The waitlist lets you manage walk-ins in Peblla Table, right next to your reservations. Guests can add themselves from your website, a kiosk, or the Peblla Waitlist app, or your host can add them on the Peblla Table tablet. In this article, you will learn how to open the waitlist to guests and set up the messages they receive.
Before you start
The waitlist is turned on separately from reservations, so you don’t need reservations turned on to use it. If the page shows "Waitlist is disabled. Please contact the Sales or Peblla Support Team to enable Waitlist.", email [email protected] to get it turned on for your store.
The waitlist uses the hours and table types you already set up for reservations. There are no separate waitlist hours or table types. See Peblla Table - Schedule and Peblla Table - Table Type.
📖 Tutorial
Let guests join on their own
Navigate to Peblla Store Portal - [Table Service] - [Peblla Table], open [General Settings] from the menu on the left, and find Feature Toggles.
Kiosk & Peblla Waitlist | "Allow guests to join the waitlist from Kiosk & Peblla Waitlist." One toggle covers both your kiosk and the Peblla Waitlist app. |
Web | "Show Join Waitlist on the Basic Website store page." |
Both are off until you turn them on. When you switch one, click [Confirm] in the Confirmation pop-up to save it, or [Cancel] to leave it as it was.
If you see Guest Channel update failed, your previous setting is still in place. Just try again.
To stop new guests from joining for a while, turn these toggles off, or close the online hours in your Schedule. Guests already on the waitlist are not affected, and your host can still add and manage guests on the Peblla Table tablet.
Set up the messages guests receive
Open [Waitlist] from the menu on the left and find Notifications. Each notification sends a text and an email together, so you set it up once. Use the switch under Status to turn a notification on or off, and click [Edit SMS message] to change the text message. Emails only go to guests who gave an email address.
Waitlist Joined | Confirms the guest is on the waitlist. |
Reminder | Lets the guest know their turn is coming up. Click [Change when it sends] to set how many parties ahead should trigger it. The default is 3. This applies to both the text and the email. It is sent once, when the number of parties ahead of them for the same table type drops to that number. Guests who are already that close when they join do not get a Reminder. |
Ready To Enter | Sent when your host calls the guest to their table. |
Text messages can be up to 200 characters. In the editor, click a variable button to add guest details. They are filled in automatically for each guest, and Preview shows the message with sample guest data.
[+ Waitlist Number] and [+ Short Link]: the guest’s waitlist number, and a link that opens their waitlist status page.
[+ Parties Ahead]: used in the Reminder. The number of parties ahead of the guest for the same table type, not their place in the whole store.
Decide what happens when a called guest doesn’t show
In the No Show section, turn on Auto No-Show to automatically mark called guests as no-show if they don’t respond in time. Once it’s on, choose how long they have to respond after your host calls them: 1–5 minutes. The default is 5.
Auto No-Show is off by default. With it off, called guests stay on the list until your host decides.
What your guests see
Guests choose their party size first, then a table type. No table type is picked for them.
They enter their First Name and Phone. Last Name and Email are optional. On the web they submit the form. On the kiosk or the Peblla Waitlist app they tap [Confirm] and confirm once more in the pop-up.
They get a waitlist number. The kiosk prints a waitlist ticket, and the Peblla Waitlist app does not print.
They can check their status from the link in their message, the confirmation screen, or the QR code on the ticket. The status page refreshes every 10 seconds and shows how many parties are ahead of them for the same table type. It does not show an estimated wait time. When they are called, it shows Your table is ready.
They can tap [Cancel Waitlist] while they are waiting or after being called. Once they are seated or marked No-show, they can’t cancel on their own.
A phone number can only be on your waitlist once at a time. If a guest tries to join again, they see You’re already on the waitlist. and their current status.
If a guest finds no table type to choose, they should ask your host to add them. Check that your schedule has table types that fit their party size.
Good to know
The waitlist never takes a deposit.
The waitlist is for guests waiting for a table. It is not meant for calling pickup orders.
Guests still join the waitlist even if their text or email doesn’t go through.
The Peblla Waitlist app only needs your store account. Sign in and it is ready to use.
To run the waitlist on the tablet during service, see Peblla Table - Waitlist.
This waitlist is separate from the earlier one under [Table Service] - [Waitlist & Reservation]. Guests and data are not shared or moved between them, so once you start using this one, stop using the earlier one. Once this waitlist is turned on for your store, your kiosk shows it instead of the earlier one.