How to use SaveAHost
Everything you need to set up and run your restaurant — step by step.
Full video tour — coming soon
Create your account once, then everyone signs in with a quick PIN.
- Go to saveahost.com and sign up with your email — this is the owner (admin) account.
- Give your restaurant a name in Settings → Account.
- Add your team (next section). Each person gets a PIN to switch in and out fast — no logging in and out.
- On any shared iPad or phone, staff just tap their name and enter their PIN.
💡 Works great on an iPhone or iPad at the host stand. Add it to your home screen (Share → Add to Home Screen) for a one-tap app icon.
Add your staff and choose what each person can do.
- Open Settings → Team.
- Tap Add Team Member — enter their name, a 4-digit PIN, and their position.
- Pick their access level: Staff (take reservations), Host (also runs the waitlist & tables), or Admin (full access — settings, floor, team).
- To rename someone or change their PIN later, tap Edit next to their name.
💡 Only Admin can change settings, edit the floor, and delete reservations. Give that level out carefully.
🍽️
Floor plan
Admin · desktopBuild a map of your dining room so you can see tables and turns at a glance.
- Open the Floor tab on a computer or tablet, then tap ✏️ Edit.
- Add sections (Front, Back, Patio…) and drag tables in. Set each table's seats and shape.
- Mark which tables can take reservations, and combine tables for big parties when needed.
- Tap ✓ Done. During service, tap a table to set its status — available, reserved, occupied, or leaving soon.
💡 Set this up on a laptop or iPad — the drag-and-drop editor needs a bigger screen. Staff can view it on any device.
Take, track, and seat reservations for any day.
- Tap + New Reservation — enter the guest's name, phone, party size, date, and time.
- Use the date arrows or 📅 to jump to any day. Today's reservations show under the waitlist.
- Update a reservation's status as the night goes: Upcoming → Confirmed → Seated → Done (or Cancelled).
- Assign a guest to a table so it shows on the floor plan.
💡 Reservations booked through your online link show a 🔗 Online tag so you can tell them from ones you entered by hand.
🚶
Waitlist & table-ready texts
Host & AdminManage walk-ins and text guests the moment their table is ready.
- Use the Add to waitlist bar — name, party size, phone, and an estimated wait.
- When a table opens, tap 📱 Ready on that guest. A live 10-minute countdown starts.
- If they don't show, tap No show — they move to a separate list (nothing's lost), not deleted.
- Tap Seat when they arrive. Need to fix a name or wait time? Tap the card → Edit.
💡 The "table's ready" text needs texting turned on (a one-time setup). Until then, the countdown still works — you just call the guest yourself.
Give guests a link to request large-party reservations — you approve each one.
- Open Settings → Booking and turn it on.
- Set your link name, smallest party size, reservable seats, turn time, and open hours.
- Share your link (saveahost.com/book/your-name) on Instagram, Google, or your website.
- Requests land in a Need to confirm list under your reservations. Call or text the guest, then tap Confirmed to add them to the books.
💡 Declined requests are kept in a Declined list so nothing disappears by accident — only an admin can permanently delete one.
Assign opening/closing and side work to whoever's on that day.
- Open Staff Hub → Tasks.
- Create tasks and, if you like, tag a time of day (or leave it blank).
- Assign each task to a person working that day — they see their own list, plus what coworkers are on.
- Use Skip for tasks that aren't needed that day, and the Mine tab for your own manager to-dos.
Build the weekly schedule and share a link your whole team can check.
- Open Staff Hub → Schedule.
- Add staff to each department and tap a day to set their shift (quick presets or type your own).
- Tap Save as you work, then Publish when it's ready for the team to see.
- Use Share to send a permanent link — staff open it with no login.
💡 Total hours (per person, per department, and overall) are visible to you as admin only — they're hidden from staff and from the shared link.
Count stock, set par levels, and send a clean order/count to your boss or supplier.
- In Inventory → Items, add each item with a category, a par level, and a photo. Set pack sizes (e.g. 1 box = 5 items).
- On the Count tab, enter how many boxes and loose items you have — it totals the pieces for you.
- Tap Publish to save that count. It's logged in History so your numbers never disappear.
- Send the shareable link (no login needed) so your boss or supplier sees the count and what to reorder.
💡 Reorder your items with the up/down arrows, and use Clear count to start a fresh count without touching your history.