What is the waitlist?
The waitlist captures bookings for times when you are fully booked. If a customer wants a 7pm Saturday table and that slot is full, they can join the waitlist for that time. When a table opens up — through a cancellation or a reshuffle — the customer is automatically notified and given the chance to claim the table.
How customers join
If a customer searches for a fully booked time on your booking page, they see a button to join the waitlist. They enter their party size, preferred time window and contact details, and confirm. They receive a text message confirming they are on the waitlist.
How offers are sent
When a slot becomes available, the system finds the best matching waitlist entry and sends an SMS offering the table. The customer has a short window to accept (you set the length in your booking settings). If they do not respond in time, the offer expires and the next person on the waitlist is contacted.
Managing the waitlist
Open Bookings in your dashboard.
Choose the Waitlist tab.
Review entries and contact a customer directly if you want to make a manual offer.
Remove entries that are no longer relevant.
Tips
Keep the offer window short — 15 to 30 minutes works well during peak times.
Confirm with the customer by phone for very large bookings before assigning a table.
Clear the waitlist at the end of each service so old entries do not linger.