How BiteSpaces works

Start here

There are two sides to BiteSpaces, and the steps are different depending on which one you are. Pick the one that sounds like you.

How a booking works, start to finish

Whichever side you are on, every booking follows the same five steps.

1. A space owner lists their space and sets the times it is available.
2. A vendor finds it and requests one of those sessions for a particular date.
3. The space owner reviews the request, including the vendor's paperwork, and approves or declines it.
4. The vendor pays once the request is approved.
5. The event happens. The space owner keeps 100% of their listed price.

Nothing is charged while a request is still pending, and a space owner is never obliged to accept a request.

Sessions: why one day can suit more than one vendor

Spaces are booked by session rather than by the day. A session is simply a start time and a finish time that the space owner sets.

This matters because a single Saturday at a sports club often has two very different crowds:

• A morning session while junior games are on, which suits coffee, bacon and egg rolls, pastries and juice.
• A lunch session once the seniors start, which suits burgers, hot food and, of course, more coffee.

Those can go to two different vendors on the same day, at the same space, without clashing. A space owner can also offer a single whole-day price instead if that suits them better.

Sessions cannot overlap. Once a vendor books 7:00am–10:00am on a date, nobody else can book a window that runs across it. A session that starts exactly when another finishes is fine.

For food vendors

Step 1 — Create your account

1. Select Create an account in the top right.
2. Choose food vendor when asked which kind of account you need.
3. Enter your business details and set a password.

Step 2 — Upload your paperwork

This is the step most worth doing properly, and the one most people skip. Schools, clubs and churches generally cannot let you on site without it, so a vendor with current documents is far more likely to be approved.

Go to Your documents on your dashboard. You will see a checklist showing what you have, what is missing, and what is about to run out.

1. Upload each document as a PDF or a photo.
2. Enter the expiry date shown on the document.
3. Check that every item on the checklist shows Current.

Your documents stay private. A space owner can only see them after you have requested or booked one of their spaces, and the links they get expire after 15 minutes.

Step 3 — Find a space

1. Select Find Spaces and search by suburb or postcode.
2. Narrow the results by date, crowd size or event type.
3. Open a space to see its sessions, prices, amenities and location.

Step 4 — Request a session

1. Choose the date you want.
2. Choose the session — the dropdown shows each window and its price.
3. Tell the space owner what you sell, and add anything they should know.
4. Send the request.

If someone has already taken that window, you will be told straight away rather than after you have paid.

Step 5 — What happens next

The space owner reviews your request and can see your paperwork. Once they approve it, you pay and the booking is confirmed. Everything appears under Upcoming bookings on your dashboard.

For space owners

For schools, sports clubs, churches, community centres and anyone else with room that is not always in use.

Step 1 — Create your account

1. Select Create an account in the top right.
2. Choose space owner when asked which kind of account you need.
3. Enter your organisation's details.

Step 2 — List your space

1. Select List a Space.
2. Give it a name people will recognise, such as "Rostrevor Football Club — main car park".
3. Add the address, how many people usually attend, and what is on site — power, water, shade, toilets, parking.
4. Add photos. A clear daytime photo of where the van actually parks does more than anything else.

Step 3 — Set your sessions and prices

1. Under Pricing & fees, choose By session.
2. Enter a start and finish time, and what you want to receive for that window.
3. Select Add another time for each additional window, such as a morning and a lunch session.
4. Choose Per day instead if you would rather sell the whole day to one vendor.

You can price a session at $0 if you would rather attract a vendor than charge them — a booking fee still applies to the vendor. Whatever you enter is what you receive; the fee is added on top and paid by the vendor.

Step 4 — Review requests

Requests appear under Booking requests on your dashboard. Each one shows the vendor, the space, the date, and a paperwork summary.

That summary is there so you can answer one question quickly: is it safe to say yes?

• All paperwork current — everything is in date.
• Accepted, but check the dates — something expires soon, or has no expiry recorded.
• Missing or expired — worth asking the vendor to sort out before you approve.

Select View documents to open the actual files. You can only see documents belonging to vendors who have asked to use your space.

Step 5 — After the event

Completed bookings move to your booking history, and payment is released to you. You keep 100% of the price you listed.

The paperwork, explained

These are the documents venues most commonly ask for. Which ones apply depends on where you are trading and what you sell — a school will want more than a brewery car park will.

BiteSpaces stores and shares these documents. It does not check that they are genuine or current with the issuer, and it is not a substitute for a venue's own checks. Space owners should still satisfy themselves before approving a booking.

What it costs

Listing a space is free, and space owners receive the full price they list.

Vendors pay the space price plus a booking fee and GST. The exact amounts are shown on screen before you pay — you will never be charged something you have not seen itemised first.

Payments are handled by Stripe. BiteSpaces never stores your card details.

If you get stuck

The FAQ covers the questions we get most often. If it is not there, email support@bitespaces.com.au and tell us what you were trying to do.