Reservations

Waitlist

Capture walk-ins and overbooked guests, give them a realistic wait, and notify them automatically when a table is ready.

The waitlist sits next to the reservation list as a parallel queue for parties who want to dine but do not yet have a confirmed table. It applies to walk-ins, to guests who arrive too early, and to overflow when the dining room fills up.

Adding a guest to the waitlist

From the reservations view, click + Waitlist, enter the party size, and optionally a name and phone number. DineOS computes a starting estimate based on the average turn time of tables that match the party size and the current state of the floor.

Live estimates

The wait estimate updates whenever a table changes status. When a 4-top finishes and moves to Cleaning, the next compatible party in the queue sees its estimate drop in real time. Hosts can override the estimate manually if the model is being too optimistic on a busy Saturday.

SMS notifications

If a phone number is on the waitlist entry, DineOS sends an SMS via Twilio when the party reaches the front of the queue and a suitable table opens up. The message contains the table number and a short link the guest can click to confirm they are on their way. If the guest does not respond within five minutes the party is rolled to the next eligible candidate.

No phone number?

Waitlist entries without a phone number stay in the queue and require the host to flag down the guest in person — useful for guests waiting at the bar.

Promotion to a reservation

Once a waitlist guest is seated, the entry is converted into a regular reservation and flows through the standard lifecycle. Channel is recorded as walk-in in reports.