Managing Reservations in TableBloom
TableBloom's reservations system gives you a complete view of every booking — from initial request to seated guests. Create reservations manually, manage statuses in real time, and keep guests informed with automated confirmations and reminders.
Step 1: Go to the Reservations calendar
Inside TableBloom, click Reservations in the left navigation to open the reservations calendar. Switch between Day, Week, and Timeline views depending on how you prefer to visualize your upcoming bookings.
- Day view shows all reservations for today in time-slot order
- Timeline view lays out every table as a horizontal row for easy gap-spotting
- Color codes indicate reservation status at a glance
- Use the date picker to jump to any date quickly
Step 2: Create a new reservation
Click New Reservation or tap an empty time slot on the calendar to open the booking form. Fill in the guest's name, party size, preferred date and time, and select an available table that can accommodate the group.
- TableBloom automatically suggests tables matching the party size
- Add special requests or dietary notes in the notes field
- Set a deposit amount if required for large party bookings
- Walk-in reservations can be created instantly without a time selection
Step 3: Set the reservation status
Each reservation moves through a clear status workflow. Update the status from the reservation detail panel as guests progress through their visit.
- Pending — booking received, awaiting confirmation
- Confirmed — reservation approved and communicated to guest
- Seated — party has arrived and been shown to their table
- Completed — service finished, table cleared
- Cancelled — booking cancelled by guest or restaurant
- Status changes trigger automatic notifications when configured
Step 4: Send confirmation to the guest via email or SMS
After confirming a reservation, TableBloom can automatically send a branded confirmation to the guest. Go to Settings > Notifications to configure email and SMS templates and choose which status transitions trigger a message.
- Confirmation emails include booking details and a cancellation link
- SMS reminders are sent a configurable number of hours before the reservation
- Customize the sender name and reply-to address for email confirmations
- Guests can confirm or cancel directly from the email link
Step 5: View and manage the day's reservation timeline
Use the Timeline view at the start of each service to get a bird's-eye view of table turnover. Each row represents a table and each block represents a reservation, making it easy to spot gaps and plan walk-in capacity.
- Drag reservations left or right to reschedule directly on the timeline
- Quickly reassign a guest to a different table by dragging their block
- No-shows can be marked in one click, freeing the table immediately
- Print the day sheet for hosts who prefer a paper reference
💡 Tip: Enable SMS reminders to reduce no-shows by up to 40%. A short reminder 24 hours before the reservation — and another 2 hours before — gives guests enough time to cancel or reschedule, keeping your tables filled and your kitchen planning accurate.