Reservics prevents overbooking by tracking free seats per time slot. For any time, free seats equal the location’s total capacity minus the party sizes of all overlapping active bookings. You set total capacity, minimum and maximum party size, buffer time, slot interval, and booking duration per location. When a slot has no free seats left, diners cannot book it.
Before you start #
These settings live under Locations > (your location) > Capacity & Tables and Booking Rules. You can edit them on any plan, including Free. Some related controls, such as multi-shift hours and date overrides, are Pro+ features. Each location has its own capacity and rules, so set them per venue.
How to set capacity and party size #
Open your Shopify admin and launch Reservics.
Go to Locations and open the location you want to configure.
Open the Capacity & Tables tab.
Set Total capacity (the total number of seats the venue can hold at one time).
Set Minimum party size and Maximum party size to control how small or large a single booking can be.
Open the Booking Rules tab to set buffer time, slot interval, duration, and advance-booking limits (see the table below).
Save. The storefront widget updates right away.
Booking rules that control availability #
Each setting below shapes which time slots a diner can pick and how many seats stay open.
| Setting | What it controls | Where to set it |
|---|---|---|
| Total capacity | Total seats available at one time | Capacity & Tables |
| Minimum party size | Smallest booking allowed | Capacity & Tables |
| Maximum party size | Largest booking allowed | Capacity & Tables |
| Buffer time | Minutes held between bookings for turnover | Booking Rules |
| Booking interval / slot grid | Spacing of bookable times (for example 15 or 30 minutes) | Booking Rules |
| Default booking duration | How long a reservation holds a table | Booking Rules |
| Minimum advance notice | Hours before start a diner can still book | Booking Rules |
| Advance booking window | How many days ahead diners can book | Booking Rules |
| Approval mode | Auto-confirm or manual approval (starts Pending) | Booking Rules |
| Hold grace period | Minutes a table is held past start before no-show | Booking Rules |
How overbooking prevention works #
Reservics checks free seats every time a diner picks a time. The math is simple:
Free seats = total capacity for the date – the party sizes of all overlapping active bookings.
The key detail is that the end time is exclusive. A booking from 10:00 to 12:00 does not block a new booking that starts at 12:00. The two reservations do not overlap, so the later start can reuse those seats. Buffer time adds turnover minutes on top of the booking duration, which widens the window a booking occupies and keeps the next party from arriving too soon.
Active bookings that count against capacity are Pending, Confirmed, and Seated. A Cancelled or No-show reservation releases its seats, which can then open the slot again or trigger a waitlist offer if you use the waitlist.
Frequently asked questions #
How does Reservics stop my restaurant from being overbooked? #
For any time slot, Reservics calculates free seats as your total capacity minus the party sizes of all overlapping active bookings. When free seats reach zero, that slot is no longer bookable in the storefront widget. This check runs on every booking attempt, so two diners cannot claim the last seats at the same time.
Does a booking block the slot right after it ends? #
No. The end time is exclusive. A reservation from 10:00 to 12:00 does not block a new booking that starts at 12:00, because the two do not overlap. If you want a gap between parties for turnover, add buffer time in Booking Rules.
What is the difference between buffer time and booking duration? #
Booking duration is how long a reservation holds a table. Buffer time is extra turnover time added between bookings, so the table is not rebooked the instant one party leaves. Both reduce how many overlapping bookings can fit in your total capacity.
Can I limit how large a party can book online? #
Yes. Set a maximum party size on the Capacity & Tables tab and diners cannot book above it through the widget. You can also set a minimum party size. For larger groups, you can still add a booking manually from the Bookings page.
Do cancelled or no-show bookings free up seats? #
Yes. Pending, Confirmed, and Seated bookings count against capacity. When a booking is Cancelled or marked No-show, its seats are released and the slot can open again. If you use the waitlist, a freed seat can be offered to the next waiting diner.
