What is time slot management? Restaurant booking configuration explained

Time slot management is the process of configuring when and how reservations can be made, including interval spacing, capacity limits per slot, and booking rules. For restaurants, it is the invisible architecture behind the booking experience. Well-configured time slots spread arrivals evenly, prevent kitchen overload, and maximize the number of covers you can serve. Poorly configured slots create 7pm bottlenecks, overwhelmed kitchens, and frustrated guests waiting for food.

Key facts

• Definition: Configuring reservation intervals, capacity per slot, and booking rules
• Key metric: Covers per slot versus kitchen capacity per slot
• Good benchmark: 80-90% slot utilization during peak with no kitchen backups
• Why it matters: Controls the pace and flow of your entire service

The quick definition

Time slot management determines the structure of your reservation system. It answers questions like: Can a guest book at 6:45 or only at 7:00? How many parties can book the 7:30 slot? Can someone book for next Tuesday at 5pm? How far ahead can guests reserve? Every setting shapes how demand flows into your restaurant and whether your kitchen and staff can keep up.

Example: A restaurant sets 15-minute booking intervals from 6:00-9:00pm, allows a maximum of 8 covers per slot (4 per slot at 15-min intervals = 32 covers per hour, matching kitchen capacity), opens bookings 21 days in advance, and blocks the 9:00pm slot on weekdays because the kitchen begins closing prep at 9:30.

Why time slot management matters

Kitchen pacing

The kitchen can only produce so many dishes per hour. Time slots act as a flow controller:

When every table orders at the same time, ticket times balloon from 15 minutes to 35 minutes. Time slot management prevents that.

Revenue optimization

The right slot configuration can increase total covers per night:

Staggering arrivals creates more turnover opportunities because tables open at different times rather than all at once.

Guest experience

From the guest perspective, time slot management determines:

How to configure time slots effectively

1. Set your interval length

Choose how often booking slots occur:

15-minute intervals are the default for most restaurants. They spread arrivals without creating too many slots to manage.

2. Calculate capacity per slot

Match each slot to your operational limits:

Kitchen Capacity per Slot = Maximum Covers per Hour / Slots per Hour

Example:

• Kitchen handles 28 covers per hour
• 15-minute intervals = 4 slots per hour
• Capacity per slot: 28 / 4 = 7 covers per slot

Round down, not up. A buffer prevents the kitchen from getting buried when multiple tables order quickly.

3. Differentiate by day and meal

Not every slot needs the same configuration:

Your Friday dinner runs differently than Tuesday lunch. Your slots should reflect that.

4. Define your booking window

Adjust the window based on your no-show data. If far-advance bookings have high no-show rates, shorten the window or require deposits for those slots.

5. Use blackout periods strategically

Block time slots when booking should not be available:

Resos lets you block specific slots or entire days and set custom booking rules per period, giving you precise control over your availability.

Advanced time slot strategies

Staggered seating for maximum turns

Instead of filling every 7:00pm slot, encourage earlier and later bookings:

Buffer slots between seatings

For prix fixe or tasting menu restaurants, build transition time into your slots:

• 2-hour tasting menu with 30-minute buffer = slot at 6:00 and 8:30
• Prevents overlap and gives the kitchen reset time

Dynamic slot capacity

Adjust capacity per slot based on real-time conditions:

Common mistakes

Every table bookable at every slot

If all 30 tables can be booked at 7:00pm, your kitchen will get 30 orders within 15 minutes. Cap each slot based on what your kitchen and staff can handle, not what your dining room can physically seat.

No differentiation between days

Saturday night at full staff is a different operation than Tuesday night with a skeleton crew. Slots that work for Saturday will overwhelm Tuesday’s team. Build separate slot configurations by day of week.

Ignoring the data after setup

Time slot management is not set-and-forget. Review your data monthly. Look at which slots fill first, which stay empty, where kitchen ticket times spike, and where you turn guests away. Adjust your configuration based on what the data tells you.

Related terms

• Covers per hour - The throughput metric your time slots should be calibrated against
• Table turnover rate - Turns per table, which staggered time slots help maximize
• Booking lead time - How far ahead guests book, shaped by your booking window settings
• Waitlist - Queue that activates when all time slots are full

Related: How to get more reservations | Capacity planning | How to reduce no-shows