VIPs, "Guests today" and holding a table for the rest of the shift

Included in all plansHost AppFor hosts

Needs: Any staff user

Some guests always get a table, and some keep it all evening. The Host App lets you keep a list of these VIPs, seat them at any time, and hold their table until the end of the shift so nobody else can book it. The Guests today panel shows who is coming and who deserves extra attention.

Where to find it

Host App › Service View header:

  • the Guests today button (opens the panel with the Today and VIPs tabs),
  • a Held today chip with a count, shown while any table is held.

On a reservation: More › Block table for the rest of the shift.

What it does

Guests today ("Who's coming: regulars, VIPs, guests who didn't show up before and first-time visitors") groups today's bookings into No-show before (worth a call to confirm), VIPs, Regulars, Returning and First visit, with visit counts, last visit, booking source and table.

VIPs tab: your list of VIP guests ("VIPs can be seated at any time. Their table is held until the end of the shift and can't be booked again until then."). Search, Add VIP (name, optional phone and email, a note for the team such as a favourite table), Save or Save & seat now, and Remove from VIPs.

Held today: every table currently held, with "VIP · seated … · held till …", and Guest left to release it.

How to seat a VIP and hold their table

  1. Open Guests today › VIPs.
  2. Tap the guest (or Add VIP › Save & seat now).
  3. Pick a table ("Pick a table · seated now, held till end of shift"); set the Covers.
  4. Tap Seat & hold table. If the table has later bookings, they are listed: move them to another table, or tap Seat & hold anyway.

How to hold the table of an existing reservation

  1. Open the reservation (it needs a table first).
  2. Tap More › Block table for the rest of the shift.
  3. Confirm with Hold till end of shift (or Hold anyway when other bookings conflict).

The reservation is stretched to the end of the shift and marked Held till end of shift; the guest is also marked VIP.

How to release a held table

  • When the guest leaves: Guest left · release table. The reservation is completed and the table is free.
  • To undo a hold made by mistake: Remove hold. The guest keeps the table for a normal turn again.

Good to know

  • A held table can't be booked again until the end of the shift, online or by staff, because the reservation really occupies it until then.
  • "End of shift" is the closing time of the day's last open shift; without opening hours the hold runs until midnight. A hold always covers at least one hour.
  • The whole team sees the table as Held for a VIP.

Troubleshooting

"Give this reservation a table first, then hold it." Assign a table to the reservation, then use Block table for the rest of the shift.

"… already has bookings during the hold — move them to another table." Later bookings sit on that table. Move them first, or choose Hold anyway to keep both (a double booking).

"Could not hold the table" / "That did not work, try again" The change was not saved. Check your connection and try again.

"Guest history could not be loaded, so past visits and no-shows are missing." The visit history failed to load. The list of today's bookings is still correct; reopen the panel later.