Lightspeed Reservations
FAQ
Troubleshooting
If a merchant is struggling with the system (e.g., can’t select a table or time slot), the first things to check are:
- Do they have floor plan(s) set up?
- Do the floor plans include tables and covers?
- Are tables or covers accidentally configured incorrectly? If the tables or covers are set to 0, the system won’t be able to assign a table or manage availability.
ℹ️ Why is the activation button not clickable?
- The business likely started the activation process previously, but the initial setup was never fully completed.
Setting up
Would it be possible to personalize the email sent when the customer booked?
Yes, go to the Back Office > Lightspeed Reservations > Settings > Online reservations. You can edit the note to guests and your logo there.
Is there an ability to import reservations from the previous software they used?
There is no automated tool to bulk-import data. However, if it is a one-time onboarding request, support or account teams can manually key in their future bookings for them.
If customers switch to Lightspeed Reservations from another booking software, is it possible to import all future bookings into our reservation system?
There is no way to do that, but if it’s a one-time request, we can do it manually for them.
Is there a booking widget?
Yes! Restaurants can easily embed a native booking widget directly onto their website.
This allows guests to complete their entire booking process seamlessly on the restaurant’s site instead of being redirected to an external page.
What happens if a merchant is overdue on payment or their trial ended?
Online guests attempting to book will be greeted with a general system message stating that the restaurant is not currently accepting reservations.
Can merchants adjust availability by time slot (e.g., 8 tables at 12:00 and 16 at 12:30)?
Granular time slot optimization is not possible yet.
Does the system automatically merge tables (e.g., party of 8 using four 2-person tables)?
No. There is no advanced table-merging algorithmic behavior in the system today. Merchants must explicitly configure tables in their floor plan layout with the exact cover capacity required to accept that party size.
If no tables are assigned yet, will it accept a large party booking?
It may allow the booking. If the system calculates that the overall physical cover capacity is open, it will accept the large party, but it will leave the reservation unassigned to a specific table layout.
How does availability work across time slots?
Availability engine calculations strictly consider reservation duration and table turnover times.
For example, if the standard dining duration is configured to 2 hours, the system will open up that table’s next online slot exactly 2 hours later.
Is overbooking prevention handled by blocking specific tables?
Yes, in the background. When a complex or exact table merge is ambiguous, the system will reduce the number of available online covers to protect the floor layout.
If a merchant files an overbooking complaint, capture the exact day and time of the incident to escalate for investigation.
Are table suggestions / auto assignment available?
Yes. Automated table suggestions appear when Front of House (FOH) staff create an in-person booking on the POS. Online web bookings are also automatically assigned to the best-matching table option, which FOH staff can manually override later.
Managing reservations
on the POS
Is it possible to manually adjust availability by time slot?
(For example: can I allow reservations at 12:00 but limit it to 8 available tables, and then allow 16 available tables at 12:30?)
Not yet. Fine-tuned capacity adjusting per individual time slot is not supported in the current version.
Can staff search reservations on the POS?
Yes. Front of House (FOH) staff can edit reservation details directly within the POS terminal user interface
Can staff edit a reservation on the POS?
Yes. Front of House (FOH) staff can edit reservation details directly within the POS terminal user interface.
Can the restaurant manually message a guest from within the reservation?
No. Direct outward messaging from the reservation screen is not supported.
Can reservations be “snoozed” for one busy night?
They cannot be “snoozed” on the fly. However, merchants can pause reservations completely or restrict booking access by setting up Special Hours within the Back Office settings.
Can future reservations be viewed per table?
Not currently. This table-specific forward view is planned for a future product release.
Managing reservations
in the Back Office
Can the restaurant operator respond to a reservation manually by typing a message to the guest?
No. There is no live two-way typing utility built into the Back Office.
However, if the guest provided an email address or a phone number, staff can reach out to them externally using their own devices.
Can notes be customized or split into separate fields?
(For example: one field for allergies and another for the reservation type like a birthday party).
No. The system does not support structured custom fields.
For unique client requests or operational notes, staff must enter them together into a single, open-text notes block.
Can you set up ‘Special Hours’ like we do in Order Anywhere for events?
Yes. Special hours can be configured by navigating to Back Office > Lightspeed Reservations > Settings.
Other Q&As
(Inventory, Automation, & Roadmap)
Are deposits or pre-authorizations on the future roadmap?
Yes, but it will not be delivered soon.
It is vital to emphasize that Lightspeed Reservations is built as a streamlined, basic native tool and is not positioned to immediately replace the deep operational features of platforms like TheFork, OpenTable, or SevenRooms. We intentionally offer a trial tier so merchants can verify whether this foundational feature set meets their baseline needs.
Would it be possible to have the floor plan instead of a listing of the table to assign a table?
This is our highest priority. We’re actively scoping a visual floor plan assignment module at this time.
Would it be possible to preview the floor plan for the next days?
This is also a top priority. A forward-looking visual floor plan preview is currently being scoped.
Is it possible to automatically assign guests to a table?
Yes! This system relies on your existing floor plan setup in the Back Office (Business > Floor plans).
To ensure optimal performance and seamless auto-assignments, merchants should double-check their table rules.
Can you automatically pull the email addresses customers use to make reservations into a list? The customer is asking so they can use them for newsletters.
No. The system does not feature built-in email marketing list extractions.
To build automated newsletter databases, the merchant will need to utilize a dedicated CRM platform via a third-party reservation partner integration.
Can 2 hyperlinks be added for reservations?
One for the restaurant, and one for events they organize (for example, a bingo night where guests reserve their spot via a link).
No. The system only supports one set of operational configurations linked to a single, global reservation web page.
If special event bookings are required, merchants must either use their standard reservation link or implement an integration partner.
If there are multiple floor plans, can the guest choose which floor to book?
I.e. can guests choose a floor plan?
No. Floor plan or room choice is completely hidden from guests during the online booking process.
Can guests book for a specific “experience” (bottomless brunch vs regular table)?
No. Structured multi-experience booking flows are not currently planned for the near-term product roadmap.
Do guests get reminders?
Yes. Guests receive automated confirmations and notifications.
The reservation reminder text or email is automatically sent out the day before their booking.
Can the restaurant get a list of upcoming reservations by email?
Yes a daily summary email is possible. It allows merchants to add an email recipient to receive an automated booking summary report every day.
Will the restaurant get an email for every new online booking?
Yes, an email notification is sent for each new online booking.
How is the email language chosen?
Outbound emails default entirely to the core business language configured in your Back Office parameters.
An upcoming update will allow the engine to dynamically adapt based on the guest’s browser language.
Does LS Reservations have a Summary feature?
Yes. Both the Back Office and the POS return a clean, searchable list of reservations over any designated date range.
Furthermore, the system includes a Pre-Shift Summary Email feature which can be configured within the settings page to automatically deliver a booking digest to restaurant staff twice a day (at 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM local time).
Workflow questions
Automatic table assignment:
Does automatic table assignment prevent large groups from booking if we don’t have a single table big enough for them?
(For example: currently a party of 10 can book even if we only have 2-person and 4-person tables available).
- No. At the moment, the automatic assignment engine calculates availability strictly based on overall open covers rather than matching physical table blocks.
Available slots:
Let’s say I get online bookings for 50% of my tables in the first hour of service (12:00-13:00). Will the available slots for 13:00-13:15 take those bookings into account when calculating open availability?
- Yes. Live availability tracking factors in the configured reservation duration and required table turnover times.
- For example, if your dining service duration is set to 2 hours, that table will accurately be counted as occupied, and its next available slot will be open 2 hours later.
Special occasions:
The merchant is using this only for Sunday Roast lunch bookings. They are finding that all 78 covers are trying to book within a 1-hour window, which is overrunning the kitchen (booked online via the module). Would you suggest splitting this into multiple time-slots?
- Instead of breaking up the intervals manually, it is straightforward to use the percentage pacing setting in the Back Office to control flow.
- For example: set your window from 12:00 to 12:00 and configure a 30% capacity threshold in the settings. This restricts online volume for that narrow window and naturally spreads the booking pacing into adjacent time slots.
- Note that if the restaurant accepts manual phone bookings and inputs them straight into the POS, those entries bypass pacing rules and can only be controlled by staff.
Summary:
Does LS Reservations have a Summary feature?
- Our Back Office and POS return a list of reservations for a specific date range.
- This Pre-Shift Summary, sends a scheduled email to restaurant staff (at 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM local time).
- It’s part of the setup: merchanhts can configure it in the settings page.
