Temporary tables
What this covers
Adding a table that is only there for tonight — the extra two-top on the terrace when the weather turns — and having it tidy itself away afterwards.
Added from the quick editor on Live View, so you need the floor plan feature and permission to move tables (Owner, Manager or Host).
Why not just add a normal table?
Because you would have to remember to remove it. A permanent table added for one warm evening stays in your list forever, gets offered to guests booking online in February, and quietly distorts your capacity. A temporary table removes itself.
Adding one
- On Live View in floor-plan mode, open the quick editor.
- Choose Add table.
- Give it a name, how many it seats, and which section it belongs to.
- Choose when it Expires: End of service (tonight), In 5 hours, Tomorrow 4:00 AM, or a Custom time.
- Add it, position it on the plan, and Save.
While it exists, it is a completely real table
This is the important part. A temporary table is not a sticky note on the drawing:
- It can be booked, and appears in the table picker.
- It counts towards your capacity and your pacing.
- It appears on the Timeline and on Live View.
- It gets its own QR code if you use the digital menu.
Tabledoo says as much when you add one: "Creates a real table that counts toward capacity and your table limit until it expires, then deactivates automatically — history is preserved."
What happens at expiry
It is deactivated, not deleted. It disappears from the floor and stops being offered for bookings, but everything that happened at it stays in your records, so last night's covers and revenue are still counted.
Two details that matter on a busy night:
- It will not vanish from under a seated party. If guests are still at it when the time comes, Tabledoo leaves it alone and tries again later.
- Expiry is checked regularly rather than to the second, so a table may linger a little past its time. Harmless.
They count towards your plan's table limit
Because they consume real capacity, they are counted like any other table. If you are at your limit you cannot add one until you deactivate something or upgrade. See Plans, features and limits.
Finding them
They appear in Property Settings → Tables with a Temporary badge and their expiry time, so you can always see what is out and when it goes away.
Good to know
- Name them so they are obviously temporary — "T1 Terrace Extra" beats "Table 15".
- Choose the shortest expiry that works. "End of service" is the right default; you can always add another tomorrow.
- Need it permanently? Add a normal table in Property Settings → Tables instead, and put it in the full floor plan editor. See Managing your tables.