Free restaurant waitlist sign-in sheet
A waitlist sheet for the host stand: party name, party size, time in, the wait you quoted, where they would like to sit, a box for a high chair, and a box to tick when they are seated. Add your restaurant name, then print it or download the PDF. No email or sign-up.
A link where customers can join from their phone. The sheet prints it as a QR code with "Skip the clipboard". Leave it empty for paper only. For the door or window, make a QR window sign.
To save your version as a PDF, press Print and choose "Save as PDF". US Letter, one page.
What the columns are for
Party size decides the order more than the time in. A two-top can be seated ahead of a six-top that came first when a small table opens, and the size column lets the host do that without losing track of who was here first.
The "Quoted" column is the promise. Write the wait you told them, and when the time is up you can see who has waited longer than they were told and go and talk to them first.
Seating and the high chair box stop the second trip to the table. A party that asked for a booth, or needs a high chair, is set up before they sit down.
When the clipboard stops working
Paper works while the lobby is small. It stops when people look at a full room and leave without signing, when customers wait for one person, or when someone asks "how long?" and nobody knows. A sheet records arrivals. It can't show a wait, and it can't tell anyone it's their turn.
NextUp Walk-in is the same list on a phone. Customers scan a code at the door, see their place and wait, and follow it live from anywhere. A TV in the lobby shows who's next. It's free for one location, one team member and 50 check-ins a month; paid plans start at $29 a month for the first location, with a 14-day free trial. More in paper, Google Forms or a real waitlist.
Start a 14-day trial, or pick Free at sign-up.
Next, see the restaurant waitlist app page and our guide to how to quote restaurant wait times.
Common questions
Why is there no phone number column?
A sign-in sheet sits on the counter where every customer can read it. A column of names and phone numbers is a list anyone can photograph. If you want to text people when it is their turn, take the number somewhere private, such as a phone Check-in Page that only the shop can see.
How do I quote a wait from a paper list?
Count the parties ahead of this one that need the same size of table, and think about how far through their meal the tables of that size are. Our guide to quoting restaurant wait times goes through it step by step.
Should reservations go on the waitlist sheet?
No. Keep reservations in your book. Mark the time a reservation will hold a table on the sheet if it changes the wait, so walk-ins get an honest quote.
Is this waitlist sheet free?
Yes. Print as many as you like, with no account and no email.