Section 4 of 12

How Customers Book

Understand the end-to-end journey a diner takes when making a reservation through Buqq.

Understanding how a guest experiences the booking process helps you set up your restaurant profile and availability to maximise conversions and minimise friction.

How they find you#

Guests arrive at your booking page through one of three routes:

  1. Direct link — You share your booking URL (buqq.online/booking/your-slug) on your website, Instagram bio, Google Business profile, or anywhere else you promote your restaurant.
  2. Explore — Diners search on buqq.online/explore and discover your restaurant through location, cuisine, or availability filters.
  3. Restaurant profile — Guests land on your public profile page (buqq.online/restaurants/your-slug) and click the booking button from there.
The highest-converting route is the direct link. Put your booking URL everywhere you have a digital presence.

The booking steps#

Once a guest lands on your booking page, they complete a four-step flow before their reservation is submitted.

  1. Select a date from the calendar.
  2. Choose the number of guests in the party.
  3. Pick an available time slot.
  4. Fill in their name, email, phone number, and any special requests, then accept the booking policy and submit.

Bot verification

The booking form includes a spam prevention check to keep your reservations genuine. In most cases guests won't notice it at all — the check runs in the background without interrupting their booking.

Slot hold timer

Once a guest selects a time slot, a short hold timer begins. The slot is not guaranteed until submission is complete — another guest completing their booking first will claim the slot. The timer is shown on-screen so guests know they should complete quickly.

After submission#

When the guest submits their booking form, three things happen simultaneously:

  1. Booking is recorded — The reservation appears immediately in your dashboard with status Confirmed.
  2. Guest confirmation email— Buqq sends a confirmation email to the guest's address with the booking reference, date, time, party size, and your address.
  3. Merchant alert — You receive an email notification (and a Telegram message if connected) with the booking details.

The guest is shown a confirmation screen with their booking reference, your address, and a maps link.

Confirmation email#

The confirmation email sent to the guest includes:

  • Booking reference number
  • Restaurant name
  • Date, time, and party size
  • Your address
  • Your cancellation policy (if set)
  • Any arrival notes you have added in Settings
The confirmation email is sent from Buqq's email infrastructure. Replies go to info@buqq.online. If you want guests to contact you directly, include your phone number or contact email in the arrival notes field.