Providing clear information at the moment of a Reservation is the best way to manage expectations and ensure a smooth experience for every Guest. By using personalized, scheduled messages, you can proactively share details about restaurant procedures, holiday menus, or specific seating policies before the Guest even arrives.
Key Benefits of Custom Messages
Targeted Communication: Use Experiences to show specific notes only to Guests booking certain areas (e.g., "Patio seating is weather-dependent").
Time-Sensitive Alerts: Schedule messages for specific date ranges (like Valentine's Day) or certain times of day (like Happy Hour).
Operational Clarity: Set clear expectations for table time limits or arrival windows to reduce friction upon arrival.
Multilingual Support: Communicate professionally with both English and French-speaking Guests.
How It Works: Behavior and Scheduling
You can control exactly when, where, and how a message appears:
Placement Options:
General messages: Shown on the first page of the widget, under the calendar.
Important messages: A dedicated pop-up on the second page after the Guest chooses their party size, date, and time.
Confirmation messages: Shown on the final screen once the Reservation is completed.
Smart Scheduling: Define specific start and end dates, or select only certain days of the week.
Experience-Based: Limit a message to specific areas, such as the Bar or Terrace. If left blank, the message applies to all areas.
Behavior: Choose Append to other messages to add your note to existing ones, or Replace other messages to show only this specific alert during the scheduled window.
Setting Up Your Custom Messages
Step 1: Access the Messages Tab
Log in to your Back Office. Navigate to My Restaurants, click on Settings (to the right of your restaurant name), and select Messages from the sidebar menu.
Step 2: Add a Message
Choose the category (General, Important, or Confirmation) and click the Add a Message button.
Step 3: Configure Content and Status
Publication status: Set to Published to make it live.
Behavior: Select if this message should be added to or replace others.
Message Content: Enter your text in both the English and French boxes. You can use bold, italics, or add links to menus.
Step 4: Define the Display Schedule
Days of the Week: Toggle the checkboxes for which days the message should appear.
Time Range: For Important messages, you can set a specific "For bookings after/until" time.
Active Dates: Set a start date (required) and an optional expiry date for seasonal promotions.
Step 5: Target Specific Experiences
In the Targeted Experiences field, select the specific seating areas this message applies to.
Pro Tip: To apply a message to every area of your restaurant, leave the Experiences field empty. This ensures that any future sections you create will automatically include this message.
Step 6: Save
Click the green Save button at the bottom.
Where do the messages apply?
Example: General Message
Example: Important Message
Example: Confirmation Message
Best Practices for Effective Messaging
Be Proactive with Time Limits: A friendly note like "To accommodate all Guests, tables are reserved for 2 hours" helps prevent awkward conversations at the table.
Keep it Concise: Guests are more likely to remember short, bulleted points than long paragraphs.
Use Visual Cues: Use bold text for critical instructions, such as "Please arrive 15 minutes early."
Update Regularly: Remember to set expiry dates for holiday menus or one-time events so your widget stays current without manual intervention.