The waitlist

When there's no free table right now, the waitlist keeps walk-in parties in line without them hovering at the host stand. It quotes a wait from what's actually happening on your floor, texts guests when their table is ready, and lets you seat them with a tap.

Add a party to the waitlist

From the floor, add a party with their name, party size and (optionally) a phone number or email. If a walk-in you were about to seat has nowhere to go, you can drop them onto the waitlist directly instead.

Each new entry gets a quoted wait estimated from live turn data: for every table that could host the party, TableStack looks at how much longer its current party is likely to stay (their expected turn time minus how long they've been seated, plus your bussing buffer) and quotes the soonest one. If a suitable table is free right now, the quote is zero; if every suitable table is tied up, it's a realistic estimate rather than a guess. If the guest gave a phone or email, they get a confirmation of their spot and quoted range right away.

"Your table is ready"

When a table opens up, mark the party as ready and TableStack flips them to Table ready and sends a "your table is ready" text (and/or email) automatically. No shouting names across the room — the guest gets a message and heads back.

A waitlist entry moves through Waiting → Table ready → Seated, or ends as Cancelled or Expired if the party doesn't return.

Seat from the waitlist

When the party arrives, seat them like any other: pick up the entry and tap a table. That starts their visit and marks the entry seated. See seating a party.

Turn a wait into a booking

If a waiting party would rather come back later, you can convert them into a reservation — TableStack opens a new booking pre-filled with their party size and, if they're a known guest, their profile (otherwise their name and phone carry over in the notes). Their wait becomes a proper reservation in your book.

Self-serve join by QR

You can print a QR poster for the door so guests add themselves to the waitlist — name, party size, phone — with no app and no account. Their entry appears on your host rail live.

"Waiting party" vs the waitlist

Two similar-sounding things: the waitlist is this queue of parties without a table yet. A "waiting party" is something different and derived automatically — a booked party where some members have checked in at the host stand but others haven't arrived. Both surface on the floor; only the waitlist is a queue you manage here.

What this affects

• The floor — waiting parties and quoted waits show on the host rail live.
• The visit lifecycle — seating from the waitlist starts a visit.

What affects this

• Your turn times and buffer — they drive the quoted wait.
• Live floor state — how full you are decides the estimate.

The guest's live place in line

Joining the list (at the door or by QR) now hands the guest a live status page — a signed link shown on screen and texted/emailed with the confirmation. It shows how many parties are ahead, the honest wait range they were quoted, and flips to a big green "Your table is ready!" the moment your team calls them. The page updates by itself; no app, no account.