On the green grasslands of Cantabria, about half way between Torrelavega and Lierganes, sits a neat, picturesque, pebble-coloured bungalow. Cantabria’s beautiful scenery stretches out from the borders of this beloved building, a charming gastronomic bar and grill that boasts some of the best surroundings in the country.
Gastrobar LaBalbina opens its arms to any visitor who happens to travel through “Green Spain”, a region that proves that even the Iberian Peninsula boasts forests and green spaces elsewhere found in Britain, middle Europe, and France. It is a must visit for hungry nature lovers.
It may be a restaurant “out there” found among winding mountainous roads changing altitude and height at every new corner. However, visitors claim Gastrobar LaBalbina is well worth the journey. For anyone exploring the region’s prehistoric caves and award-winning national heritage sights, Gastrobar LaBalbina makes an ideal stop on a mid-journey afternoon.
A crisp countryside location has helped Gastrobar LaBalbina grow in popularity, and as such the local team felt they needed to employ an extra helping hand to tackle a steady increase in customer demand. Now using Carbonara App for a considerable time, here’s what they had to say about their experiences with the app, drawing on all the positives it has brought to the restaurant table.
Restaurants like Gastrobar LaBalbina now manage guests with confidence, improving their overall hospitality experience. Contact us and learn how restaurants are enjoying all the free benefits of a restaurant management app.
Green Spain’s Top Location
Gastrobar LaBalbina is scenic. The restaurant’s outdoor seating area is one of its best features, and service in the sunshine is common. Tall trees provide shade, cooling down guests ordering afternoon drinks. In the summertime, white parasols bloom and sit like a bed of white flowers on the property’s well-tended, plush grass.
Unsurprisingly, this has made the restaurant an ideal stop for journey-worn customers.
The Need for Customer Reservations
With a menu crafted to suit all tastes, focusing mainly on a variety of burger recipes and delicious side orders (all cooked on a flame grill), Gastrobar LaBalbina aims to please.
They’ve proved successful. Online notices recommend reservations for a seat. Operating at peak hours during the week — i.e., afternoon to midnight — the decision to bring in restaurant technology was a smart move.
Using Carbonara App’s Booking Features
Gastrobar LaBalbina was able to introduce a booking system absolutely free. Corresponding with the owner, we learned that Gastrobar LaBalbina’s discovery of Carbonara App’s reservation tools was a most welcome find.
“It’s intuitive,” they said. “Easy to enter reservations and to edit and modify.” The team found that Carbonara App provided:
- A quick and easy-to-use digital reservation book, helping restaurants keep total control over their reservations
- A built-in table management screen to manage tables at a glance
- An integrated online booking system — a free feature essential for restaurants today
As an added bonus, the Gastrobar LaBalbina team were glad to discover the app’s extra features enhanced usability and guest efficiency. For example, the app’s wait timer feature won them over, simplifying everyday business for the restaurant. It provided accurate wait times for guests, on when they can expect to gain seats — thus speeding up their table turnover rates.
“Estimated times of each reservation, and waiting times, the situation is instantly visualised both in the dining room and from the kitchen” — meaning better table oversight for staff. These features soon proved their worth for the restaurant, Gastrobar LaBalbina said, “giving the opportunity to have more guests both on a daily basis and at specific times”.

Notifying Guests Easily!
Next comes one of the app’s most loved features: easy SMS communication with customers.
Statista recently recorded that 10.5 billion SMS messages get sent every year. So no wonder that Carbonara App users find this feature most useful.
Gastrobar LaBalbina said: “You have the option of notifying the client, both by mail and SMS . . . [This way the] the customer can be checked.” SMS messaging features and restaurant confirmations are super useful and super helpful because they:
- Cut down on no shows, preventing forgetfulness on the customer’s part
- Increase customer commitment, providing a direct line to restaurant operators handling online bookings
- Boost easier communication with guests, allowing customers a faster, more instant way to inform restaurants if they change their plans
Gastrobar LaBalbina Commends Carbonara App
In the end, restaurant life is much easier for Gastrobar LaBalbina. Up among the northern Spanish hills, the team can finally relax when it comes to daily customer management. So do they have any final comments to make about the app?
Yes — and only good words to sum up their experience with the app. “[We] have been using it for a short time and [we] like it.”
Thanks to the Gastrobar LaBalbina team!
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Loved this story about Gastrobar LaBalbina’s continued success with Carbonara App? Read more about a Carbonara App user in Castilla y Léon, a historical town in the north of Spain about 120 miles away: “Carbonara App Enhances Reservations Control in North Spain”.
Don’t forget that restaurants across Europe are also experiencing reservation success with all the handy tools provided by Carbonara App. All our stories are available online.
Take a long day’s journey through the best restaurants in southern Spain, from the Costa del Sol to the Portuguese border, a trip brimming with immaculate scenery and historical sights.