Saturday night fully booked, but someone cancels. Or a table stays empty due to a no-show. In both cases you want to seat someone else quickly, without endless phone calls or hoping for a walk-in.
With the waitlist in Restotailor, guests sign themselves up when there is no availability. Everything runs through your reservation widget, included in €65 per month. In this article you learn how to get the most out of it.
Why a waitlist?
A full dining room feels like success, until a table stays empty. Every empty seat is missed revenue. Traditionally you call guests or wait for walk-ins, but that takes time and you miss people who already tried to book online. A waitlist collects that demand automatically: guests who could not book a table sign up and wait for a message. You have a list ready as soon as a spot opens.
Via the widget when you are fully booked
The waitlist is not a separate system: it sits in your reservation widget on your own website. When a guest tries to book on a full day or time slot, the widget offers the option to join the waitlist. They leave their details and indicate when they want to come. No extra tool to install or second form to manage. Also read our article on online reservations on your own website if you have not integrated the widget yet.
Turn on and off yourself
You decide when the waitlist is active. Enable it when your dining room is full or when you want to accept last-minute guests. On quieter days you turn it off, guests book directly as usual. In widget settings you activate the waitlist with one toggle. You keep control without changing your entire reservation process.
Notifications for your team
New sign-ups appear immediately in your dashboard. Your team gets a notification when someone joins, handy on busy evenings when you are not constantly checking the screen. See at a glance who is on the waitlist, for which day and how many guests. Does someone cancel or no-show? Open the list and contact the first suitable candidate by phone or email.
Add manually
Not everyone signs up online. Did someone call while you were full? Add them manually to the waitlist in the portal. Everything stays in one place, widget sign-ups and phone requests. Widget sign-ups are recognisable by an icon, so you know where the request came from.
Confirmation email to guests
When a guest signs up, they automatically receive a confirmation email. It states they are on the waitlist and that you will contact them when a spot opens. Customise the text in your mail settings so the tone fits your restaurant. Clear communication prevents misunderstandings: guests know signing up is not a guarantee, but that you will not forget them.
Combine with table plan and no-shows
A waitlist works best combined with your table plan. See live which table becomes free and how many covers you still have, and pick the right candidate from the waitlist based on party size. For no-shows you have a backup plan instead of an empty table. More tips in our articles on reducing no-shows and table plan for restaurants. Sign-ups are also linked to guest profiles, so you keep history and contact details for next time.
Conclusion
A waitlist is a simple way to avoid leaving revenue on the table when you are full or a table stays empty. With Restotailor guests sign up via your reservation widget, your team gets notifications for new sign-ups and you manage everything from one overview. Combine it with your table plan and guest profiles, included in €65 per month. Enable the waitlist for your next busy weekend, you will have a list ready before the first cancellation comes in.