Special events, holidays, and busy seasons often require extended operating hours. This article shows you how to configure longer hours for specific dates.

When to Use Extended Hours

Extended hours are useful for:

  • Holiday seasons — Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, New Year's Eve
  • Special events — Wine dinners, live music nights, private parties
  • Peak periods — Summer weekends, local festivals, tourist season
  • Late-night service — Extended bar hours, after-hours events

Adding Extended Hours

  1. Navigate to Availabilities > Date-specific hours
  2. Click Add Hours
  3. Select the date(s) for your special event
  4. Add time slots that extend beyond your normal hours
  5. Click Apply, then Update Date Overrides

Example: New Year's Eve Dinner

Regular hours: 5:00 PM - 10:00 PM

Extended hours for December 31:

  • Early seating: 5:00 PM - 7:30 PM
  • Main seating: 8:00 PM - 12:30 AM

Late Night Hours

For hours that extend past midnight:

  1. Set your end time up to 11:59 PM for the current day
  2. If needed, add a new date override for the following day starting at 12:00 AM The system treats each calendar day separately, so a 10 PM - 2 AM shift spans two dates.

Multiple Extended Periods

You can have multiple events on the same day. For example, a restaurant offering:

  • Champagne brunch: 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
  • Special dinner service: 6:00 PM - 11:30 PM Add each as a separate time slot within the same date override.

Adjusting Service Duration

For special events, you might want longer or shorter booking durations:

  • Tasting menus: 2.5-3 hours per seating
  • Quick service events: 45-60 minutes per seating
  • Private events: Block the entire time period Set the service duration in each time slot to match the event format.

Communicating Extended Hours

After configuring extended hours:

  1. Your AI agent automatically knows the new availability
  2. Your online booking page reflects the updated hours
  3. Customers can book during the extended times Consider updating your knowledge base with information about special events so your AI agent can provide details when asked.

Planning Multiple Events

For recurring special events (like monthly wine dinners):

  1. Add each date as a separate override
  2. You can select multiple non-consecutive dates
  3. Configure the same hours for all selected dates

    💡 Tip: Keep a calendar of your special events and add date overrides as early as possible to maximize bookings.

Reverting to Normal Hours

Extended hours are date-specific—your regular schedule automatically resumes the next day. You don't need to do anything; the override only affects the specified date(s).