Reservations Management
Configure and manage your restaurant's reservation system.
Overview
The reservations system provides:
- Online booking - Widget for your website
- Phone reservations - Staff-entered bookings
- Confirmations - SMS and email reminders
- No-show tracking - Policy enforcement
- Deposits - Optional prepayment
Enabling Reservations
Initial Setup
- Go to Settings > Tables > Reservations
- Enable Accept Reservations
- Configure booking rules
- Set up confirmations
- Add widget to website
Reservation Channels
| Channel | Setup | Control |
|---|---|---|
| Online Widget | Embed on website | Full automation |
| Phone | Staff enters | Staff controlled |
| Third Party | API integration | Varies |
| Walk-in Conversion | At host stand | Staff controlled |
Booking Rules
Availability Settings
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ RESERVATION AVAILABILITY │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ BOOKING WINDOW │
│ ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ Advance booking: Up to [30] days ahead │
│ Minimum notice: [2] hours before │
│ Same-day cutoff: [4:00 PM ▼] │
│ │
│ TIME SLOTS │
│ ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ Slot interval: [15] minutes │
│ First reservation: [5:00 PM] │
│ Last reservation: [9:00 PM] │
│ │
│ PARTY SIZE │
│ ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ Minimum party: [1] guest │
│ Maximum party: [8] guests │
│ Large party (phone only): [9]+ guests │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Day-Specific Rules
| Day | Reservations | Special Rules |
|---|---|---|
| Mon-Thu | Open | Standard rules |
| Friday | Open | 2-hour max |
| Saturday | Open | 1.5-hour max, deposit required |
| Sunday | Brunch only | 11am-3pm slots |
Blackout Dates
Block reservations for:
- Private events
- Holidays (when closed)
- Special occasions (walk-in only)
Table Assignment
Auto-Assignment
System suggests tables based on:
| Factor | Weight |
|---|---|
| Party size match | High |
| Table availability | High |
| Turn time estimate | Medium |
| Server balance | Medium |
| Guest preferences | Medium |
Assignment Rules
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ TABLE ASSIGNMENT RULES │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ ASSIGNMENT MODE │
│ ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ [●] Auto-assign best fit │
│ [ ] Host assigns manually │
│ [ ] Suggest, host confirms │
│ │
│ OPTIMIZATION GOALS │
│ ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ [✓] Maximize capacity utilization │
│ [✓] Balance server workloads │
│ [ ] Minimize large table usage for small parties │
│ [✓] Honor special requests when possible │
│ │
│ TABLE PREFERENCES │
│ ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ 2-tops first for: Parties of 1-2 │
│ 4-tops first for: Parties of 3-4 │
│ 6-tops first for: Parties of 5-6 │
│ Combine tables for: Parties of 7+ │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Online Booking Widget
Widget Setup
- Go to Settings > Reservations > Online Booking
- Configure widget appearance
- Copy embed code
- Add to your website
Widget Options
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ ONLINE BOOKING WIDGET │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ APPEARANCE │
│ ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ Theme: [Match website ▼] │
│ Primary color: [#1a5f4a ] │
│ Font: [System default ▼] │
│ Button style: [Rounded ▼] │
│ │
│ FIELDS │
│ ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ [✓] Name (required) │
│ [✓] Phone (required) │
│ [✓] Email (required) │
│ [ ] Special requests │
│ [ ] Occasion selection │
│ [ ] Seating preference │
│ │
│ EMBED CODE │
│ ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ <script src="https://book.restaurantrevolution.ai/widget.js" │
│ data-restaurant="abc123"></script> │
│ │
│ [Copy Code] [Preview Widget] │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Guest Experience
- Guest selects date, time, party size
- Available slots shown
- Guest enters contact info
- Optional: special requests
- Confirmation displayed
- Email/SMS confirmation sent
Confirmations & Reminders
Confirmation Messages
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ CONFIRMATION SETTINGS │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ INSTANT CONFIRMATION │
│ ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ [✓] Send email confirmation │
│ [✓] Send SMS confirmation │
│ │
│ REMINDERS │
│ ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ [✓] 24 hours before: Email reminder with confirm link │
│ [✓] 2 hours before: SMS reminder │
│ [ ] Day before: Phone call (manual) │
│ │
│ RECONFIRMATION │
│ ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ [✓] Request confirmation via SMS/email │
│ Auto-cancel if not confirmed: [4] hours before │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Message Templates
Confirmation Email:
Subject: Reservation Confirmed - [Restaurant Name]
Hi [Name],
Your reservation is confirmed!
📅 Date: Saturday, January 25, 2026
🕐 Time: 7:00 PM
👥 Party: 4 guests
[Confirm] [Modify] [Cancel]
See you soon!
[Restaurant Name]
Reminder SMS:
Reminder: Your reservation at [Restaurant]
is tomorrow at 7:00 PM for 4 guests.
Reply Y to confirm or call us to modify.
No-Show Management
No-Show Policy
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ NO-SHOW POLICY │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ GRACE PERIOD │
│ ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ Mark as no-show after: [15] minutes late │
│ Auto-release table after: [20] minutes │
│ │
│ NO-SHOW CONSEQUENCES │
│ ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ [✓] Record no-show on guest profile │
│ [ ] Charge deposit (if collected) │
│ [ ] Require deposit for future bookings │
│ [ ] Block future online booking (after 3 no-shows) │
│ │
│ NOTIFICATIONS │
│ ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ [✓] Email guest about no-show │
│ [ ] Require manager approval to mark no-show │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
No-Show Tracking
| Guest | No-Shows | Last Visit | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smith, J. | 0 | Jan 20 | Good |
| Johnson, M. | 2 | Dec 15 | Watch |
| Williams, K. | 3 | Nov 10 | Blocked |
Deposits & Prepayment
When to Require Deposits
- Large parties (6+)
- Peak times (Friday/Saturday dinner)
- Special events (holidays)
- Repeat no-show guests
Deposit Configuration
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ DEPOSIT SETTINGS │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ DEPOSIT RULES │
│ ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ [ ] Always require deposit │
│ [✓] Require for large parties: [6]+ guests │
│ [✓] Require for peak times │
│ [ ] Require for flagged guests │
│ │
│ AMOUNT │
│ ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ Deposit type: [Per person ▼] │
│ Amount: [$25.00] per person │
│ OR fixed amount: [$100.00] total │
│ │
│ REFUND POLICY │
│ ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ Full refund if cancelled: [24] hours before │
│ Partial refund (50%): [12-24] hours before │
│ No refund: Less than [12] hours │
│ │
│ [✓] Apply deposit to final bill │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Special Requests
Handling Requests
Common requests to track:
| Request | How to Handle |
|---|---|
| High chair | Note for host, check availability |
| Wheelchair | Assign accessible table |
| Quiet table | Assign away from bar/kitchen |
| Window seat | Assign window table if available |
| Birthday/Anniversary | Alert server, possible comp |
| Dietary | Pass to kitchen |
Request Options
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ SPECIAL REQUEST OPTIONS │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ SEATING PREFERENCES (shown to guest) │
│ ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ [✓] Indoor seating │
│ [✓] Outdoor/patio seating │
│ [✓] Booth preferred │
│ [✓] Quiet area │
│ [ ] Near window │
│ [ ] Bar area │
│ │
│ OCCASIONS (shown to guest) │
│ ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ [✓] Birthday │
│ [✓] Anniversary │
│ [✓] Date night │
│ [✓] Business dinner │
│ [✓] Celebration │
│ │
│ NEEDS (shown to guest) │
│ ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ [✓] High chair │
│ [✓] Wheelchair accessible │
│ [✓] Dietary restrictions (specify) │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Overbooking Management
Why Overbook
Account for:
- Expected no-shows (5-15%)
- Late cancellations
- Early departures
Overbooking Settings
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ OVERBOOKING SETTINGS │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ OVERBOOKING LEVEL │
│ ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ [ ] No overbooking (conservative) │
│ [●] Light overbooking (5-10%) │
│ [ ] Moderate overbooking (10-15%) │
│ [ ] Aggressive overbooking (15%+) │
│ │
│ RULES │
│ ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ Max overbook per time slot: [2] reservations │
│ Consider: Historical no-show rate │
│ Consider: Weather forecast │
│ Consider: Special events │
│ │
│ FALLBACK │
│ ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ If overbooked and all show: │
│ [✓] Offer drink at bar while waiting │
│ [✓] Priority on waitlist │
│ [ ] Comp appetizer for wait │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Reservation Reports
Key Metrics
| Metric | Value | Goal |
|---|---|---|
| Reservation Rate | 65% of covers | 70% |
| No-Show Rate | 8% | 5% |
| Confirmation Rate | 85% | 90% |
| Average Party Size | 3.2 | — |
| Online vs Phone | 70/30 | — |
Reports Available
- Daily reservation summary
- No-show analysis
- Booking source breakdown
- Peak time analysis
- Cancellation report
Voice Commands
| Task | Say |
|---|---|
| View reservations | "Hey Maximus, show tonight's reservations" |
| Add reservation | "Hey Maximus, add reservation for Smith, 4 people, 7pm" |
| Check availability | "Hey Maximus, availability for 6 at 8pm Saturday" |
| Confirm reservation | "Hey Maximus, confirm the Garcia reservation" |
Related Guides
- Table Management Overview - Table overview
- Waitlist Management - Waitlist settings
- Staff Reservations - Staff guide