Restaurant reservation systems: how to take bookings without the no-shows
Phone bookings in a notebook work until the night two tables get the same slot. A reservation system lets guests book online at any hour, picks the right table, reminds them the day before and protects your busiest nights from no-shows.
Wemu Team
Product
A restaurant reservation system lets guests book a table online, assigns the booking to a table that fits the party, sends reminders, and gives your team one view of the night. The best ones also take deposits for big groups or busy nights, which is the most effective fix for no-shows.
What a good reservation system does
- Online booking at any hour from your website, Google profile or social bio link.
- Only real availability: guests see times when a table that fits their party is actually free.
- Automatic table assignment, including joining tables for bigger groups, with an easy way to move bookings.
- Booking details: occasion, allergies, seating preference.
- Confirmation and a reminder the day before, with a link to change or cancel.
- Deposits for large groups or peak nights, with clear refund rules.
- A timeline or floor view so the host sees the whole night at once.
- Walk-ins and phone bookings entered in seconds into the same book.
Cutting no-shows
- 1Send a reminder the day before with a one-tap cancel link. Most no-shows simply forgot.
- 2Take a deposit for groups above a certain size, and on your busiest nights.
- 3Hold tables for a set time (for example, 15 minutes), then release them.
- 4Keep a record of no-shows so repeat offenders need a deposit next time.
Make the refund rule obvious
State it at booking: for example, a full refund if cancelled more than 24 hours ahead. Guests accept deposits when the rule is clear and fair.
Questions to ask before you choose
- Is there a per-cover or per-booking fee, or a flat price?
- Do bookings show on the same system as your POS and floor, or in a separate app?
- Can you set areas (inside, outside, bar) and join tables?
- Can deposits be refunded automatically under your rules?
- Who owns the guest list if you leave?
Where Wemu fits
Wemu's table reservations put a Reserve a table button on your Wemu page. Guests pick party size, date and time, and only times with a free table show. Wemu picks the best table, joins tables in the same area for bigger groups, sends a confirmation and a reminder the day before, and can take deposits (through Stripe, or HitPay in the Philippines) with refund rules you set. Your team sees the night in list, timeline and floor views, and adds phone bookings and walk-ins in seconds. There's no per-cover fee: it's part of your Wemu plan.
Keep reading
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free restaurant reservation system?+
Should restaurants take deposits for bookings?+
How do I stop double bookings?+
Run your business from one app
POS with drawer counts, sales reports, bookings, low-stock alerts and staff timesheets. Set it up in an afternoon and run a real day on it before you decide.
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