How limits differ from maximum party size

This assumes you already know how to add a limit - see how to set up limits within opening hours first.

Limits within an opening hour and maximum party size are two different settings in Resos, and it is easy to mix them up because both can stop a guest from booking online.

What each setting controls

• Limits within an opening hour cap how much you take in during a service, in total bookings, total guests, or both, either across the whole opening hour or per time interval.
• Maximum party size caps how many people can be on a single online booking, regardless of how busy the opening hour is.

A party of 4 can be turned away by either setting acting on its own: a limit that has already filled up for that opening hour, or a party larger than your maximum. Raising one does not change the other.

Where to find maximum party size

Party size lives at Menu → Settings & add-ons → Bookings → Limits. There you will find:

1. Max people on an online booking - the largest party a guest can book online.
2. Min people on an online booking - the smallest party a guest can book online.
3. Above max notice - the message shown to a guest who wants to book for more people than your maximum, for example asking them to call or email you instead.

Party size applies to online bookings only. You and your staff can always create a larger booking in the system. It is a single global setting, so you cannot schedule a change to take effect from a future date. Max people on an online booking defaults to 15.

What guests see on the party size step

The party size choices start at your Min people on an online booking and stop at your Max people on an online booking. Party sizes up to 12 are shown straight away. Larger sizes up to your maximum, and your Above max notice, appear when the guest clicks More. The More button is only shown when your maximum is above 12 or you have written an above max notice. If your minimum is above 12, the step shows no party sizes at first, only the More button, so guests need to click it to pick a size.

A guest in a party smaller than your minimum gets no choice to pick and no message. If you set a minimum above 1, tell guests in a booking notice, which shows just above the party size step.

Keep Max people on an online booking at least as high as Min people on an online booking. If the minimum is higher than the maximum, guests have no party size to choose and cannot book online at all.

Can the above max notice include a clickable email link?

No. The Above max notice is shown as plain text. Resos does not turn an email address, a web address or a phone number in it into a link, and HTML or link formatting shows as the characters you typed. Write your email address or phone number out in full so guests can copy it, for example “For groups above 15, email events@yourrestaurant.example”.

Party size on Reserve with Google

Reserve with Google uses the same Min people on an online booking and Max people on an online booking. There is no separate party size setting for Google.

Google is also only offered the party sizes your tables can seat. The range Google receives starts no lower than the smallest Minimum seats among your tables and table combinations that are available online, in areas that are available online, and stops no higher than the largest Maximum seats among them. So if Google only offers bookings for 4 people and up, check both your minimum party size and the Minimum seats on your tables.

Changes to these settings are not instant on Google. See why settings updates do not show on Google for how long they take.

We hope this clears up the difference. If you have any questions about limits, party size, or anything else in Resos, contact us at hi@resos.com.