Every booking time under Times has a MAX number beside it. It’s a ceiling on how many guests can book that time online — but what it counts depends on which list the time is on. Here’s exactly what it adds up, so a time never closes (or stays open) when you don’t expect it to.
What MAX counts
- Guests, not bookings. Adults and children together. A MAX of 20 is 20 people, whether that’s ten couples or two big tables.
- Only that exact time. A MAX on 19:00 counts guests booked for 19:00. Guests booked for 18:30 who are still eating don’t count, and nor do guests booked for 19:15.
- Every booking, however it was made. Bookings your team takes count just the same as online ones. Cancelled bookings don’t count. A guest who’s partway through booking online holds their places while they finish.
The shared list and an area’s own list
If you have more than one area, the ROOM row at the top of Times shows which list you’re looking at, and that changes what MAX counts:
- All rooms (default) is the shared list. MAX there counts everyone booked for that time across the whole venue — every area, whichever meal they booked.
- An area’s own list counts only that area’s guests for that meal at that time.
Say Dinner at 19:00 has a MAX of 20 on the shared list, and you have 12 guests in the Restaurant and 6 in the Bar at 19:00. That’s 18, so a couple can still book 19:00 online, in either area, but a party of three can’t.
Now give the Terrace its own Dinner times, with 19:00 set to 10. The Terrace takes up to 10 guests at 19:00, whatever the Restaurant is doing. The shared list still counts the Terrace’s guests, though, so they use up part of the Restaurant’s 20.
For more on giving an area its own times, see Different booking times for different rooms. To cap the whole building at one time while areas keep their own lists, use a venue limit — see Capping guests at one time across your whole venue.
What MAX doesn’t do
- It only limits online bookings. That’s your booking page, and Reserve with Google if you use it. Your team can book past MAX, and those guests still count, so the time stays closed online until there’s room again.
- It isn’t a total for the meal. To cap a whole sitting for the day, use the meal’s Online maximum guests — see Limiting how many guests can book online. Whichever limit is reached first stops the booking.
- It doesn’t promise a table. A time with room under MAX still needs a free table big enough for the party, unless the meal is set to Don’t assign tables online.
Changing MAX
1. Open Times. In NomNom Web, open Configuration and choose Times.
2. Pick the list. Choose the area in the ROOM row (or All rooms (default)), the meal in the MEAL row and, if you use seasons, the season at the bottom.
3. Click the number under MAX. Set Maximum guests and click Save. 0 means no limit.
To change several times at once, tick them, click Modify and choose Set max guests.
In NomNom Web: Configuration → Times → click the MAX number. In the phone app: Configuration → Times → tap a time → Max Guests.
Good to know
- New times start at 10. When you add times, Max guests is set to 10 unless you change it. If a time closes online after only a few bookings, this is often why. Set it to 0 for no limit.
- A time closes one party size at a time. It only disappears for a party that would take it over, so a couple may still see 19:00 when a party of six can’t.
- Guests changing their own booking online aren’t counted against themselves.
- One-off dates. On a date where you’ve used Modify times under Schedule changes, each custom time’s own CAPACITY applies instead. See Closing dates and one-off changes.
- Your team sees the same count. When you take a booking, each time shows its guests against its limit, such as 12 / 40 guests, counted the same way: on an area’s own list, just that area’s guests.
- Each season has its own. If you use seasons, set MAX on each season’s times.