> ## 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.
# Messages shown to guests on the booking portal
> Portal banner, large-group message, service description, closure message, discount message — where each text appears while a guest books online, and which one to use for an announcement.
Several fields let you write a text that your guests read **while they book online**. Two of them are under **Settings > Portal > General**: the **portal banner** and the **large-group message**. The others live on your services, your blocks and your discounts, under **Settings > Opening days**.
This page lists them all, shows exactly where and when the guest sees each one, and helps you pick the right one — for example to announce a festival or explain a closure.
Every change applies **as soon as you save**. None of these texts can be scheduled: a message stays online until you change or remove it.
## At a glance
| Text | Where you write it | Where the guest sees it |
| - | - | - |
| [Portal banner](#the-portal-banner) | **Settings > Portal > General** — **Custom message on your portal** | At the top of the booking page, from the first screen and through every step |
| [Large-group message](#the-large-group-message) | **Settings > Portal > General** — **Custom message when maximum covers reached** | Under the party-size buttons, when the guest picks more people than your services accept |
| [Service description](#the-service-description) | **Settings > Opening days > Shifts** — **Shift description** | Under the service name, above its time slots, once a date is picked |
| [Block message](#the-block-message) | **Settings > Opening days > Calendar & Block hours** — **Message to clients** | Instead of the time slots (full-day closure) or when tapping a blocked time |
| [Discount message](#the-discount-message) | **Settings > Opening days > Discounts** — **Custom message** | Under the time slots, when the guest picks a discounted time |
## The portal banner
The banner is a coloured box shown at the top of your booking page, right under your logo and name, above the booking form. It is the only text every visitor sees, whatever date or service they end up choosing.
Set it under **Settings > Portal > General**, section **Custom message on your portal**:
| Setting | What it does |
| - | - |
| **Background color** | Colour of the box: **Warning** (yellow, the default), **Information** (blue), **Success** (green), **Error** (red) or **Custom** (pick any colour). |
| **Text color** | Colour of the text, with the same choices. Default: **Warning**. |
| **Custom message** | The text of the banner. Empty by default — and when it is empty, there is no banner. |
The preview on the right shows the box with your colours and text as you type. Click **Save** at the bottom of the page to publish.
**What the guest sees.** An info icon, the word **Information** in bold (translated into the guest's language), then your text. The banner stays on screen through every step of the booking: party size, date and time, prepayment, extras and contact details. It also appears on the page where a guest modifies their reservation. It is **not** shown on the pages after the booking (the reservation summary and the payment page), nor on the page of a featured experience.
**Languages.** Pick a language in the selector next to the field (French, English, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian) and type the text for that language. The sparkle button between the two (**Auto translate**) fills the other five languages from the one shown. The guest reads the version in the language of the portal; if that version is empty, they read the English one, then the French one.
Always fill in **French or English**. A banner written only in, say, Spanish is shown only to visitors browsing the portal in Spanish — everyone else sees no banner at all.
**Formatting.** Line breaks are kept. You can use `**bold**`, `_italic_` and `~strikethrough~` (the reminder is shown under the field). Links are not clickable: a web address shows as plain text. There is no length limit, but a long banner pushes the booking form down the page — keep it to a few lines.
Because `_` and `~` are formatting marks, a text containing two underscores (for example an address like `moga_festival_2026@…`) can end up partly in italics. Check the preview.
### Only one banner at a time
There is a single banner per restaurant. To announce something new, **replace** the text; to announce two things, write them in the same text, one per line or paragraph.
### Removing the banner
Delete the text in **every language** where you wrote it, then **Save**. As long as one language still has text, visitors in that language (and, if it is French or English, everyone else) still see the banner. Make sure the field is really empty — a field containing only spaces or blank lines can leave an empty box on the portal.
The banner has no end date. When you post a time-limited announcement (a festival, holiday hours), set yourself a reminder to remove it the day after.
The colours you pick here are also used by the header message of the [activities portal](/portal/activities); its text is set separately.
## The large-group message
When a guest picks more people than your services accept online, a red box appears under the party-size buttons: **Careful :** followed by your message. It is set under **Settings > Portal > General**, section **Custom message when maximum covers reached**:
| Setting | What it does |
| - | - |
| **Number of group size buttons** | How many party-size buttons the guest sees before a **N+** button, which opens a field to type a larger number. Default **15**, from 1 to 50. |
| **Custom message** | Your text for large groups. Empty by default — the portal then shows a standard text (below). |
**When it shows.** As soon as the party size is larger than the highest **Max covers** of your services (set on each service, see [Group size & booking window](/shifts/booking-rules)). When every size fits in the buttons, the last one — for example **11+** when your maximum is 10 — triggers it directly; otherwise the guest taps **N+** and types the number.
**What it does.** The guest **cannot continue**: the button stays disabled with *Choose the number of guests to continue.* The message is your chance to tell them what to do instead — call you, send an email, fill in a privatization request.
**The standard text**, shown when you leave the field empty: *For groups of 11 people or more, please contact the restaurant at [contact@your-restaurant.com](mailto:contact@your-restaurant.com) directly.* — with the number worked out from your services and the contact email of your restaurant as a clickable link. The preview in the settings shows this same text, with the number worked out from all your online services (the portal uses the services open on the date the guest picked).
**Languages.** Same selector and **Auto translate** button as the banner. The guest reads the version in their language; if it is empty, the English one, then the French one, then any language you filled in. The standard text is only shown when every language is empty. The preview in the settings follows the same rule, for the language of your dashboard.
**Formatting.** Plain text: line breaks are kept, but `**bold**` and the other marks are shown as typed. Links are not clickable.
Only the message is set here. The limit itself is the **Max covers** of each service: to accept larger groups online, raise it on the service.
On the page where a guest modifies their reservation, a lower limit can apply: the **Maximum group size for modification** (see [Booking rules](/portal/booking-rules#group-size-limit)). Above it, the guest sees a fixed message asking them to contact you, not this one.
## The service description
Each service can carry a short text, set in the service form under **Settings > Opening days > Shifts**, field **Shift description** (just below **Name**).
**What the guest sees.** Once they have picked a date, the time section lists the services running that day. Each one shows its name, then your description in smaller grey text, then its time slots. The description is shown even when all the service's slots are full, and on the page where a guest modifies their reservation.
It is **not** shown:
* before the guest picks a date, nor on dates when the service doesn't run;
* on a date fully closed by a [block](#the-block-message) — the block message is shown instead;
* in the confirmation email or on the reservation page after booking.
**Languages.** Same selector and **Auto translate** button as the banner. The guest reads the version in their language, otherwise English, then French, then any language you filled in.
**Formatting.** Plain text: line breaks are kept, `**bold**` and the other marks are shown as typed. No length limit, but two or three lines read best above the time slots.
Good uses: what makes this service different (*Brunch — buffet and live music*), a dress code, a set menu, special hours, or an announcement that only concerns the dates the service runs — see [Event shifts](/shifts/events).
If you use the [WhatsApp AI agent](/ai-agent/overview), it also reads the description of your active, non-internal services when it answers guests. It does not read the portal banner, the block messages or the large-group message.
## The block message
A block closes online booking for a day or a time range (see [Block reservations](/shifts/block-reservations)). Blocks created from the calendar under **Settings > Opening days > Calendar & Block hours** have an optional field, **Message to clients**, to tell guests why.
What the guest sees depends on the block:
| Block | What the guest sees on that date |
| - | - |
| **Full day**, all rooms, with a message | Instead of the time slots, a box titled **Message from restaurant** with your text. |
| **Full day**, all rooms, no message | *Restaurant is full.* instead of the time slots. |
| Time range, with a message | The times in the range are struck through and tagged **Unavailable**; tapping one shows your text in a bubble. |
| Time range, no message | The times in the range show as unavailable or **Full**, with no explanation. |
The message is shown after the guest picks the date — blocked dates stay selectable, precisely so the guest can read it. It is multilingual (same fallback as the service description) and plain text with line breaks kept.
* The **Block** button on the **Reservations** page has **no message field**. To explain a closure, create the block from **Settings > Opening days > Calendar & Block hours**, or edit the block there afterwards.
* On a block that only closes **some rooms**, leave the message empty: with a message, the portal can show the matching times as unavailable in every room.
Good uses: *Closed for a private event*, *Closed for renovation — back on 12 October*, *Lunch fully booked, call us for a waiting list*.
## The discount message
A discount can carry a text, set under **Settings > Opening days > Discounts**, field **Custom message**.
**What the guest sees.** Discounted times show a **-20%**-style tag. When the guest picks one, a box titled **About discount** appears under the time slots with your text.
It is a **single text for all languages** (no language selector), plain text with line breaks kept. It is not shown to guests arriving through a [prescriber](/reservations/prescribers) link that doesn't offer discounts.
## Other texts guests read
These texts are also visible on the portal, but they describe something rather than announce it. They have their own pages:
Set menus, tickets and extras offered at the prepayment and extras steps. Supports bold, italic and strikethrough.
The extra questions of the booking form, with their descriptions.
The links at the top of the portal: menus, website, activities.
The privatization portal has its own **Header message**.
Its header message and product descriptions are set separately.
Cancellation reasons that guests pick from when they cancel.
## Which field for which need
| You want to… | Use | Why |
| - | - | - |
| Announce something to **every visitor** (an event, a new menu, holiday hours) | [Portal banner](#the-portal-banner) | Seen from the first screen, whatever the date. One at a time, no end date. |
| Describe **one service**, or announce something that only concerns **certain dates** | [Service description](#the-service-description), on an [Event shift](/shifts/events) for specific dates | Shown only to guests who pick a date when that service runs. |
| Explain **why you are closed** (private event, works) | [Block message](#the-block-message) | Shown on the closed date or times, instead of an unexplained *full*. |
| Tell **large groups** what to do | [Large-group message](#the-large-group-message) | Shown exactly when the party is too large to book online. |
| Explain the **conditions of a discount** | [Discount message](#the-discount-message) | Shown when the guest picks a discounted time. |
## Example: an announcement over a few days
Your restaurant hosts the **MOGA Festival** on 2, 3, 4 and 5 October: a festive lunch from 1 pm to 6 pm, with music. You want guests booking online to know. Two options — and they work well together.
### Option 1: an Event shift with a description
The festival lunch replaces your usual lunch on those four days, so create it as an [Event shift](/shifts/events):
Under **Settings > Opening days > Shifts**, duplicate your lunch service and name the copy *MOGA Festival lunch*.
Set **Shift type** to **Event**, **Start date** to 2 October and **End date** to 5 October. Adjust the online booking hours for the festival.
In **Shift description**: *MOGA FESTIVAL — festive lunch from 1 pm to 6 pm, with music.* Click **Auto translate** for your foreign guests, then save.
On an event day, all your recurring services are hidden. If you also serve dinner on those four days, duplicate your dinner as an Event on the same dates — see [Changing just one service for one day](/shifts/events#changing-just-one-service-for-one-day).
Guests who pick one of those dates see the festival lunch and its description above the time slots. On 6 October your usual schedule resumes by itself — **nothing to remove**.
### Option 2: the portal banner
To reach everyone, including guests who book another date, add a banner under **Settings > Portal > General**:
> **MOGA FESTIVAL** — 2, 3, 4 & 5 October
>
> Festive lunch from 1 pm to 6 pm, with music.
Two things to keep in mind:
* **One banner at a time.** If a banner is already online (say, *Saturday 2 January — festive day from 12 pm to 9 pm*), you replace it — or put both announcements in the same text, one per paragraph.
* **It doesn't disappear by itself.** On 6 October, empty the text in every language and save.
Use both: the banner makes the festival visible to all visitors in the run-up, and the Event shift's description confirms it to guests who book one of the festival days. Once the festival is over, only the banner needs removing.
## FAQ
**Can I schedule the banner to appear and disappear on set dates?**
No. The banner has no dates: it is online from the moment you save until you empty it. For a text limited to certain dates, use the description of an Event shift.
**Can I show two banners?**
No, there is one per restaurant. Write both announcements in the same text.
**My large-group message is only in French. What do English-speaking guests see?**
Your French text: when there is no version in the guest's language, the portal shows the English one, then the French one, then any language you filled in. To address them in their own language, add an English version or click **Auto translate**.
**Can I put a link in a message?**
You can type an address, but none of these messages makes it clickable. The only link shown automatically is your contact email, in the standard large-group text.
**Is the banner also in the confirmation email?**
No. The banner, the service description and the block message are only shown on the booking portal. To change what your emails say, see [Email templates](/marketing/templates).