After you've created a restaurant, set up your reservation settings. These settings are different for each restaurant.
They control when guests can book, how many tables and guests you accept at once, whether you need to confirm bookings yourself, whether guests pay a deposit, and what information appears on your online booking page.
Considerations
Turn on the online booking page so guests can book from your website.
Reservation opening and closing times are separate from pickup and delivery hours.
Set these up individually for each restaurant that takes table reservations.
Enable table reservations
Click Restaurants.
Click the restaurant you want to edit.
In the Reservations section, select Enable table reservations.
Click Save.
Table reservations are now enabled for this restaurant. You can then set availability, capacity, confirmation, deposits, and page content.
If table reservations are already enabled, open the Reservations section to update those settings.
Availability
Availability settings control when guests can book a table.
In the Availability section, set the Reservation opening time and Reservation closing time.
Set the Timeslot interval. Guests can choose times every 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 45 minutes, or 60 minutes.
Set How far in advance guests can book. You can allow bookings from 1 to 90 days ahead. By default, we set this to 30 days.
Set the Preparation time (minutes). This is how soon the next booking can start. For example, 60 means the earliest booking is 1 hour from now. By default, we set this to 60 minutes.
Optionally, select Automatically select the earliest available date and time. When this is on, the earliest available date and time are suggested for guests. Guests still choose and confirm the time before finishing the booking.
Click Save.
Blackout dates
Use blackout dates for days you do not want to take online bookings, such as holidays or private events.
In the Blackout dates section, add the dates you want to block.
Click Save.
Guests will not be able to book online on those dates.
Capacity
Capacity settings control how many tables and guests you accept in each time slot. Guests do not see how many tables or seats are left.
In the Capacity section, set the Maximum reservable tables. This is how many tables can be booked in one time slot. Keep some tables free for walk-ins if you need to. By default, we set this to 10.
Set the Maximum guests per timeslot. This is the total number of guests across all bookings in one time slot. If you have more than one table, set this higher than your maximum party size. For example, 2 tables of 4 guests = 8.
Set the Maximum party size. This is the largest group allowed in a single booking. By default, we set this to 12.
Click Save.
Zapiet Eats does not assign a specific table number to each booking. It manages how many tables and guests you can accept in each time slot.
Confirmation
You can confirm bookings automatically, or review them yourself first.
In the Confirmation section, choose one of the following:
Automatically confirm reservations — Guests see a confirmation straight away.
Require restaurant confirmation — New requests appear as Awaiting confirmation until you confirm them.
Click Save.
For more information about confirming bookings, take a look at our Managing reservations guide.
Deposit
You can ask guests to pay a deposit when they book online. The deposit is collected through Shopify checkout.
In the Deposit section, select Require a deposit.
Choose the Deposit type:
Per reservation (flat fee) — One fixed amount for the booking, no matter how many guests.
Per person — The amount is multiplied by the number of guests. For example, 3 guests × $20.00 = $60.00.
Enter the Deposit amount or Deposit amount per person.
Click Save.
When a deposit is required, new online bookings start as Pending payment until the guest pays. After payment, the booking moves to Awaiting confirmation or Confirmed, depending on your confirmation setting.
What guests see on your booking page
Customise the information guests see for this restaurant on your online booking page.
About
In the About section, enter a Restaurant description.
Click Save.
Details
In the Details section, add any of the following if you want to show them:
Price range
Cuisines
Dining style
Dress code
Parking
Public transport
Payment options
Website
Area
Additional details
Click Save.
Your restaurant address, phone number, and map come from the restaurant’s contact details.
Photo gallery
Photos appear in the gallery on your booking page. You can upload up to 8 images.
In the Photo gallery section, click Add photo.
Upload a JPG, PNG, or WebP image. Each file must be 2 MB or smaller.
Repeat until you have added the photos you want, then click Save.
Related settings for your whole account
These settings apply to all restaurants, not just one.
Occasions
Occasions let guests tell you what they are celebrating, such as a birthday.
Click Settings.
Click Occasions.
Add occasions such as Birthday or Anniversary. You can add up to 20. If you use more than one language, enter the English name first, then add translations.
Click Save.
Notifications
You can customise guest and team emails for new bookings, deposits, confirmations, cancellations, and no-shows in Settings → Notifications.
For full details, take a look at our Reservation notifications guide.
Google Calendar
You can add bookings to Google Calendar automatically.
For setup steps, take a look at our Syncing reservations with Google Calendar guide.
Notes
Reservation settings are different for each restaurant. Repeat these steps for every restaurant that takes table bookings.
Blackout dates only block online booking for the dates you add.
Deposits are collected through Shopify checkout.
Limitations
Guests cannot choose a specific table. Capacity is based on tables and guests per time slot.
Photo uploads may ask for permission to use Shopify Files.
You can upload up to 8 gallery photos. Each image must be JPG, PNG, or WebP and 2 MB or smaller.
You can add up to 20 occasions.
Guests booking online can mention allergies in Special requests. Staff can add allergy or diet details when creating or editing a booking in Zapiet Eats or on POS.
Next steps