A guest picks a date that looks open on your booking page’s calendar, and then sees Sorry, we have no availability on this date, please try a different date. Nothing is broken: the calendar and the list of times answer two different questions.
What the calendar checks, and what it doesn’t
The calendar lights up a date when at least one of your booking times that day is open to online booking. It checks:
- which meals and times you’ve switched on for online booking, and the days they run;
- meals that only run between certain dates, or on one date;
- your areas’ Online switches;
- closing dates and one-off changes, including Disable online booking. A date stopped online all day, or for every area, is greyed out. One stopped from a certain time still shows if earlier times are left.
It doesn’t know how many people are coming, and it doesn’t look at your bookings or your tables. Those are only checked once the guest picks the date, for their party size. So a date can look open and still have nothing to offer.
Why there are no times: causes and what to do
You’re full. Every suitable table is booked, or a guest limit has been reached: a time’s Max guests, a meal’s online maximum, a limit for that date or your venue-wide cap. That’s the calendar working as it should. See Limiting how many guests can book online and Capping guests at one time across your whole venue.
No table fits the party. Your free tables are too small for them, or a bigger table is kept for larger parties online, so a party of 2 can’t take a 6-seater. Try the same date for 2 guests to see the difference. See Keeping big tables for bigger parties online.
The tables aren’t bookable online that day. A table can be switched off for online booking, or set to take online bookings only on some days of the week. If every table in the area is off that day, the area has no times. See Choosing when each table can be booked.
It’s too soon. For today, times that have passed aren’t offered, and nor is anything after the meal’s cut-off or inside No bookings within. A meal that needs more notice can leave tomorrow, or later, with no times too. See Closing online bookings for the day: the online booking cut-off, Stopping last-minute online bookings ("No bookings within") and Requiring more notice for certain meals.
Someone else is part-way through booking. While another guest is booking the last suitable table, it isn’t offered. If they don’t finish, it comes back within about 15 minutes. You’ll see it as a grey block on the chart: see The grey "Online booking" block on your chart.
They’re bringing a dog. If your dog-friendly tables are taken, the guest sees a message about dogs rather than this one, and can look at times without a dog. See Welcoming guests with dogs.
Checking a date yourself
Open your booking page, pick the date and try the party size the guest wanted, then a party of 2. If 2 gets times and the bigger party doesn’t, it’s the tables or a limit; if nobody does, you’re full or it’s too soon. See Testing your booking page and How NomNom decides which times to offer online.
Good to know
- Your team can still book it. Cut-offs, notice, online limits and a table’s online settings only apply online, so you can take the booking over the phone.
- A grey date means no online times at all that day — closed, or nothing switched on for online booking. The calendar can’t tell a guest whether you’re closed or full.
- Every message explained. See What the "no times available" messages on your booking page mean, and My venue isn’t showing availability online if no date shows at all.