Offering a table and timed offers

Hold a real table for a waiting party, give them a deadline to accept, and record their answer.

Depends on your plan — see PricingLast verified

A timed table offer holds a real table for one waiting party for a few minutes, so nobody else can take it while the guest decides.

Before you start

  • Your plan must include the advanced waitlist.
  • An owner or manager must turn on Timed table offers in the Table offers section of the Waitlist page and choose how long guests have to respond. This is the deadline to accept, not travel time. Allow longer if guests wait nearby.
  • Offers can only be made during service, when a suitable table is actually free.

Send an offer

  1. On Waitlist, find the party. A Suggested chip means a suitable table is free for them now.
  2. Choose Offer table. The table is held and a countdown appears, for example "Offered T4 · 7:59 left".
  3. Share the guest's private status page with Status link if needed. The guest can accept or decline there.

If Offer table is greyed out, the reason is shown next to it, for example:

  • A suitable table is better used for another party
  • No suitable table is free now
  • a time-related reason, such as the service closing soon.

Will the guest be messaged?

A text or email about the offer is only sent if that message type is set up and switched on for your location. Otherwise nothing is sent automatically. Use Status link and share it yourself, or call the guest. Check the table-ready text alerts guide for the difference between the two kinds of text.

Record the answer

  • Guest accepted – the guest said yes (on the phone or in person). This creates a normal confirmed booking. Seat them when they arrive.
  • Declined – releases the table.
  • Withdraw – takes the offer back and releases the table. This also stops any automatic follow-up offers.

If time runs out, the offer shows Offer expired and the table is released.

Troubleshooting

  • No Offer table button: timed offers are off, or the party already has an offer.
  • Offer unavailable outside service: offers need an open service and a free table.
  • Guest says the link doesn't work: the offer may have expired or been withdrawn. Send a new offer if a table is still free.