A table booking starts with a conversation
An AI restaurant reservation system for UK independents. Guests can ask for a table in their own words, check a time and confirm on your booking page — while your team gets on with service.
Home › AI reservations
Another way to book, in the same live diary
Some guests prefer a form. Others would rather type “a table for four on Friday”. TableTango offers both on your restaurant's booking page, with no guest account or app to download.
Help guests find a table
- Understand the request. Gather the party size, date and time, then the guest's name, mobile and email.
- Check availability. Use the booking system's current availability checks, with nearby alternatives when a requested time is full.
- Confirm the details. Show a booking card for the guest to check and confirm before the reservation is made.
Keep your team in the picture
- One booking system. Chat and form reservations join the phone bookings and walk-ins your team adds.
- Your restaurant's information. Help with opening hours, the address and the practical notes you have provided.
- Useful guest details. Capture an occasion or special request alongside the reservation for your team to review.
“Could we come a little later?”
An illustrative conversation at the fictional Harbour & Vine. The people, availability and wording are examples, not a customer transcript.
- Guest
Table for four this Friday at 7pm?
- Booking assistant
7pm is fully booked for four, but 6.30pm or 7.45pm is available. Would either suit?
- Guest
7.45 please. It's my dad's birthday.
- Booking assistant
Lovely — I'll add a birthday note. Could I take your name and contact details?
In this example, availability has been checked before those times are offered. A real conversation varies with the request and your restaurant's setup.
The guest has the final say
After collecting the required details, the chat presents a booking card. The guest checks the date, time and party size, reviews any applicable terms and presses Confirm.
If the booking needs a card or payment, the guest must complete the relevant secure step. An invitation to confirm is not a completed reservation.
Once confirmed, the booking appears in your live book with a booking code. Confirmation emails include a link to manage it; day-before reminders depend on your settings and the booking date.
There is no separate chat diary for staff to copy across and no extra per-cover fee for using the assistant.
The conversation works with your booking setup
Availability is checked against your tables, opening hours, special dates and closures, booking limits and notice periods. Table assignment uses the same system as the form, including configured joined tables. Keeping that setup accurate matters just as much as it does for a traditional booking form.
The assistant is a text chat on the page. It does not answer telephone calls. Your team still adds phone reservations and walk-ins, and guests can contact you about requests that need a person.
Put the booking link on your website, Google Business Profile, social pages or door poster. It takes guests to your restaurant's own page, rather than requiring them to join a consumer marketplace.
An independent restaurant in London already uses TableTango to take direct bookings and run its live book alongside phone reservations and walk-ins.
What to expect from booking by chat
Can guests change or cancel a booking?
They use their booking code or the link in their email to find the booking. Eligible changes keep the same code, and a cancellation needs confirmation. The options depend on the booking's status and payment policy; some changes need the restaurant's help. Guests should follow the options and refund information shown on their booking link.
Can the chat answer menu and event questions?
It can point to the menu link or PDF you have added and direct guests to Special events to book an event. It is instructed not to invent menu items or prices. Keep your hours, contact details, event information and good-to-know notes current so guests have useful information to work from.
What about large parties and special requests?
You set the largest party that can book online. Larger groups are directed to contact you. Within that limit, the booking system can use joined tables you have configured. A dietary need, occasion or seating preference can be saved with the booking; a note is a request for your team, not a guarantee that it can be met.
What if the AI is unavailable?
The chat can fall back to a simpler scripted assistant, and guests can use the booking form. Fair-use limits apply to AI chat. This fallback helps when the AI service is unavailable; it cannot keep taking bookings through a wider booking-system or internet outage.
Is the demo using the live AI?
No. The guest demo uses scripted chat and sample data. It lets you explore the booking journey without making a real reservation. The owner demo shows where bookings appear and how the live book and floor plan work. The example conversation above is illustrative, not a recording of a customer.
For information about how guest information is processed, read our Privacy policy. Comparing different approaches? Our restaurant booking systems guide covers the wider choices.
AI booking chat is included
£29.99 per venue/month after your first 30 days free from go-live, with no card to start. The plan includes the core booking and front-of-house features and transactional booking email. There is no per-booking or per-cover commission.
New restaurants receive 400 one-off text credits at venue creation, with booking texts switched on by default (switch off any time). Long messages can use more than one credit. Optional texts cost extra after that credit; prepaid top-ups are available. Stripe fees apply when taking payments.
Make direct bookings feel easy.
Your own booking page, one live book and a team ready for service. Start with your restaurant's hours and tables, then go live when you are ready.
Start 30 days free