Call Ahead Seating Versus Reservations
The problem with traditional reservations is that you don't know who is coming or when, as many people may not show up for their specific reservation time.
EnRoute offers a better approach that still allows your customers to express interest in coming, without you needing to promise anything.
Adapting the language you use and having the customer confirm their arrival sets better expectations for your customers while still allowing them to make plans in advance.
Booking Mode
In Settings / Booking / Booking Settings the Booking Mode can be set to either Call Ahead Seating or Reservation.
This same setting is also found in Settings / Messages / Booking Messages.
Changing this setting updates the booking confirmation page the customer sees, as well as which Welcome and Reminder text messages are used.
Call Ahead Seating
If you don't want to offer a reservation or use that terminology, you can offer Call Ahead Seating, where customers can join a waitlist to get service closer to their preferred time.
This is not the same as simply calling by phone and requesting availability; instead, the customer submits their preferred time and is later required to confirm that they are still coming.
Call Ahead Welcome confirmation page:
Thank you for choosing [Location]. We look forward to seeing you on Friday 8/29/2025 at 12:00 PM.
NOTE: This is not a reservation. We will text you before to confirm your arrival time. When you receive that text, you must respond to tell us when you are EnRoute™ so that we can prepare your table. There may be a short wait after you arrive.
Call Ahead Welcome Message. This message is sent after submitting a Call Ahead Seating request online through the Booking URL:
Call Ahead Reminder Message. This message is sent 60 minutes (Send Reminder Text default):
Reservations
A traditional reservation can set the expectation that you will be ready for the customer near their reservation time. You can still have them confirm they are coming before arrival.
Reservation confirmation page:
Thank you for choosing [Location]. We look forward to seeing you on Friday 8/29/2025 at 12:00 PM.
Reservation Welcome Message. This message is sent after submitting a Reservation online through the Booking URL:
Reservation Reminder Message. This message is sent 60 minutes (Send Reminder Text default):
Related Topics
See the Reservation / Call Ahead Reminder topic to see how customers can update you about their arrival.