See the waitlist in the service views
So you never forget a waiting guest when a table frees up, the waitlist for the day is shown as a collapsible strip above the reservations in the List, Split and Timeline views.
Where to find it
Host App › Service View, above the reservations: the Waitlist strip ("Not booked yet — waiting for a table."). It is collapsed until you open it.
What it does
- The strip header shows the number of waiting guests and covers, and "… parties can be seated now" (or "… free now") when a table that fits them is free.
- Opened, it lists each waiting party with position ("#2 of 5"), party size, preferred time ("Any time" if none), how long they have waited, and Table free when something fits now.
- Tap a row to see phone, email (call or email buttons), notes and seating.
- Actions per party:
- Notify – emails the guest that a table opened up, with a link to claim it. No reservation is made yet. The row then shows Offer sent and "Offer expires …".
- Book – opens the reservation form with the guest filled in. Confirming sends the booking confirmation email and closes the waitlist entry.
- With automatic offers on for the day, the header shows Auto offers (or Auto off) and a Start offers button: it offers every table that is free right now to the waitlist, and the engine keeps rotating until each table is claimed.
- "+… more on the waitlist" links to the full Waitlist page.
How to show or hide the strip
- Open Settings › Tables.
- Switch Show waitlist in service views on or off. This is saved on this device only.
Good to know
- The menu badge on Waitlist counts waiting parties for today and later days, even when the strip is hidden.
- Availability is re-checked every time the floor changes, so Table free can appear or disappear during service.
- A row marked "Paying deposit, table held until …" is a guest who claimed the table and is paying the deposit.
Troubleshooting
The strip does not show The Waitlist add-on is off, Show waitlist in service views is off on this device, or nobody is waiting for the selected day.
"Marked as notified, but the email to … was not delivered." The offer could not be emailed. Call the guest or check their email address.
"No free tables with a concrete time to offer right now." Start offers needs a free table at a specific time. Wait until a table frees up, or notify a guest manually.
Start offers is missing Automatic offers are not on for this day. See "Automate waitlist offers".