Should Walk-Ins Go in the Reservation Book?
Write walk-ins in the same reservation book as your bookings. If you don’t, the table looks free, and whoever answers the phone can book the same table. You don’t need the guest’s name. Seeing the table and the time is enough.
The next phone call is where it goes wrong
Floor staff can see who is sitting down. The person answering the phone or replying on LINE can only see the book. If a table looks free in the book, they will say it is free.
Writing it down feels like a waste of time at peak. But peak is when a wrong answer on the phone costs the most.
Check two things before you seat them
- Time until the next booking. A free table may have a booking later. If you seat them anyway, tell them up front how long they can have the table.
- The size of later bookings. Joining two tables for a walk-in can leave a later booking short of seats.
There is more on reading table times in the article on preventing double bookings.
Write only four things
| Item | What to write |
|---|---|
| Table | The table you gave them |
| Time | When you seated them, and how long the table is held |
| Guests | The actual number |
| Name | “Walk-in” is enough |
Decide who writes it, and when
- Whoever seats them writes it. If it is left to “someone, when they have a moment”, nobody does it.
- Write it after seating and before the next job. If you write several later, those tables look free in the meantime.
- Update it when they leave. If a finished table stays as it is, you can’t see which tables are free.
How to enter it in Rezabo
Rezabo’s booking form has a Walk-in button.
- Open the booking form and press Walk-in. The name becomes “Walk-in” and the status becomes Seated.
- The time, guests and table start with default values. Change them to match who you seated.
- Save. The phone number can stay empty.
When they leave, change the status to Paid.
- A booking starting too close to another on the same table can’t be entered, and an overlapping one brings up a confirmation.
- Walk-ins you enter count toward today’s bookings and guests on the store list. Ones you don’t enter do not count.
Rezabo has no waitlist. It also has no way to call guests waiting for a table. If guests line up at your restaurant, a dedicated waitlist service fits better.
To try it, start with one table on your next shift
You can try it free for one month. No card is needed, and nothing is charged automatically.
FAQ
Do I write walk-ins I turned away because we were full?
No. They are not using a table, so you don’t need to write them.
Should I ask for a name or phone number?
You don’t have to. The book needs the table, the time and the number of guests. Write more only if the guest offers it.
Do we need a book if most of our guests walk in?
If you take almost no bookings, you can run without one. If bookings and walk-ins mix on the same night, one place to write makes it harder to give a wrong answer on the phone.
How do paper-book restaurants write them?
In the same column as bookings. On a separate sheet, you have to check two places to see what is free.