> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.eat-now.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Reservation statuses

> Every reservation status explained — the full lifecycle from Pending to Done, the negative paths (no-show, cancellation, rejection), the special seating statuses, and exactly when to use each one.

A reservation's **status** is the most important field on it. It tells the whole team where a guest is in their journey, drives the colors in every view, frees tables when guests leave, and decides what happens to deposits and card holds. This page documents **every status**, what it means, and **when to use it**.

<Tip>
  You rarely need all of these by hand. In day-to-day service you'll mostly move guests through **Confirmed → Seated → Done**, and occasionally **No-show**. The rest are set automatically or used in specific situations described below.
</Tip>

***

## The lifecycle at a glance

```mermaid theme={null}
flowchart TD
  P[Pending] --> CF[Confirmed]
  PP[Pending payment] --> CF
  CF --> SU[Showed up]
  MC[Manually confirmed] --> SU
  DC[Double confirmed] --> SU
  CPP[Confirmed, pending payment] --> CF

  SU --> SE[Seated]
  CF --> SE
  SU --> SD[Seated for drinks]
  SD --> SE
  SE --> PS[Partially seated]
  PS --> SE
  SE --> DO[Done]

  CF -. guest never arrives .-> NS[No-show]
  SU -. guest leaves before sitting .-> NS

  P -. guest cancels .-> CU[Canceled by user]
  CF -. guest cancels .-> CU
  P -. you decline .-> RJ[Rejected]
  CF -. you cancel .-> CR[Canceled by restaurant]

  classDef good fill:#dcfce7,stroke:#16a34a,color:#14532d;
  classDef live fill:#dbeafe,stroke:#2563eb,color:#1e3a8a;
  classDef bad fill:#fee2e2,stroke:#dc2626,color:#7f1d1d;
  classDef done fill:#f3f4f6,stroke:#6b7280,color:#111827;

  class CF,MC,DC,CPP,PP,P good;
  class SU,SE,SD,PS live;
  class NS,CU,RJ,CR bad;
  class DO done;
```

Read it as three families: **confirmation** (the booking is agreed), **service** (the guest is here, moving through the meal), and **closed** (finished, or it didn't happen).

***

## Confirmation statuses

These cover the period between a booking being made and the guest walking in.

| Status                         | What it means                                                                   | When to use it                                                                                           |
| ------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Pending**                    | A request that hasn't been confirmed yet.                                       | Rare in day-to-day use — mostly legacy or a request awaiting your action.                                |
| **Pending payment**            | A booking waiting on a payment to be completed.                                 | Legacy/automatic — set by the system, not by hand.                                                       |
| **Confirmed**                  | The booking is agreed and counts as a real cover.                               | The normal state of an upcoming reservation.                                                             |
| **Confirmed, pending payment** | Confirmed, but a deposit or prepayment is still outstanding.                    | Set **automatically** when a booking has a pending payment. Resolves to **Confirmed** once paid.         |
| **Manually confirmed**         | Confirmed by your team (e.g. you called the guest back, or confirmed by email). | Use when **you** confirm on the guest's behalf rather than them confirming online.                       |
| **Double confirmed**           | The guest re-confirmed via the double-confirmation email.                       | Set **automatically** when the guest answers a double-confirmation request (only on shifts that use it). |

<Note>
  **Confirmed, pending payment** is managed for you. If a reservation has an unpaid deposit or prepayment, EatNow puts it here; when the payment clears, it returns to **Confirmed**. You normally don't set this one manually.
</Note>

***

## Service statuses

These track the guest through the meal. Keeping them current during service is what makes the floor plan, the Cockpit Turn alerts, and walk-in availability accurate.

```mermaid theme={null}
flowchart LR
  A[Confirmed] --> B[Showed up]
  B --> C[Seated]
  C --> D[Done]
  B -. early arrivals .-> E[Seated for drinks]
  E --> C
  C -. group splits .-> F[Partially seated]
  F --> C
```

| Status                | What it means                                               | When to use it                                                                                                                              |
| --------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Showed up**         | The party has arrived but isn't at the table yet.           | When there's a gap between the door and the table (the table isn't ready, or they're checking coats). Skip it if you seat them immediately. |
| **Seated**            | The party is at their table.                                | The moment you walk them to their seats. The most-used status of the night.                                                                 |
| **Seated for drinks** | The party arrived early and is waiting at the bar / lounge. | When guests come ahead of time and you sit them for an apéritif before their table is ready.                                                |
| **Partially seated**  | Some of the group is seated; the rest haven't arrived.      | Large or split parties — you've sat the people who are here while you wait for the others.                                                  |
| **Done**              | The meal is over and the table is being cleared.            | When the guests leave / pay. This frees the table and closes the line.                                                                      |

<Tip>
  **Seated for drinks** and **Partially seated** are the "special" seating statuses. They exist so a guest who's physically in the room but not fully at their table doesn't get mistaken for a no-show — and so your table-turn timing stays honest.
</Tip>

***

## Closed and negative statuses

These end a reservation that won't (or didn't) complete normally.

| Status                     | What it means                                                | When to use it                                                                                                                           |
| -------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **No-show**                | The guest never arrived.                                     | After their slot has clearly passed with no arrival. Important for guest history **and** for capturing/releasing a card hold or deposit. |
| **Canceled by user**       | The guest canceled the booking.                              | When the guest cancels (online they may do this themselves; otherwise set it when they call to cancel).                                  |
| **Canceled by restaurant** | Your team canceled the booking.                              | When the restaurant cancels — e.g. you can't honor the booking, or a payment deadline expired. You can attach a reason.                  |
| **Rejected**               | You declined a booking request before it was ever confirmed. | For requests you choose not to accept (fully booked, outside policy) before they became a confirmed cover.                               |

<Warning>
  **Always mark genuine no-shows as No-show.** Leaving them as Confirmed inflates your covers, skews your reports, hides repeat no-show behavior in the guest's profile, and — if there's a deposit or pre-authorization — costs you the chance to act on it.
</Warning>

### Deposits & card holds on no-show / cancellation

If a reservation carries a **deposit** or a **card hold (pre-authorization)**, the closing status is what triggers the money:

* Marking **No-show** on a booking with an active card hold lets you **capture** (charge) or **skip** the hold — EatNow asks which when you change the status.
* Cancellations can offer a **refund** of any payment taken, depending on your refund window.

See the [reservation form's Payment section](/operations/reservation-form#payment) for how deposits and prepayments are set up.

***

## How statuses appear in the app

* **Colors.** Across the Cockpit, Planning, and floor plan, each status has a color so you read the room at a glance — green-ish for confirmed, blue for guests in service, red for negative outcomes, grey for done.
* **Only sensible transitions are offered.** When you tap a reservation in a grid, EatNow shows just the next statuses that make sense (e.g. from **Seated** you'll see **Done**, not **Pending**). To force any status, open the full reservation form and use the **Status** dropdown.
* **Some statuses are automatic.** **Confirmed, pending payment** and **Double confirmed** are set by the system in response to payments and double-confirmation replies — you don't usually set them by hand.

***

## FAQ

**What's the difference between "Confirmed" and "Manually confirmed"?**

Both mean the booking is agreed. **Confirmed** typically reflects the guest confirming (e.g. online); **Manually confirmed** means **your team** confirmed it on their behalf, such as after a callback. For running service they behave the same.

**A guest arrived but their table isn't ready — what do I set?**

Use **Showed up** (or **Seated for drinks** if you sit them at the bar). When you walk them to the table, change it to **Seated**.

**The guest canceled — should I use "Canceled by user" or "Canceled by restaurant"?**

Use **Canceled by user** when the guest cancels, and **Canceled by restaurant** when your team does. Picking the right one keeps your stats and the guest's history accurate.

**Can I move a reservation back to an earlier status?**

The quick-action menu only offers forward, sensible transitions. If you genuinely need to go back (e.g. you marked **Done** too early), open the reservation's full form and choose the status from the **Status** dropdown.