The RestroFood Table Reservation Add-on allows customers to reserve restaurant tables directly from the website. Customers can choose their preferred branch, reservation date, time, and guest count and submit booking details easily.
What does the RestroFood Table Reservation System do?
The RestroFood Table Reservation Add-on connects your restaurant’s booking process directly to your WordPress website. Instead of managing reservations over the phone, which leads to missed calls, double bookings, and incomplete guest information, the add-on gives customers a self-service form that captures every required detail automatically.
When a customer submits a reservation, the booking enters your admin dashboard immediately. You can approve it, assign a table, and trigger an email notification to the customer all from one place. For multi-branch restaurants, each reservation is sorted by branch, so your team at each location only sees their own bookings.
According to a 2024 OpenTable report, 60% of diners prefer booking online over calling a restaurant. A properly configured online reservation system reduces phone call volume during peak service hours and eliminates the risk of reservation details being written down incorrectly.
Step 1: Open the Reservation Page
The reservation page is accessible from 2 places on your website:
- Website navigation menu – most restaurants add a “Reserve a Table” or “Book Now” link to their main menu.
- Direct reservation URL – your restaurant’s dedicated reservation page URL, which you can share in social media bios, Google Business Profile, and email campaigns.
Once on the page, customers see the reservation form immediately, no login or account creation required. This low-friction design keeps more customers from abandoning the booking process before completing it.
Tip for restaurant owners: Place your reservation page link prominently in your header navigation and on your homepage hero section. Restaurants that surface the booking option in the top menu see 30-45% higher reservation form completion rates compared to burying the link in the footer.
Step 2: Fill in the Reservation Form
The reservation form collects 2 categories of information: reservation details and customer contact information.
Reservation Information
Select Branch ( If using Multibranch )
Customers choose the specific restaurant location where they want to dine. This field only appears when the multi-branch feature is active. Each branch has its own table inventory and availability, so a booking at your downtown location does not affect table availability at your airport branch.
Reservation Date
Customers select their preferred dining date from a calendar picker. The calendar only shows dates that are available based on your configured time slots and existing bookings.
Reservation Time
Customers choose from the available time slots you have configured in the admin dashboard. Only open time slots appear, already-full slots are hidden automatically to prevent double bookings.
Number of Guests
Customers enter the total guest count for their party. This information helps the kitchen and front-of-house team prepare the right table size and seating configuration in advance.
Customer Information
Customers also need to provide their contact details.
Full Name
The customer’s name for the reservation record. This displays in your admin dashboard and prints on any reservation reports you generate.
Email Address
Used to send automated booking confirmation, approval, and update notifications. A valid email address is required to complete the booking.
Phone Number
A contact number for follow-up if the team needs to confirm or modify the booking before the reservation date.
Additional Notes
Customers can add special requests or reservation notes if needed.
Examples:
- Birthday arrangement
- Window seat request
- Extra chair request
These notes arrive directly in the admin dashboard alongside the reservation, so your team sees every request before the guest arrives, no separate phone call needed.
Step 3: Submit the Reservation
After filling in all required information:
- Review the reservation details.
- Click the Submit Reservation button.
- The reservation request will be submitted successfully.
Understanding Reservation Status
Every reservation moves through a status lifecycle that keeps both your team and the customer informed.
After submitting a reservation, the reservation may be:
- Pending – Reservation submitted and awaiting review by the restaurant manager
- Approved – Manager confirmed the booking and assigned a table
- Cancelled – Reservation declined or cancelled by the restaurant manager or customer
Restaurant administrators can manage reservation status and set tables from the WordPress admin dashboard.
Email Notification
The RestroFood table reservation add-on sends automated email notifications for every key reservation event. Customers do not need to check the website to track their booking status; updates arrive in their inbox.
Customers will automatically receive email notifications for:
- Reservation confirmation
- Reservation approval
- Reservation cancellation
- Table assignment updates
For restaurant owners, these automated notifications replace the time-consuming process of manually emailing every customer after each status change. A restaurant taking 20+ reservations per week saves roughly 2-3 hours of admin time per week with automated notification workflows alone.
How Admins Manage RestroFood Table Reservations?
Restaurant administrators manage all bookings from a single location inside WordPress.
Navigation path: RestroFood → Reservation
From there, admins can:
- View reservation list
- Approve or cancel reservations
- Assign tables
- Update reservation status
- Manage branch-wise reservations
The admin panel shows all customer-submitted notes alongside the booking details, so the front-of-house team can prepare for special requests before the guest arrives.
Recommended admin workflow:
- Check the Pending reservations list at the start of each day and after peak hours.
- Confirm available tables before approving each booking.
- Assign a specific table number at the time of approval so the floor plan is set before service.
- Update the status to Approved. This triggers the customer’s confirmation email automatically.
Tips for Better Reservation Management
These configuration best practices prevent the most common reservation management problems, double bookings, overbooked tables, and guest confusion at arrival.
- Create enough tables for each branch before accepting reservations.
- Keep the table seat capacity accurate.
- Use unique table numbers for easy management.
- Set unavailable tables as In-Active temporarily.
- Configure reservation time slots properly to avoid double booking.
RestroFood automatically manages table availability to help prevent overlapping reservations.
Thank You
Still Have Questions?
Our docs cover the most common questions about this topic. If you need personalized advice or have a unique query, our team is ready to help. Contact us!
