Speako uses the same booking calendar for restaurant reservations and service appointments, but the required booking details are different. Understanding that difference helps you troubleshoot missing availability, incorrect resources, and booking issues faster.
Restaurant reservations
Restaurant reservations are centred on tables and party size. A restaurant booking needs:
- customer name
- customer phone
- booking date and time
- table selection
- party size
- location timezone
Speako checks whether the selected table belongs to the location and whether the party size fits the table's capacity range. If a party is smaller than the table's minimum capacity or larger than its maximum capacity, the booking cannot be created with that table.
Restaurant views may also connect to table-specific areas such as Tables, Zone Tags, Floor Plan, and Floorplan View.
Service appointments
Service-business appointments are centred on services and staff. A service appointment needs:
- customer name
- customer phone
- booking date and time
- selected service
- selected staff member
- location timezone
The booking flow loads services for the location, then checks available staff for the selected service and time. If no staff are available, review staff setup, staff availability, and service-to-staff links.
What both booking types share
Both restaurant and service bookings can include customer email, notes, special requests, and customer notification options. Both appear in calendar views and can be opened for details, editing, rescheduling, or cancellation when their status allows it.
Both booking types also rely on location setup. Timezone, availability, and active resources matter before bookings can behave correctly.
⚠️ Important: A booking problem often comes from setup, not the booking itself. Check the selected location, availability, and resource configuration first.
Which one should you use?
Use restaurant reservations when the customer is reserving seating. Use service appointments when the customer is booking a service with a staff member.
This should match the location type chosen during onboarding. If you expected table options but see staff and services, or expected staff and services but see table setup, review the location type.