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How to Set Booking Cut-Off Times for Online Reservations

How to control when customers can make online bookings

Controlling when customers can make online bookings is key to managing table availability and maintaining smooth service flow. In your Now Book It Admin portal, you can set cut-off times based either on the service start time or the time of booking.


This article outlines both options, explains how to configure them, and includes examples to help you choose the best setup for your venue.

 

Stop taking online bookings X minutes before service starts

This option prevents customers from making online bookings a certain number of minutes before the scheduled service begins.

How to set it up:

  1. In your Admin portal, click Widget Settings on the left-hand side.

  2. Scroll down to Stop taking online bookings X minutes before service starts (empty is unlimited).

  3. Enter the number of minutes prior to the service start that you want to stop online bookings.

    • Example: If you enter 60, and your dinner service starts at 5:00 PM, customers will no longer be able to book online after 4:00 PM.

Important Notes:

  • This setting affects all services. For example, if your venue has breakfast, lunch, and dinner, entering 60 minutes here will prevent online bookings 60 minutes before and during each service.

Stop taking online bookings less than X minutes in advance

This option allows more control over booking cut-offs relative to the time the customer is booking, rather than the service start. It is useful for staggering bookings and preventing last-minute arrivals.

How to set it up:

  1. In your Admin portal, click Widget Settings.

  2. Scroll down to Stop taking online bookings X minutes before service starts and clear any number (empty = unlimited).

  3. Use the next field: Stop taking online bookings less than X minutes in advance (empty is unlimited).

  4. Enter the number of minutes prior to the booking time that you want to stop online bookings.

Example:

  • If you enter 60 in this field, a booking for 8:00 PM would not be allowed after 7:00 PM, even if there are still available time slots.

Tip: This option is ideal if you want to allow bookings during service but control how close to the booking time customers can reserve.