Feature · Reservations
Deposits and cancellation policies
Hold a deposit or a card at confirmation — with clear terms by service, applied automatically when a guest does not arrive.
What it does
Terms set once, applied automatically.
Deposits and cancellation rules configured per service and shown to the guest at confirmation, so a no-show settles without a phone call.
Deposits and pre-authorisation
A deposit or card hold taken at confirmation, sized to the service.
Policies by service
Different terms for a Friday dinner or a tasting menu.
Shown up front
The policy is presented to the guest before the booking is confirmed.
Automatic capture
A no-show or late cancellation is charged on the same record as the payment.
Notice windows
A full refund, a partial charge, or forfeit, set by how much notice is given.
One record
Booking, policy, and charge sit together, so there is nothing to reconcile.
A deposit isn’t a barrier to booking. It’s an unspoken promise that the table will be kept.
Questions
Deposits and cancellation policies, answered.
How do restaurants take a deposit for a booking?
A restaurant takes a deposit by requiring a card or a set amount at confirmation, with the terms shown before the reservation is confirmed. In Inservo this is configured per service, and any no-show or late-cancellation charge is captured automatically on the same record as the booking and the payment.
Can different services have different policies?
Yes. Deposits, amounts, and notice windows can be set separately for each service.
What happens when a guest cancels in time?
The notice window decides the outcome — a full refund, a partial charge, or forfeit — applied automatically and shown to the guest at confirmation.
Protect the covers you were promised.
A short walkthrough of deposits, policies, and automatic capture on one record.