The decision this workflow supports
A guest running late often wants reassurance that a table will remain available. The assistant can relay the message, but holding a table is a live staff decision and should not be inferred from the guest’s existing reservation.
Put the review process in place
Ask for the reservation reference and the new estimated arrival time. Route the update through the owner’s chosen service-time channel. Tell the guest that staff must confirm any effect on the arrangement; do not calculate or invent a grace period.
Worked example for your team
A fictional guest with a seven-o’clock reservation says they now expect to arrive at seven-twenty. The assistant records the estimate and routes it to the on-duty host. It must not say the table will be waiting. Ask the host reviewer to locate the message quickly and explain whether they need to contact the guest. If the guest later calls with another estimate, link that update to the same reservation question. Keeping the latest requested timing clear helps staff act without treating a delay notification as a confirmed change.
Sample wording to approve
“I can let the team know your estimated arrival has changed. What reservation reference and arrival time should I include? I cannot promise that the table will be held.” This wording is a draft for the restaurant owner to approve before use.
Fields for the staff handoff
Staff need reservation reference, original time if known, estimated arrival, contact number, and on-duty host. Mark uncertain details explicitly and keep the requested action separate from anything restaurant staff have already confirmed.
Acceptance tests before use
The new time is clearly an estimate. No grace period is invented. The staff note is a late-arrival message rather than a confirmed amendment. Record the observed result, assign any mismatch, and repeat the affected scenario after correction.
Further reading
Catering inquiry value calculator ↗
Try Ava with your business’s public information ↗