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Reservations
How restaurants can manage reservations without blocking tables all day.
A practical guide to time-based table holds and better availability decisions.
July 24, 2026 · 6 min read
A reservation is a time commitment
A table booked for the evening may still be usable earlier in the day. The system should protect the booking window without making the table appear unavailable for every hour before it.
Keep public information private
Guests need to know whether a table or time is available. They do not need to see another guest’s name or reservation details.