Online booking

What it’s for

Online booking is a public page for your restaurant where customers book a table themselves, without calling or messaging. The booking is confirmed instantly, a table is assigned automatically and it appears in Bookings just like the others. From the link they receive in the confirmation, customers can also change or cancel their booking.

How to get there

• Your link: side menu → Settings → Settings → Brand. In the Restaurant block, below the Booking link field, you’ll see the full link to your booking page. That’s the one to share.
• Page for managing a booking: it has no general link. Each customer receives their own link in the confirmation by WhatsApp or email.

Where to share the link

• On your website, on a “Book” style button.
• On social media (Instagram bio, Facebook…).
• On Google Maps: if you connect Google Business Profile, the Book button on your listing goes straight to this page (see “Settings: preferences and integrations”).

How a customer books

1. They open the restaurant’s link. The page appears with your logo, your name and your colours.
2. Date & time: they choose the number of Guests, the Date and the Service (shift), and then one of the available times. If you have Show Areas in Online Booking switched on, the times are grouped by area and the customer also chooses the area.
3. They tap Continue.
4. Your details: they fill in Name, Phone and Email (all three are required). If you have Ask for booking comments switched on, there’s also a field for adding comments (“Anything else to add?”).
5. Review & confirm: they check the details and tap Confirm booking.
6. Booking confirmed appears with the summary and a booking Reference.

If someone else has taken that same table in the meantime, the page warns them (“someone has just booked this table”) and suggests the nearest free times. If there are none nearby, it asks them to choose another day.

How a customer changes or cancels

The customer uses the link in their confirmation (WhatsApp or email). The Your booking page shows the date, time, guests, name and reference, with two options:

Change the booking

1. Tap Modify booking.
2. Choose a new date, time and number of guests.
3. Tap Save changes.
4. Booking updated appears and the customer receives a new confirmation by WhatsApp or email.

When changing, times are searched in the same area as the booking.

Cancel the booking

1. Tap Cancel booking.
2. Confirm with Yes, cancel booking (or go back with Keep my booking).
3. Booking cancelled appears and the customer receives confirmation of the cancellation by WhatsApp or email.

From this link the customer can’t change their name, phone number or email. If they need to, they must contact the restaurant.

Common tasks

Find and copy the booking link

1. Go to Settings → Brand.
2. In the Restaurant block, copy the link shown below Booking link.

Change the booking link

1. In Settings → Brand, edit Booking link. Use between 3 and 64 characters, only lower-case letters, numbers and hyphens.
2. Tap Save in the Restaurant block.
3. Update the link on your website and social media. The old link stops working.
4. If you have Google connected, tap Repair booking button in Channels and integrations → Google.

If another restaurant already uses that identifier, you’ll see “Another restaurant already uses this booking link. Choose a different one.”

Show areas to the customer

In Settings → Bookings, switch on Show Areas in Online Booking.

Ask or don’t ask the customer for comments

In Settings → Bookings, switch Ask for booking comments on or off. It also affects the phone assistant and the WhatsApp assistant.

Show the booking end time

In Settings → Bookings, switch on Show booking end time. The end time appears on the page, in emails and in WhatsApp messages.

Which times are offered

• Only times within the shifts open that day according to your Calendar (weekly hours and special days) are offered. Start times go in 15-minute steps, from the start of the shift, not including the exact closing time.
• A booking is validated by its start time only. It’s fine for it to end after the shift closes, or to overlap a later block.
• If the customer doesn’t choose an area, availability is searched across all areas. If they choose one, only in that one.
• Only tables that can be booked online count: tables blocked in the map editor and closed areas don’t count.
• The maximum number of guests is set by the largest table (or table group) that can be booked online.
• A day with no shifts shows as Closed. A day with no space shows as Sold out.
• You can’t book a time that has already passed.

Languages

The page is available in Spanish, English, German, French, Italian and Swedish. It opens in the Restaurant language (in Settings → Brand) and the customer can switch language with the selector on the page.

Which notifications the customer receives

Notifications go by WhatsApp first, if you have WhatsApp Business connected and the customer has a phone number. If WhatsApp isn’t possible, they go by email. If the customer has neither a phone number nor an email, they don’t receive any notification, and that’s expected.

• Booking confirmed: when the booking is created. It includes the date and time, the restaurant’s address and the link for managing the booking.
• Booking updated: when the booking is changed. It’s a new confirmation with the new details.
• Booking cancelled: when it’s cancelled.
• Booking reminder: only if you have Automatic booking reminders switched on.
• Google review request: when the booking is completed, only if you have Request reviews on Google Maps switched on and Google connected.
• Wallet QR code: in emails, if you have Wallet QR switched on, to save the booking to Google Wallet or Apple Wallet.

Bookings marked as no-shows don’t trigger any notification.

Rules and limits

• Name, phone number and email are required for online bookings.
• Online bookings are confirmed instantly and the table is assigned automatically.
• The customer can only change or cancel while the booking hasn’t started and is still confirmed or waiting. If the date has passed, it was cancelled or the link isn’t valid, the page says so and asks them to contact the restaurant.
• From the management link only the date, time and guests can be changed. Contact details can’t be changed.
• If you change the Booking link, the old links stop working.
• There’s a limit on consecutive attempts. If it’s exceeded, the page asks the customer to wait a moment.

Frequently asked questions

Where’s the link to put on my website? In Settings → Brand, below the Booking link field.

Do I have to accept online bookings? No. They’re confirmed automatically and appear in Bookings with their table assigned.

A customer says they can’t see any available times. Why? That day may have no open shifts in the Calendar, it may be full, the free tables may be blocked on the map, or their party may be larger than your largest table available online.

Why can’t I enter more than X guests? The maximum is set by your largest table (or table group) that can be booked online. For larger parties, the customer must contact the restaurant.

How does a customer cancel their booking? With the link in their confirmation: Cancel booking → Yes, cancel booking. They receive confirmation of the cancellation.

A customer wants to change their phone number or email. They can’t do it from the link. Change it yourself from the customer’s profile or the booking.

The customer gets “This booking can no longer be changed”. The booking has already started, has been cancelled or has a status that doesn’t allow online changes. Manage it yourself from Bookings.

What language does the customer see the page in? The Restaurant language. The customer can change it on the page itself (Spanish, English, German, French, Italian or Swedish).

Why did a customer receive the confirmation by email and not by WhatsApp? Because WhatsApp wasn’t connected or the message couldn’t be delivered by WhatsApp. In that case email is used.

Can the customer choose an area (terrace, main room…)? Yes, if you switch on Show Areas in Online Booking in Settings → Bookings.