Accept table reservations, manage party sizes, send confirmation emails, and handle private event inquiries — all through a single link you can put anywhere.
For most independent restaurants, reservation management means a mix of phone calls, a paper book, and sporadic replies to Instagram DMs. It is slow, error-prone, and invisible to the kitchen team until someone walks the slip back. UniLink gives you a bookable reservation page you can link from every channel — Instagram bio, Google Business Profile, your website, takeaway packaging — that syncs to Google Calendar, confirms guests automatically, and lets you control party sizes and buffer times without paying for a dedicated reservation platform.
What Restaurant Reservation on UniLink Does
The Appointment block is the engine of a restaurant reservation page. It presents available time slots, enforces your booking rules (party size limits, advance notice requirements, buffer time between seatings), and prevents double-booking. Every completed reservation is saved as a contact in your CRM, giving you a searchable guest record that builds over time.
Two email automations handle the guest experience without manual effort. A confirmation fires immediately with the booking details, any pre-visit instructions, and a link to cancel or modify if needed. A reminder email fires the morning of the reservation with the time, party size, and any special notes the guest submitted — reducing no-shows without a single phone call.
Google Calendar sync means every reservation appears on your shared staff calendar in real time. Front-of-house, kitchen, and events staff all see the same view without logging into UniLink. Private events and buyout inquiries use a separate Form block that captures detailed requirements and sends them directly to your inbox for personal follow-up.
How to Get Started
- Add an Appointment block — Open your UniLink Dashboard, create or edit your restaurant's page, and drag in an Appointment block. This is where all table bookings will be collected.
- Set your available time slots — Configure lunch and dinner service windows. Set the start time, end time, and the duration of each booking slot (typically 90–120 minutes for a restaurant table).
- Configure party size options — Add a custom field to the Appointment block for party size. Use a dropdown with options like 1–2, 3–4, 5–6, 7–8, and "9+ (please call us)". This prevents a 12-person group from booking a two-top silently.
- Set buffer time between bookings — Add a 15–30 minute buffer between slots. This gives your team time to reset the table without a new guest arriving while the previous party is still paying.
- Set up confirmation and reminder emails — Create two automations: one fires immediately on booking with the date, time, address, and any parking or access notes. The second fires the morning of the reservation as a friendly reminder.
- Connect Google Calendar — In the Appointment block settings, connect your Google account and select the staff calendar. Every booking will appear as a calendar event with the guest name, party size, and any special requests visible to your team.
- Add a Form block for private events — Below the reservation block, add a Form block with fields for: event type (birthday, corporate, wedding rehearsal), preferred date, guest count, budget range, and specific requests. Label it clearly as "Private Events and Buyouts".
How to Use It
- Check today's reservations — Open your Google Calendar or the UniLink CRM filtered by today's date. Each reservation shows as a timed event with guest details without any manual data entry.
- Adjust availability for busy periods — Before a public holiday or a large local event, reduce the number of simultaneous booking slots or shorten your available window directly in the Appointment block settings.
- View special request notes — In the CRM, click any reservation to see the full submission, including any dietary requirements, celebration notes, or seating preferences the guest entered.
- Handle cancellations — When a guest cancels, the time slot reopens automatically. If another guest is waiting for that slot, manually check your CRM for recent inquiries and reach out.
- Follow up on private event forms — Private event inquiries land in your CRM as form submissions. Respond within 24 hours with a personalized email using the CRM email tool — the submission details are pre-populated.
- Block time off — For staff training, private buyouts, or renovation days, block time directly in Google Calendar. The blocked time will not appear as available in UniLink's Appointment block.
- Review guest history — Returning guests are automatically matched to their existing CRM record if they book with the same email. Over time you build a guest frequency picture without extra effort.
Key Settings Explained
| Setting | What it controls | Best practice |
|---|---|---|
| Slot duration | How long each reservation holds the table before the slot reopens | Set to your average dining time plus buffer — 90 minutes for casual dining, 120 minutes for fine dining |
| Buffer time | Gap added after each booking before the next one can be placed | 15 minutes minimum — enough to reset covers without rushing your team |
| Maximum bookings per slot | How many simultaneous reservations are accepted for the same time (useful for multi-table restaurants) | Set this to the number of tables you want to turn at once, not your total capacity |
| Advance notice minimum | How far in advance a booking must be made — prevents surprise same-hour bookings | 2–4 hours for lunch service; same-day bookings for dinner can be enabled separately for slow nights |
| Google Calendar sync | Mirrors every booking as a calendar event on your connected Google Calendar | Use a shared calendar accessible to your entire front-of-house team, not a personal calendar |
How to Get the Most Out of It
Link your reservation page from every digital touchpoint your restaurant has. Google Business Profile has a dedicated "Reservations" link field — put your UniLink URL there and you will start capturing bookings from people who find you on Google Maps without ever visiting your website. Instagram, Facebook, and even your Wi-Fi welcome page are all valid distribution channels for the same link.
Use your CRM guest data to identify your most frequent visitors. After 3–6 months of bookings, you will have enough data to see which guests return monthly, which ones bring large parties, and which ones consistently fill Friday night slots. A short personalized email to your top 20 frequent guests — thanking them and offering early access to a new menu or event — costs nothing and builds loyalty that advertising cannot buy.
Private event inquiries represent your highest-margin revenue and should be treated as a separate funnel. Make the private events Form block visually distinct on your page with a clear header and a brief description of what you can accommodate. The faster you respond to these inquiries — ideally within two hours — the higher your conversion rate. Use a CRM tag to flag new private event submissions for immediate review.
Consider a light deposit for bookings of six or more people. UniLink's Shop block can be used alongside the Appointment block to collect a small holding payment for large-party reservations. This dramatically reduces no-shows for your most resource-intensive covers without alienating smaller bookings.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Guests reporting no confirmation email received | Email went to spam, or confirmation automation is inactive | Verify the automation is toggled ON; add a note on your page asking guests to check spam and whitelist your address |
| Bookings not appearing in Google Calendar | Calendar sync was disconnected after a Google token expiry | Go to Appointment block settings → Integrations → reconnect your Google account and reauthorize |
| Party size field not appearing to guests | Custom field was not saved or published after editing | Edit the Appointment block, confirm the party size field is listed under Custom Fields, and click Publish |
| Double bookings occurring during peak hours | Maximum simultaneous bookings per slot set too high | Lower the max bookings per slot to the realistic number of tables you can seat simultaneously at that time |
Pros
- No monthly reservation platform subscription — included in your UniLink plan
- Google Calendar sync keeps the whole team on the same page without extra logins
- Automated confirmations and reminders reduce no-shows without phone calls
- CRM builds a long-term guest database from every booking automatically
Cons
- Does not integrate directly with POS systems — front-of-house staff need to check both UniLink and POS
- No floor plan visualization — bookings are time-slot based, not table-specific
- SMS reminders require a connected Telegram or notification integration rather than direct SMS
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I take a deposit for reservations?
Yes. Combine the Appointment block with a Shop block. Create a deposit product in the Shop block (e.g., "$20 per person deposit for parties of 6+") and instruct large-party guests to complete both steps. The deposit is processed through Stripe and the booking is confirmed once both are complete.
Can I accept walk-in bookings on the same day?
Yes. Set the minimum advance notice to zero to allow same-day bookings. You can also reduce this to one hour during slower periods to fill last-minute gaps in your reservation book.
How do I close reservations for a specific date (holiday, private event)?
Block the dates in your connected Google Calendar. UniLink reads your calendar availability and will show those dates as unavailable to online bookers automatically.
Can guests modify or cancel their own reservation?
Not directly through a self-service portal — guests need to contact you to modify. Include your phone number and email in the confirmation email so changes can be made quickly. You then update the CRM record manually.
Can I use this for outdoor seating with different capacity than indoor?
Yes. Create two separate Appointment blocks — one for indoor, one for outdoor — each with its own capacity and availability rules. Label them clearly so guests can choose their preference.
Key Takeaways
- The Appointment block handles party size limits, buffer times, and simultaneous booking caps — all configurable without a separate reservation platform.
- Google Calendar sync gives your whole team real-time booking visibility without additional logins or software.
- Two automations — immediate confirmation and morning-of reminder — reduce no-shows without staff effort.
- A separate Form block captures private event and buyout inquiries with the detail needed for personal follow-up.
- Over time, your CRM builds a guest frequency database you can use for loyalty outreach and repeat booking campaigns.
Ready to modernize your reservation system?
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