perfect for those busy weeks when you’re juggling multiple bookings.
One of the coolest things about Timely is how it plays nice with other event calendars. You can import and export events to Google Calendar or iCalendar, so your team and customers can stay in sync.
The free version is pretty solid, but if you want to jazz things up, you can upgrade to get more features like frontend submission forms and Twitter integration.
Pricing: free and premium versions.
Events Manager
Events Manager is a versatile and user-friendly WordPress plugin designed for seamless event management. Whether you’re planning a small meetup or a large-scale conference, Events Manager has the tools to help you organize your events efficiently. With features that cover everything from event creation to booking management, this plugin is a comprehensive solution for all your event management needs.
Upgrading to Events Manager Pro unlocks advanced features such as premium support, custom payment gateways, spam protection, coupons, and discounts. The Pro version also supports PayPal and other payment methods, making it easier to collect payments for your events.
Key Features:
- Easy Event Creation: Quickly add events with detailed descriptions, images, and locations. The process is as simple as creating a new post in WordPress.
- Booking Management: Handle registrations and online bookings directly from your dashboard. The Pro version supports multiple payment gateways for easier transactions.
- Recurring Events: Schedule events to repeat on a daily, weekly, monthly, or annual basis, saving time on repetitive tasks.
- Location Management: Save and reuse locations, complete with detailed descriptions and Google Maps integration.
- Event Categories and Tags: Organize events using categories and tags to help visitors find events more easily.
- SEO Friendly: Optimize event pages for search engines to increase visibility and attract more attendees.
- Integration with BuddyPress: Create a community around your events with BuddyPress integration, enabling users to interact and share events.
Pricing: free version and premium from $89/year.
WP Event Manager
Looking for a hassle-free way to manage events on your WordPress site? WP Event Manager might be just what you need. This online booking plugin comes packed with essential calendar event features.
Whether you’re organizing in-person gatherings or virtual meetups, WP Event Manager has got you covered. It plays nice with most WordPress themes, so you won’t have to fuss with complicated setups or extra costs.
What’s great about WP Event Manager is how easy it is to use. You can add, edit, and organize events right from your WordPress dashboard. No need to jump between different screens or learn new interfaces.
Want to give your events a personal touch? No problem. You can create custom fields to make each event unique. And if you’re working with a team, event organizers can log in and manage their own events.
While the free version offers plenty of features, there are premium add-ons available if you need more oomph. From ticket sales to map integration, you can expand the plugin’s capabilities as your needs grow.
Pricing: free version and premium from $99/year.
Sugar Calendar
Sugar Calendar is a powerful yet simple event management plugin for WordPress. Designed with a focus on ease of use and speed, it provides all the essential tools to create, manage, and display events without overwhelming you with unnecessary features.
Sugar Calendar stands out for its straightforward setup and user-friendly design. The minimalist interface allows you to manage events without any clutter, focusing on what’s important. Its compatibility with major themes and plugins ensures it integrates seamlessly into your existing WordPress site.
Key Features
- Easy Event Creation: Quickly create and manage events with an intuitive interface directly from your WordPress dashboard.
- Event Categories: Organize your events by categories to help users find what they’re looking for more easily.
- Time Zone Support: Handle events across different time zones effortlessly, ensuring accurate timing for all attendees.
- Google Calendar Integration: Sync your events with Google Calendar, allowing users to add events to their personal calendars with a click.
- Developer-Friendly: Built with clean code and hooks, making it easy for developers to extend and customize functionalities.
- Lightweight and Fast: Designed to be lightweight, Sugar Calendar won’t slow down your site, ensuring a smooth experience for your users.
- Responsive Design: Events look great on any device, from desktops to mobile phones, ensuring accessibility for all users.
Pricing: free version and premium from $49/year.
WP Booking Calendar
WP Booking Calendar is a game-changer for restaurants looking to streamline their reservation system. This WordPress plugin turns your website into a booking powerhouse, making life easier for both you and your customers.
One of the coolest features is its smarts around double-bookings. The plugin automatically marks time slots as unavailable once they’re taken, so you can wave goodbye to those awkward overbooking situations.
Setting up is a breeze. You can customize the booking form to gather all the info you need – names, party size, special requests, you name it. And if you’re worried about spam bookings, don’t be. The plugin comes with reCAPTCHA protection to keep the bots at bay.
For those big events or holiday bookings, WP Booking Calendar has you covered too. It integrates with popular payment gateways, making it easy to handle deposits or prepayments.
The premium version lets you set up seasonal pricing, perfect for those busy holiday periods or special event nights.
Pricing: free version and premium from $39/one-time cost.
Modern Events Calendar
Modern Events Calendar, or MEC for short, is a game-changer for restaurants looking to spice up their event management. It’s like having a super-smart assistant who’s great at organizing and has an eye for style.
What sets MEC apart? For starters, it’s got a bunch of slick designs to choose from. You can make your calendar look just right for your restaurant’s vibe, whether you’re a cozy cafe or a high-end bistro.
Key Features:
- Intuitive Design: MEC boasts an easy-to-navigate design, making event creation and management straightforward for users of all skill levels.
- Booking and Ticketing: Integrated booking and ticketing systems allow you to manage reservations and sell tickets directly from your website.
- Recurring Events: Schedule events to repeat on a daily, weekly, monthly, or custom basis, perfect for regular activities or promotions.
- Customizable Layouts: Adjust the look and feel of your calendar to match your restaurant’s branding, with plenty of customization options.
- Google Calendar Integration: Sync events with Google Calendar to keep your schedule organized and accessible from anywhere.
- Event Countdown: Add a countdown timer to your events to build excitement and urgency among potential attendees.
- Advanced Filtering: Use advanced filtering options to help visitors find events that match their interests quickly.
Pricing: free version and premium from $99/year.
Conclusion
Picking the right calendar plugin can make or break your restaurant’s event game. We’ve shown you some top-notch options, each with its own perks. The Events Calendar is a powerhouse for big-time event planning. Modern Events Calendar has a catchy design that gets the job done. Eventin plays nice with other tools, while Events Manager provides flexibility. And if you want simple, WP Event Manager’s got your back.
So, what’s the best pick? It depends on what you need. Think about how easy it is to use, what features matter most to you, and how it fits with your current restaurant site setup.
Ready to level up your restaurant’s events? Grab a plugin and start spicing things up!
FAQs
Q: What is the best WordPress calendar plugin for restaurants?
A: The best plugin depends on your specific needs, but The Events Calendar and Modern Events Calendar are highly recommended for their comprehensive features and ease of use. Try out a few options to see which feels best for your restaurant. The right plugin will make managing your events much easier and help attract more customers.
Q: Can I integrate a WordPress calendar plugin with WooCommerce?
A: Many WordPress calendar plugins can indeed be integrated with WooCommerce, which is great news for restaurant owners. This integration allows you to seamlessly combine your event management with e-commerce capabilities. Popular calendar plugins like The Events Calendar, Modern Events Calendar, and Events Manager offer WooCommerce integration, either built-in or through add-ons. With this setup, you can sell tickets to your events, manage bookings, and use WooCommerce payment gateways for purchases.
Q: Are there any free WordPress calendar plugins?
A: Yes, plugins like The Events Calendar and Events Manager offer free versions with essential features. Premium versions are available for more advanced functionality.
Q: How can I manage recurring events with a WordPress calendar plugin?
A: Most top plugins like The Events Calendar and Events Manager support recurring events, allowing you to schedule and manage events that happen on a regular basis.
Q: Is it possible to customize the look of my event calendar?
A: Most WordPress calendar plugins give you plenty of options to make your event calendar look just right for your restaurant’s style. You can usually change colors, fonts, and layouts to match your website’s design. Some plugins even let you tweak the calendar’s structure, like switching between list view and grid view. Many event plugins have user-friendly customization tools that don’t require any tech skills.