These settings control who can book a shift and when they’re allowed to. Together they keep your calendar full of the right bookings at the right time.
Group size (covers)
Min covers and Max covers set the smallest and largest party that can book this shift online.
- Min covers — e.g. set to
2 to stop single-seat bookings on prime tables.
- Max covers — e.g. set to
8; larger groups are sent to you another way (phone, enquiry) instead of booking automatically.
For very large parties you’d rather review first, keep Max covers reasonable and handle big groups with Approvals instead of blocking them entirely. How far ahead can customers book?
By default there’s no limit. You can set either or both ends of the window in the Advanced tab.
| Setting | What it does | Example |
|---|
| Limit max reservation in advance | The furthest ahead a customer can book | Up to 30 days ahead |
| Limit min reservation in advance | The soonest a customer can book (a minimum number of days’ notice) | At least 2 days ahead |
- A max keeps your calendar manageable and lets you adjust pricing or menus before opening far-future dates.
- A min gives you guaranteed prep time — handy for set menus or sourcing ingredients.
Last-minute cutoff (notice period)
The notice period stops bookings that are too close to the meal. Turn on Enable notice period (Advanced tab), set a reservation cutoff in minutes, and choose how it’s measured:
| Notice period type | The cutoff is measured from… | Example (120 min cutoff) |
|---|
| Before the start of the shift | The shift’s start time | Booking closes 2 hours before the shift opens |
| Before each timeslot | Each individual booking slot | A 20:00 slot closes at 18:00; a 20:30 slot closes at 18:30 |
Before each timeslot keeps later slots bookable even once early ones have closed — best for accepting same-evening bookings. Before the start of the shift closes the whole service at once.
FAQ
What’s the difference between the notice period and “min days in advance”?
The notice period is a short, same-period cutoff measured in minutes (e.g. “no bookings within 2 hours”). Min days in advance is a longer rule measured in whole days (e.g. “at least 2 days’ notice”). Use one, the other, or both.
A customer says they can’t book for tonight — why?
Check your notice period and minimum days in advance. One of them may be closing tonight’s slots.
Do these limits apply to my staff too?
No. These rules apply to online customer bookings. Staff can still create reservations manually. 