Table requests

Restaurant sites take table requests from guests, and you confirm or decline each one.

Table requests are for restaurant sites. A guest picks how many people and a time on your booking page, and you confirm each request. A table is not booked until you confirm it, unless you auto-confirm.

Where they show up

Table requests use the Bookings tab, together with the rest of your bookings. A table request is marked Table request and shows Table for the number of guests. A pending one also appears under Needs your answer, with a Confirm button.

The row at the bottom of the tab is Opening hours and tables, with “When guests can ask for a table.” The Booking link tile holds the link to share.

How guests ask

On your booking page, guests see Book a table. They choose:

Guests, up to the largest party you allow online. Bigger groups are asked to call you or email you.
A day and a time. Times follow your opening hours, up to the last seating before closing, and your booking rules.
Their name, email, an optional phone and a note.

They then see Request sent. Other requests at the same time never block a time: you decide each one.

Confirming or declining

Click a request. The dialog shows the guest, the day, the time and the number of guests, with Call, Message and Email.

Owners can:

Click Confirm table on a pending request.
Click Decline on a pending request.
Click Cancel booking on a confirmed table, and Mark as completed once it has happened.

Editors can see requests but not change them. Status names are the same as for other bookings: Pending, Confirmed, Canceled and Completed. See Managing bookings.

With Auto-confirm bookings on, table requests arrive already Confirmed.

Emails

You: New table request with a Confirm table button and a Decline link. With auto-confirm, New table booked instead.
The guest: Table request sent right away, saying the table is not booked until you confirm. Then Your table is confirmed, with a link to add it to a calendar, or Your table request was declined.
A guest who cancels: they use the cancel link in their email, and you get Table request canceled.
If you cancel a confirmed table: the guest gets Your table was canceled, with a Request another table button.

Table settings

Open Opening hours and tables. Under Table requests:

Take table requests: on by default. Turn it off if you use OpenTable, Resy or Tock, and point your Reserve a table button at it in the editor.
Largest party: bigger groups are asked to call you. The default is 8.
Table time: how long a table usually stays, in minutes. The default is 90.
Last seating: how many minutes before closing the last table can start. The default is 60.

Opening hours and booking rules work as in Hours and booking rules.