A card for the risky bookings. Nothing for your regulars.
Smart Deposits is Reserve A Table's risk-based deposit system, applied per booking rather than as one policy for everyone. Each reservation is reviewed the moment it's made, and a card is requested before confirming only when demand is high and the booking carries greater risk — a first-time guest, a peak service, a large party. The card is charged only if your team marks a no-show. Included on every plan.
The trust tax falls on your most loyal guests.
A single deposit policy applied to everyone makes reliable guests pay for the behaviour of a few. And here's the part nobody in restaurant technology says out loud: a regular who books twenty times a year meets that deposit request twenty times, while a first-timer meets it once. The friction lands hardest on the guests least likely to no-show — call it the trust tax.
Meanwhile, 44% of diners give up when booking becomes difficult, so a policy written to deter no-shows also deters bookings you wanted. Most systems make you choose between protection and friction, because a host can't risk-assess every reservation the instant it's made.
Scored as it arrives, decided by you.
Reserve A Table scores each booking using signals such as guest history, demand on that service, party size and lead time. Low risk: the booking confirms with nothing asked. Higher risk: the booking flow or the call requests a card before confirming, with your policy stated plainly. If your team later marks the booking a no-show, the card is charged.
The score, the decision and the outcome are all recorded, so both the system and your team can see which bookings actually flake.
Every recommendation explains itself.
Each recommendation comes with the reason behind it. Your restaurant sets the thresholds, the amounts and the cancellation window, and an authorised team member can override any recommendation at any time. Deposits apply consistently across every channel — phone, web, messaging and AI-assistant bookings.
Frequently asked questions
Typical signals include a first visit with no history, a peak-demand service, a large party, an unusual lead time and previous no-show or late-cancellation behaviour.
Yes. You control when deposits apply, how much is requested and the cancellation window, and it's applied consistently on every channel.
Only when your team marks the booking a no-show. Nothing is charged at the time of booking.
Lower-risk guests book with nothing asked. That's the whole point of scoring each booking rather than applying one policy to everyone.
See it working on your own service.
The demo runs on your restaurant, your guests and your service.