How-to guides

Create your HappyChef account

Get your restaurant set up so you can start taking reservations.

1. Go to the HappyChef sign-up page and enter your restaurant details.
2. Confirm your email address.
3. Set your restaurant name, address and contact details.
4. Continue to set your opening hours and capacity.

Tip: Use the same email you check daily — important notifications go there.

Set your opening hours

Define when guests can book, per service and per day.

1. Open Settings and select Opening hours.
2. Add hours for each service (breakfast, lunch, dinner).
3. Set different hours per weekday where needed.
4. Add exceptions for holidays or closing days.
5. Save your changes.

Tip: Closing a shift temporarily is better than deleting it — your settings stay intact.

Set your capacity

Tell HappyChef how many guests you can seat so availability is accurate.

1. Open Settings and select Capacity.
2. Enter your total covers for the restaurant.
3. Set capacity per area if you have multiple rooms.
4. Optionally set a maximum online party size.
5. Save.

Tip: Start a little conservative and increase capacity once you see how services fill.

Share your booking link

Start taking reservations even without a website.

1. Open your booking page from the dashboard.
2. Copy your booking link.
3. Add it to your Google profile, Instagram and Facebook.
4. Add a “Reserve” button to your website if you have one.

Tip: Pin the link in your social bios so guests can always find it.

Add a reservation manually

Log a phone booking or walk-in in seconds.

1. Click New reservation on the dashboard.
2. Enter the date, time and party size.
3. Add the guest’s name and contact details.
4. Assign a table or let HappyChef suggest one.
5. Save the reservation.

Tip: Save the guest’s phone number so reminders can reach them.

Edit or move a reservation

Change the time, party size or table.

1. Open the reservation from the list or table plan.
2. Update the date, time or party size.
3. Drag it to a different table if needed.
4. Save — the guest is notified automatically.

Tip: Moving a reservation on the table plan keeps your floor view accurate.

Cancel a reservation

Free up the table and notify the guest.

1. Open the reservation.
2. Choose Cancel.
3. Optionally add a reason.
4. Confirm — the slot reopens for other guests.

Tip: If a guest may rebook, suggest another slot before cancelling.

Set up confirmations and reminders

Reduce no-shows with automatic messages.

1. Open Settings and select Notifications.
2. Enable confirmation messages on booking.
3. Enable a reminder before the reservation.
4. Set the timing and wording.
5. Save.

Tip: A reminder a few hours before service is the single most effective no-show reducer.

Require a deposit or card guarantee

Protect high-demand shifts against no-shows.

1. Open Settings and select your no-show policy.
2. Choose deposit or card guarantee.
3. Pick which shifts, days or party sizes it applies to.
4. Set the amount and conditions.
5. Save.

Tip: Apply guarantees only to peak shifts to avoid deterring casual bookings.

Use the waitlist

Capture demand when you are fully booked.

1. Enable the waitlist in settings.
2. When a slot is full, guests can join the waitlist.
3. When a table frees up, offer it to waitlisted guests.
4. Confirm the guest and seat them.

Tip: Check the waitlist before closing reservations for a shift — you may fill last-minute gaps.

Build and use your table plan

The table plan is the heart of your floor management: a visual map that mirrors your real restaurant and shows, in real time, which tables are free, reserved or seated. This guide walks you through building it from scratch, organising it into areas, and using it day to day. It is the most detailed setup in HappyChef, so take it step by step — once it is right, daily service becomes effortless.

Tip: Keep table names matching what your staff already call them — it makes seating and hand-offs far quicker during a busy service.

Add a room or terrace

Manage multiple spaces separately.

1. Open the Table plan editor.
2. Create a new area and name it.
3. Add its tables and capacity.
4. Set whether it is bookable online.
5. Save.

Tip: Mark the terrace as weather-dependent so you can close it quickly.

Combine tables for large parties

Seat groups that need more than one table.

1. Open the table plan during service.
2. Select the tables to combine.
3. Merge them into a single seating.
4. Assign the large party to the combined table.

Tip: Set table-combination rules so the system can offer big-group availability automatically.

Seat and track guests during service

Keep an accurate live view of your floor.

1. Open the table plan for today.
2. Mark reservations as seated when guests arrive.
3. Drag walk-ins onto free tables.
4. Mark tables as finished when guests leave.

Tip: Marking tables finished promptly reopens them for later bookings.

Set dining duration and turn times

Control how long each table is held.

1. Open Settings and select Availability.
2. Set the average dining duration.
3. Optionally vary duration by party size or shift.
4. Save and review your offered slots.

Tip: Match durations to reality — too short causes overlaps, too long wastes capacity.

Set pacing limits

Spread arrivals so the kitchen is never overwhelmed.

1. Open Settings and select Pacing.
2. Set the maximum guests per time window.
3. Adjust per shift if peak times differ.
4. Save and test by viewing your booking page.

Tip: Tighten pacing around your busiest opening time, then loosen it later in service.

Block a shift or day

Stop bookings for a closure or private event.

1. Open the calendar or availability settings.
2. Select the day or shift to block.
3. Add a reason if useful.
4. Save — those slots disappear from booking.

Tip: Use a block (not a delete) so the shift returns to normal afterwards.

Start selling gift cards

Add a new revenue stream guests can buy online.

1. Open the Gift cards section.
2. Enable online gift card sales.
3. Choose the available amounts.
4. Pick a design and add your banner.
5. Save and share or embed the gift card page.

Tip: Promote gift cards on your booking confirmation and around the holidays.

Redeem a gift card

Accept a gift card at the restaurant.

1. Open the gift card redemption tool.
2. Scan the QR or enter the code.
3. Verify the balance.
4. Apply the amount and confirm.

Tip: Partial redemptions keep the remaining balance on the card for next time.

Set up gift card take-away (pickup)

Let guests collect a physical gift card in person.

1. Open your opening hours settings.
2. Enable gift card take-away per service.
3. Set the pickup time windows.
4. Save.
5. Embed the take-away gift card flow on your site.

Tip: Offer pickup windows during quieter hours so it never clashes with service.

Customise your gift card design

Make gift cards match your brand.

1. Open the Gift cards section.
2. Choose a base design.
3. Upload your own banner image.
4. Pick a colour theme for the embedded flow.
5. Save and preview.

Tip: Use a high-quality, wide banner image for the best result.

Edit your restaurant profile

Keep your public details up to date.

1. Open Settings and select Profile.
2. Update your name, address and contact details.
3. Add a description and photos.
4. Save.

Tip: Accurate contact details reduce confused guests and phone calls.

Add team members

Give your staff access to the dashboard.

1. Open Settings and select Team.
2. Invite a team member by email.
3. Choose their access level.
4. They accept the invite and log in.

Tip: Give front-of-house the access they need and keep billing to managers.

Change your dashboard language

Work in the language you prefer.

1. Open your profile or settings.
2. Select Language.
3. Choose one of the 24 available languages.
4. Save.

Tip: The guest booking page adapts to each guest’s language automatically.

Configure guest messages

Control what guests receive and when.

1. Open Settings and select Notifications.
2. Toggle confirmations, reminders and review requests.
3. Set timing for each message.
4. Adjust the wording if needed.
5. Save.

Tip: A post-visit review request quietly grows your online reputation.

Reduce capacity for one day

Handle a short-staffed or special day.

1. Open the calendar.
2. Select the day.
3. Lower the capacity or pacing for that day only.
4. Save — normal capacity returns the next day.

Tip: Do this the moment you know about a staffing gap to avoid overbooking.

Embed the booking page on your website

Let guests reserve without leaving your site.

1. Open the Integration guide.
2. Copy the booking page iframe code.
3. Paste it where you want the booking form.
4. Adjust the width and height if needed.
5. Publish your page.

Tip: Your restaurant ID is filled in automatically when you are logged in.

Add the reservation widget

Add a floating “Reserve” button to any page.

1. Open the Integration guide.
2. Copy the widget script tag.
3. Paste it just before the closing body tag.
4. Choose the button position and theme via attributes.
5. Publish.

Tip: The widget works on any website builder that lets you add a script tag.

Embed the gift card flow

Sell gift cards directly from your website.

1. Open the Integration guide.
2. Copy the gift card iframe code.
3. Paste it on your gift card page.
4. Set the height so the whole form is visible.
5. Publish.

Tip: Link to your gift card page from your booking confirmations to boost sales.

Test your integration

Make sure everything works before you launch.

1. Open the page where you embedded the code.
2. Check the booking or gift card form loads.
3. Make a test reservation or purchase.
4. Confirm it appears in your dashboard.

Tip: Test on mobile too — most guests book from their phone.