The short version
Make the arrival policy easy to find, send a useful reminder and give guests a clear way to change their plans. Agree how the host team handles a missing party, then record what actually happened.
When a booked party does not arrive, the team has two problems: finding out whether the guests are still coming and deciding what to do with the table. A useful process addresses both.
Start with the parts of the experience you can make clearer. Use this workflow with the host team to review the booking details guests receive and what staff do when a party does not arrive.
1. Set arrival expectations before the booking
Choose an arrival policy the team can consistently follow. Explain how long you hold a table and what a guest should do if they are running late or need to cancel.
Give guests that information before they commit. A rule first explained when someone arrives late is much harder for them to plan around.
Arrival wording to adapt
We hold reserved tables for 15 minutes after the booking time. If you are running late, please call the restaurant. If your plans change, use your reservation link to cancel.
The 15-minute window is an example, not a recommended setting for every restaurant. Use the window and contact route your team has actually agreed to honor, and check that any wording about the reservation link matches its available actions.
2. Make each reminder useful
A reminder should help a guest answer three questions quickly: which restaurant, what time and how to respond if plans changed.
In yourturn, review the reservation reminder wording under Settings → Reservations. Keep the restaurant identity, reservation time and reservation link clear. Review the message preview after editing rather than assuming a shorter template still contains everything guests need.
Check the contact information on the reservation. A mistyped phone number does not become useful because the reminder process is automated. Where message status is available, review it before assuming a text reached the guest.
Reminder wording example
A reminder about your table at [restaurant] at [time]. Please use your reservation link to confirm or cancel. Running late? Call us at [restaurant phone].
This is copy to adapt, not a ready-to-paste yourturn template. Use the supported message variables in settings and your restaurant’s actual contact details.
3. Help guests tell you their plans changed
Open the guest reservation-management page and check the actions a guest can take. In yourturn, guests can use the reservation link to confirm or cancel an eligible reservation.
Keep cancellation and requests for other changes distinct. If changing the party size or arrival time needs a phone call, say so. Do not invite a guest to “manage everything online” when part of the request needs staff involvement.
When a guest calls, update the reservation record as well as telling the host. The next shift should be able to see the new plan without relying on someone remembering the conversation.
An unconfirmed reservation and a no-show are different states. Lack of a reply can be a reason to follow up; it is not evidence that the party failed to attend.
4. Agree when to release a table
Decide who checks a late booking and who authorizes releasing the table. Before recording a no-show, check whether the party contacted the restaurant, arrived under a different name or was seated without the record being updated.
Keep the table’s next commitment in view. If you offer it to a waiting party, check that their expected meal and the reset fit before the next reservation.
Yourturn brings the waitlist and reservations into the service workflow. Keep the reservation outcome and table status current so a released table can be considered using the same information the rest of the team sees.
There is no need to turn every late arrival into an argument. Give hosts a clear explanation to use and a named person to involve when the guest’s situation needs a judgment call.
5. Review the outcomes with a clear definition
Count seated parties, cancellations, no-shows and records still needing an outcome separately. An unresolved record should not quietly become a no-show in the analysis.
On a small screen, swipe to see all columns.
| Outcome | Example count | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Seated | 60 | The party attended |
| Cancelled | 12 | The booking was cancelled; timing needs a separate review |
| No-show | 5 | The party did not attend |
| Unresolved | 3 | The outcome still needs checking |
For a rate based on resolved, non-cancelled bookings in this example, use 5 no-shows out of 65 seated-or-no-show reservations. Keep the 12 cancellations and 3 unresolved records visible separately. This is one explicit calculation, not a claim about a built-in yourturn report.
Review comparable service periods and keep the definition consistent. A smaller number of no-shows can reflect fewer bookings rather than an improvement in the guest experience.