--- title: Creating Events and Reservation Preferences description: Learn how to create reservation preferences in Eat App to let guests choose seating options, events, or dining experiences directly from your booking widget. --- [Skip to content](https://restaurant.eatapp.co/knowledge/setting-up-reservation-preferences#main-content) English Show submenu for translations [Can't find what you're looking for?](https://restaurant.eatapp.co/knowledge/kb-tickets/new) ![Eat App Logo - Small.png\]](https://restaurant.eatapp.co/hs-fs/hubfs/Eat%20App%20Logo%20-%20Small.png?height=40&name=Eat%20App%20Logo%20-%20Small.png) - [Our About Page](https://restaurant.eatapp.co/about) - [Contact Us](https://restaurant.eatapp.co/contact-us) - [View Our Blogs](https://restaurant.eatapp.co/blog) Open main navigation Close main navigation - [Our About Page](https://restaurant.eatapp.co/about) - [Contact Us](https://restaurant.eatapp.co/contact-us) - [View Our Blogs](https://restaurant.eatapp.co/blog) - English Show submenu for translations - [Can't find what you're looking for?](https://restaurant.eatapp.co/knowledge/kb-tickets/new) - restaurant.eatapp.co restaurant.eatapp.co Eat App Knowledgebase - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. 1. [Help Center](https://restaurant.eatapp.co/knowledge) 2. [Feature Guides](https://restaurant.eatapp.co/knowledge/feature-guides) 3. [Widget](https://restaurant.eatapp.co/knowledge/feature-guides#widget) # Creating Events and Reservation Preferences ## Learn how to create reservation preferences in Eat App to let guests choose seating options, events, or dining experiences directly from your booking widget. **Preference feature enhancement:** You can now easily block other preferences from overlapping with an active preference. This is useful for preventing conflicting options from appearing at the same time, such as seasonal events, exclusive areas, special packages, or limited-time seating preferences. Creating and promoting reservation preferences and events in Eat App is simple and flexible. This guide covers how to: 1. [Create a reservation preference or event](https://restaurant.eatapp.co/knowledge/setting-up-reservation-preferences#create-reservation-preference-or-event) 2. [Make reservation preference mandatory](https://restaurant.eatapp.co/knowledge/setting-up-reservation-preferences#mandatory-booking-preference) 3. [Display preferences and events in a scrollable gallery on your widget](https://restaurant.eatapp.co/knowledge/setting-up-reservation-preferences#scrollable-gallery) 4. [How to block other seating options or events](https://restaurant.eatapp.co/knowledge/setting-up-reservation-preferences#preference-blocking) Reservation preferences allow guests to select their seating or booking preferences during the [reservation process](https://restaurant.eatapp.co/knowledge/creating-reservations). Common examples include: - Indoor vs. Outdoor seating - Smoking vs. Non-Smoking sections - Specific dining areas or sections ### Create a Reservation Preference or Event **Before creating a reservation preference, make sure your [restaurant shifts or availability](https://restaurant.eatapp.co/knowledge/creating-your-restaurants-shift) have already been set up.** Preferences will only appear on the booking widget during time slots that are available through your configured shifts. The date and time settings on the reservation preference do not create availability on their own. Instead, they control when the preference is shown on the booking widget, as long as those time slots are already available based on your shift settings. To ensure the preference appears correctly, make sure the preference date and time range matches the shift periods during which you want guests to see and select it. To get started, open the left side menu:  1. In the [Table Manager](https://app.eatapp.co/), go to **Availability**, then select either **Events & Packages** or **Seating Options** 2. Click **Add New Preference,** and provide the information below: - **Name** — Internal preference or event name, visible only to your team - **Display Name** — The name guests see on the booking widget - **One-time** — Shows only for the selected date/s and time - **Recurring** — Repeats on selected days of the week  **Preference Availability** — Defines when the preference or event appears - **Days of Week —** This setting determines which days of the week the preference will be available - **Block Other Preferences From Overlapping This One** — Hides other preferences during the same date or time period - **Start and End Date/Time** — Sets when the preference or event is shown on the widget - [**Availability Type**](https://restaurant.eatapp.co/knowledge/setting-up-reservation-preferences#:~:text=5.%20Choose%20the-,Availability%20Type,-A.%20Tables) — Defines how capacity is managed - **Tables** — Choose **Tables** to apply the preference to specific tables only. Guests can book this preference only when one of those tables is available. - **Volume** — Choose **Volume** to limit bookings by total covers instead of specific tables. Use this when table assignment is flexible but capacity still needs to be controlled. - **Custom Reservation Duration** — Uses a custom duration or your [shift’s default duration](https://restaurant.eatapp.co/knowledge/creating-your-restaurants-shift#:~:text=Customize%20reservation%20durations) - [**Notice Period**](https://restaurant.eatapp.co/knowledge/setting-up-reservation-preferences#:~:text=8.%20Assign%20a-,notice%20period,-.%20This%20will%20determine) — Uses a custom notice period or your shift’s default - **Image** — Upload a photo for the seating option / dining area or event **Image Text** — Add text within or below the image - **Preference Visibility** - **Public** — Visible on the booking widget - **Private** — Only accessible through the direct preference link - **Tables** — Required if **Tables** is selected as the availability type 3. Click **Create Preference** to save the changes. To disable a preference, simply uncheck **Active** and click **Update**.   ![](https://restaurant.eatapp.co/hs-fs/hubfs/image-png-Mar-15-2026-05-38-57-0089-PM.png?width=586&height=84&name=image-png-Mar-15-2026-05-38-57-0089-PM.png) ### Mandatory Booking Preference When this setting is disabled, the booking widget will include **No Preference** as an option in the list of reservation preferences. If selected, the reservation can be assigned to any available table in the restaurant. ![No Preference](https://restaurant.eatapp.co/hs-fs/hubfs/Allyzza%20-%20KB%20Files/No%20Preference.png?width=670&height=203&name=No%20Preference.png) To require guests to select a preference and remove the **No Preference** option, enable **Mandatory booking preference if any**. ![Mandatory Booking Preference](https://restaurant.eatapp.co/hs-fs/hubfs/Allyzza%20-%20KB%20Files/Mandatory%20Booking%20Preference.png?width=670&height=348&name=Mandatory%20Booking%20Preference.png) 1. Go to **Account Management → Venue Profile.** 2. Toggle **ON**: **MANDATORY BOOKING PREFERENCE IF ANY**. 3. Click **Update Profile** to save the changes. ### Advertise preferences/events in a scrollable gallery 1. **Enable the scrollable gallery on your widget:** ![Enable scrollable gallery](https://restaurant.eatapp.co/hs-fs/hubfs/Allyzza%20-%20KB%20Files/Enable%20scrollable%20gallery.png?width=670&height=430&name=Enable%20scrollable%20gallery.png) - Go to **Integrations → Widget → Setup** - Set **Do you want to show a scrollable gallery for Events, Packages & Seating Options?** to **YES** - Click **Save changes to Widget** 2. **Enable the event / preference to be shown as featured option or in the scrollable gallery** ![Show in featured gallery](https://restaurant.eatapp.co/hs-fs/hubfs/Allyzza%20-%20KB%20Files/Show%20in%20featured%20gallery.png?width=670&height=357&name=Show%20in%20featured%20gallery.png) - Go to **Availability → Events & Packages** or **Seating Options** - Select the event you'd like to be shown in the scrollable gallery - Check the box for **Show in featured gallery** - Click **Update** 3. **Check the scrollable gallery on your booking widget** - Go to **Integrations → Widget** - Click **Go to widget** button under the widget preview ![Scrollable gallery1](https://restaurant.eatapp.co/hs-fs/hubfs/Allyzza%20-%20KB%20Files/Scrollable%20gallery1.gif?width=410&height=911&name=Scrollable%20gallery1.gif) ### Block Other Preferences **Preference Blocking** allows you to hide or block other reservation preferences that are active during the same date or period.  ![preference blocking](https://restaurant.eatapp.co/hs-fs/hubfs/Allyzza%20-%20KB%20Files/preference%20blocking.png?width=670&height=441&name=preference%20blocking.png) 1. Go to **Availability → Events & Packages** or **Seating Options** 2. **Select the preference you want to keep active**. Then, under **Block other preferences from overlapping this one**, check the preference or preferences you want to block whenever it is available. 3. 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