Can Cal.com replace our current restaurant reservation system?

Cut preventable no shows with automated email and SMS reminders that include confirm, cancel, or modify options. Cal.com workflows send timely nudges at booking, 24 hours before, and day of service. Add deposits or card on file with Stripe to increase commitment. Use fallbacks like WhatsApp for international guests, and send internal alerts to hosts in Slack if confirmations are missing. Over time, monitor reminder engagement and adjust timing to match your audience and service windows for consistent no show reduction restaurant outcomes.

How do we handle table sizes, sections, and pacing?

Create event types for 2 top, 4 top, patio, or bar. Add buffers and capacity limits. Workflows and availability rules align bookings with your pacing strategy.

Can we reduce no shows without hurting conversion?

Use gentle reminders, one tap confirms, and optional deposits. A small deposit or card on file via Stripe plus clear policies typically improves show rates and conversion.

Does Cal.com integrate with our POS or CRM?

Yes via API and webhooks. Send confirmed covers and guest notes to your POS or CRM. Use Zapier or custom middleware if your vendor lacks a native connector.

Can hosts manage a live waitlist during rush?

Yes. Hosts can add guests, reorder priority, and trigger messages. Workflows auto offer freed slots and move down the list if guests do not respond in time.

Is Cal.com suitable for groups, private dining, or events?

Yes. Use group events for chef’s tables or tastings. Add intake forms for menu choices or allergies, and route larger parties to managers for approval.

Can we self host and meet enterprise requirements?

Yes. Cal.com is open source and self hostable. Use SSO, RBAC, audit logs, and custom data retention to meet security and compliance needs across locations.

Workflows for restaurant reservations

Automate restaurant reservations with Cal.com workflows that scale

Reduce no shows, manage tables, and streamline online booking with API first, open scheduling infrastructure.

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Workflow/Restaurant reservations reminder workflowSave

Trigger

When

Before event starts

How long before event starts?

24hours

Action

Do this

Send email to attendees

Sender name

Cal.com

Message template

Reminder

Trusted by fast-growing companies around the world

How Cal.com workflows power reservations

From booking to seated, automate every step with workflows, integrations, and an API first platform that adapts to your floor, teams, and service model.

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Connect calendars and define your floor

Sync Google or Outlook calendars, set open hours and service durations, map tables and sections, then link events to your dining room capacity for accurate online restaurant booking.

Build reservation and waitlist workflows

Create confirmations, reminders, and two way SMS. Route overbooked requests to a waitlist, notify hosts in Slack, and auto fill cancellations with queued guests for no show reduction restaurant results.

Track attendance and optimize

Use check in links, QR codes, and webhook events to mark guests as seated. Analyze reminder performance, cancellation timing, and table turns to improve operations and guest experience.

Benefits for modern restaurant operations

Deliver a smooth guest journey, help hosts work faster, and keep your dining room full with flexible, developer friendly scheduling infrastructure.

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Meeting reminder

now

Hi, this is a reminder that your restaurant reservations meeting with Alex is in 30 mins

…

Smarter table and section utilization

Use event types to represent table sizes and patio or bar sections. Capacity rules ensure bookings match available inventory, even across staggered time slots. If weather changes or a private event blocks a section, update availability and let workflows notify affected guests with alternative times. Hosts gain a real time view of covers, turns, and pacing while guests only see what you want to offer online. The result is a responsive restaurant reservation system that adapts to your floor in minutes.

Bookings

Today

Tue, 13 May9:00am - 9:30amRestaurant reservations kickoff | Q2

Tue, 13 May10:30am - 11:00amRestaurant reservations team standup

This week

Tue, 14 May10:30am - 11:00amRestaurant reservations review

Tue, 14 May1:00pm - 1:30pmClient follow-up

Automated waitlist that fills gaps fast

During peak hours, let guests join a waitlist when slots are full. When cancellations occur, workflows automatically message the next eligible party with a fast confirm link. If they accept, the system books the slot and alerts your team. If they decline or time out, it moves to the next person. This keeps seats filled without manual dialing and improves guest satisfaction with timely, transparent updates. It is waitlist management restaurant teams can trust at scale.

Trigger

When

Before event starts

How long before event starts?

24hours

Action

Do this

Send email to attendees

Message template

Reminder

Developer friendly, open, and secure

Cal.com is open source, self hostable, and API first. Engineering teams can customize flows, connect POS or CRM via webhooks, and enforce brand and compliance standards. Use role based access for hosts, managers, and marketing. Centralize multi location management under one tenant with separate event types per venue. With SSO, audit logs, and enterprise controls, you get flexibility without sacrificing governance. The platform is proven across industries and built for reliability during rush.

Email subjectAdd variable

Reminder: Are you still attending the meeting on {EVENT_DATE}

Normal BIlink

Hi {ATTENDEE},

Please confirm if you're still planning to attend by clicking the button below:

{CONFIRM_ATTENDANCE}

This reminder was triggered by a Workflow in Cal.

Deliver a consistent, professional experience

Clear, branded communication makes every booking feel reliable and professional for your clients, teams and attendees.

Reservation and guest workflow features

Everything you need to automate bookings, reminders, and guest communications, plus the flexibility to integrate with your stack.

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Multi channel reminders and confirmations

Send confirmations and reminders via email, SMS, or WhatsApp. Include confirm, cancel, and modify links to keep your book accurate and reduce host follow up.

Capacity aware event types

Model tables and sections as event types with durations and buffers. Prevent overbooking and align online restaurant booking with your live floor plan.

Waitlist automation with routing

Collect party size and time preferences, then route to a waitlist when full. Auto notify guests when a table opens and hold the slot for a configurable window.

Payments, deposits, and policies

Require deposits with Stripe, capture card details for late cancel fees, and include clear policies in confirmations to support no show reduction restaurant strategies.

Team notifications and workflows

Alert hosts in Slack when VIPs book, when parties are late, or when a table frees up. Trigger internal tasks for pre orders, high chairs, or allergy notes.

Open API, webhooks, and self hosting

Integrate with POS, CRM, or data warehouse using webhooks and the Cal.com API. Deploy in the cloud or self host for full control and compliance.

See how workflows keep your scheduling on track

Watch how Cal.com Workflows simplify scheduling, automate reminders and keep your meetings running smoothly. See real examples of how teams use workflows to reduce no-shows and save time.

All your key tools in sync with your meetings

Connects to Slack, Salesforce, and 100+ more. Bookings show up where your team already works.

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Google CalendarSprawdza każdy kalendarz pod kątem konfliktów i dodaje rezerwację.
Zoom VideoDaje każdej rezerwacji własny link do spotkania.
SalesforceZapisuje spotkanie przy kontakcie i kieruje je do właściciela.
HubSpot CRMDodaje rezerwacje do kontaktów i deali.
SlackPowiadamia zespół, gdy tylko spotkanie zostanie zarezerwowane.
StripePobiera płatność po zarezerwowaniu terminu.
FramerUmieszcza stronę rezerwacji w witrynie Framer.
ElevenLabsDaje agentom głosowym realistyczny głos AI.
LinearUstawia status Poza biurem z kalendarza.
Meta PixelMierzy rezerwacje z kampanii reklamowych Meta.
UmamiLiczy wizyty na stronie rezerwacji, prywatnie.
WhatsAppSpotyka twoich gości na czacie WhatsApp lub w rozmowie wideo.

Frequently asked questions

These are some of our most frequently asked questions.

Don’t just take our word for it

Our users are our best ambassadors. Discover why we're the top choice for scheduling meetings.

Thrilled with this scheduling app—it's a game-changer. The intuitive interface and advanced features streamline my time management. The standout, however, is the incredible support team—swift, expert responses to every query. A perfect combo for seamless scheduling and top-notch customer service. P.s. Way better than Calendly
Mickeyna Trustpilot
I just migrated from calendly to cal.com I'm liking it so far. I wasn't particularly displeased with calendly. It's fine. But I like that cal is OSS and my sub to calendly was coming up for renewal so I thought I'd check it out. Looks good.
Kent C. Dodds 🌌@kentcdodds na X
2 days of using @calcom is enough to never look back at calendly
Anuvesh Singh@singh_anuvesh na X
Without a doubt the best calendar/scheduling application I have ever used. It has all of the advanced features I need while also being insanely intuitive and straightforward for both end-users and booking recipients. Love it!!
davidvkimballna Trustpilot
(finally) made the move to @calcom after I couldn't find how to edit events in the calendly dashboard and I must say - dash is 10/10 Bravo @peer_rich and team (I should have moved over years ago!) OSS fam
Ant Wilson@AntWilson na X
One of the best tools for scheduling and my favorite after so many other options tried.
Denisna Product Hunt
more elegant than Calendly, more open than Savvycal, cal.com works and it feels just right.
flo merianna Product Hunt
This platform's open-source nature and flexible licensing are a developer's dream. Self-hosting and white-labeling empower personalization and seamless integration.
Ahmed Elnaggarna Product Hunt
for the love of me, why do people still use Calendly? Just today I have seen products reference Calendly while they know of @calcom It's a no brainer for me to use , their brand is amazing, cool team + they even have more compelling features 🤷
Rotimi Best@rotimi_best na X
Amazing. I've been sharing it with everyone I know. It's helped me create more events spontaneously, because of how smooth it is compared to Calendly and Harmonizely.
Benna Product Hunt
Very easy to set up and start. Connected with my Google calendar without any problem. Connecting with Microsoft gives me an error. But other than that the user interface is very good.
Pankaj Dixitna Product Hunt
Just gave it a go and it's definitely the easiest meeting I've ever scheduled! No context switching, no distractions, and works even better on mobile too.
Aria Minaeina Product Hunt

Trusted by fast-growing companies around the world

Start automating reservations today

Connect your calendars, define tables, and turn on reminders and waitlists. Explore the docs and templates, or book a demo to see how Cal.com fits your service model.

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