Capacity and table assignment

Capacity rules answer can the service accept this demand? The floorplan answers where can this party sit? A booking normally needs both answers to be yes.

Direct tables first

When a suitable single table is available, TablePace prefers that direct fit ahead of a table combination. This helps preserve larger combinations for parties that actually need them.

Table capacity is the real seated maximum

Set each table's maximum covers to the number of guests you would genuinely seat there in service. The small seat markers around the table visual reflect that maximum.

Do not inflate table capacity simply to make more bookings pass. It makes automatic assignment less trustworthy.

Table combinations

Use combinations for tables your team genuinely joins together. For example, T4 + T5 may form a 6-top.

TablePace only considers combinations you configure. It does not invent combinations because two tables happen to be near each other on screen.

Booking duration matters

Assignment checks the whole booking period, including the service's table time and turn buffer. A table must be available for the booking, not merely empty at the arrival minute.

When a booking is not assigned

A booking can exist without a resolved table in some operator workflows. When the floorplan or availability changes, TablePace can reconcile unresolved bookings against the current published layout.

During service, staff can also use Move table to choose a different suitable destination manually.