Decide how long you will hold the table before service starts
There is no single correct waiting time for a guest who arrives late. The right number depends on how busy service is, when the same table is booked next, and what the guest was told in advance. What matters is turning this into a written policy instead of leaving it to the host's judgment mid-service. Rezervem Manager keeps reservation statuses, the floor plan and the waitlist in one flow; where a card hold is required, that part is handled separately in Rezervem Pay.
Manager supports status tracking, but you should not assume that a venue's custom lateness or deposit rules are applied automatically in every case. The team sets the time and the exceptions; the system makes the decision and its effect on the floor plan visible.
A Saturday night, an 8:00 pm booking and an empty table
A representative example: a seafood restaurant has a table for four booked at 8:00 pm. At 8:25 the guest has not arrived, and two people are waiting at the door for a table. The host knows that giving the table away or holding it could both be wrong, but without a shared rule the answer changes from person to person. One shift waits ten minutes, another forty, and guests cannot tell which one they will meet.
This is not a real customer story. It is a constructed scene showing the most common form of the problem: an empty table and a second seating that starts to slip.
Four questions to answer before you decide
When you write the lateness policy, answer these: is there a later booking for this table, and when does it arrive? Did the guest call ahead, or are they silent? Is a card hold or prepayment attached to the booking? Is someone on the waitlist who fits the party size and time?
If the next seating is close, the tolerance shortens; if the table is only used once that night, it can stretch. A guest who called ahead and one who did not need not follow the same rule. Put that distinction into the policy so the team does not reopen the debate every time.
A workable flow: contact, mark, release
First, once the time your venue has set has passed, reach the guest by phone or a written channel. If you reach them, note the estimated arrival on the reservation and plan the table around it. If you cannot, make the time the table will be released visible to the team.
When the waiting time is up, the table is reassessed on the floor plan. If a suitable party is on the waitlist, Manager can create a new offer based on capacity and time fit; see the waitlist guide for details. If the guest then arrives, the floor plan shows whether the table is still available; if not, offer another time or table.
If the guest never shows, record it correctly: a guest who does not come is a no-show, and a guest who cancels in advance is a cancellation. Logging a cancellation as a no-show distorts later reports. For the definition and cost of no-shows, read what is a no-show; for how to read the numbers, see reservation report metrics.
If a card hold applies, explain the time separately
If the reservation depends on a card hold or prepayment, what happens when the guest is late or does not come must be clear at the moment of booking. Sending a payment link does not mean the reservation is confirmed; collection and holds are tracked separately within Pay. Base any decision about charging an amount on conditions announced in advance rather than on the length of the delay, and confirm the legal and payment-provider terms separately. See the prepayment and pre-authorization guide for more.
How do we do it?
In Rezervem Manager the team sees the day's reservations with their statuses: expected arrivals, arrivals, cancellations and no-shows. The host sees on the floor plan which table is reserved for an upcoming booking, and decides about the late guest or the walk-in at the door accordingly. When a table frees up, an offer can be created for a suitable waitlist guest. Status names and business rules vary with each venue's setup.
Because arrivals, cancellations and no-shows are recorded separately at the end of the day, you can judge from the reports whether your lateness policy is working. To set this up in your own venue, you can request a meeting.
