Skip to main content

Requests to approve

If you've switched on "You approve them" in Notifications, bookings don't come in confirmed: they come in as requests, in an amber card at the top of Today.

How it works​

  1. The guest books and is told the request has been received, not that it's confirmed.
  2. It appears on your Today screen with the name, time, party size and phone number.
  3. The table is held for them while you decide: nobody else can take it.
  4. You press Accept and they get the confirmation. Or Can't do it, and they're told that instead.

Why the table is held​

Because otherwise this happens: a request comes in, you take two hours to answer, and meanwhile somebody else has taken the table. By holding it, when you accept the booking it's genuinely yours.

The flip side is that an unanswered request blocks a table. So if you're not going to answer, it's better to decline than to leave it hanging.

Only from a certain party size​

You can ask for approval on large parties only. In Notifications, the "Only from" field:

  • 0 — every booking comes in as a request
  • 6 — small tables come in by themselves and you only look at groups
warning

A request left unanswered on the day is a lost guest. If you don't want to be on top of it, set the threshold high or switch it off and let bookings come in on their own.

No email address​

When a request arrives without an email it's flagged in red: "No email: you'll need to call". It means that if you accept or decline it, the notice won't reach them by email and you'll have to ring.