---
title: "Future waitlist"
description: "The day they want is full? Guests leave their preferred window, and you notify them the moment a table opens."
---

> Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://tabler.pro/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Future waitlist

**Scenario:** Saturday night sold out ages ago, but guests keep trying to
book. Instead of losing them to the place down the street, enable the
**waitlist**: guests leave a date, preferred window, and party size, and the
moment someone cancels you have a list to fill the table from.

Prerequisite: tick **Enable waitlist** under Settings → Booking rules. From
then on, when a guest hits a fully booked day on the booking page, they see
**Join the waitlist**.

![Waitlist: date, preferred window, and status](../../../../assets/docs/admin-waitlist.png)

## When a table opens

Someone cancels their Saturday booking — open the waitlist (the **Waiting**
number on [Overview](/en/docs/dashboard) takes you straight there):

1. Find the party whose date, window, and size fit, and call or message them
   (tap the phone number to dial).
2. They want it → press **Booked**, then go to
   [Reservations](/en/docs/reservations) and create the real booking with
   ＋ New booking.
3. Contacted but waiting on an answer → press **Notified** as a marker; no
   response for too long → press **Expired** to clear them from the list.

## How it differs from the walk-in queue

- **Future waitlist** (this page): a future day is full; guests leave details
  and wait for an opening — measured in **days**.
- **[Walk-in queue](/en/docs/queue)**: the guest is at the door right now for
  a table today — measured in **minutes**.

Source: https://tabler.pro/en/docs/waitlist/index.mdx