Squarespace
Table booking on Squarespace
Squarespace makes a lovely restaurant website and then leaves you to find a booking system. Tablez drops into a Code block and takes bookings from the page, or opens from a button in your header. It works on every Squarespace plan, including Personal.
Squarespace's own options
Squarespace has an appointments product aimed at salons and consultants. It books one person for one slot, which is not how a restaurant works: you have twenty tables of different sizes, turn times that depend on party size, and a kitchen that cannot seat everyone at 7:30. The other route Squarespace users take is a marketplace platform's widget, which brings per diner fees and a monthly subscription. See our OpenTable comparison for what that costs.
Tablez is built around tables, turn times and pacing, and it is free up to 60 bookings a month, then £5 a month paid yearly, with no per cover fees.
Adding the booking form to a page
- Open the page in the editor and click Edit.
- Add a block where you want the form and choose Code.
- Leave the type set to HTML and paste your embed code:
<script src="https://tablez.uk/embed.js" data-venue="your-venue"></script>- Click Apply, then Save.
The form appears in the block and grows to fit as customers move through it. Code blocks are available on all current Squarespace plans. If you are on a very old plan that lacks them, use the Embed block with the iframe version from the widget page.
A "Book a table" button in the header
Most restaurants want a button in the navigation rather than a form buried on a page. The simplest way is to add a header button in Site styles, or a navigation link, that points to your booking page at https://tablez.uk/book/your-venue. Set it to open in a new tab. It needs no code and works on mobile menus too.
If you want the button to open the form in an overlay on top of your page instead, paste the button version of the script into a Code block in the footer or on the page:
<script src="https://tablez.uk/embed.js" data-venue="your-venue" data-mode="button" data-label="Book a table" data-colour="#0f5c4c"></script>Change the colour to match your site. To make an existing Squarespace button open the overlay, you would need to give it the tablez-open class, which Squarespace does not allow on its own buttons, so the generated button or a plain link are the practical choices.
Making it match
In your Tablez dashboard set an accent colour and upload your logo. The form uses them. It has a transparent background so it takes on the colour of whatever section it sits in. If your site uses a dark section, put the form in a light one; it is designed for light backgrounds.
Fluid Engine and mobile layout
On Fluid Engine (Squarespace 7.1), a Code block can be resized freely. Give it the full width of the section on mobile, and around 600px on desktop, so the form is not squeezed. Check the mobile view in the editor: the form is phone first and should look right without any fiddling.
Things to watch
- Do not paste the code into a Text block. It will show as text. It has to be a Code block.
- Squarespace's Code injection (in settings) is for site-wide scripts. You can put the button script there to have a button on every page, but for a form on one page use a Code block.
- If you use Squarespace's cookie banner in strict mode, the embed is unaffected, because it sets no cookies on your domain.
FAQ
Squarespace and Tablez
Do I need the Business or Commerce plan?
No. Code blocks work on the Personal plan. If a Code block is ever unavailable, a link to your booking page works on any plan.
Can I use Squarespace Scheduling (Acuity) for tables instead?
You can, but it is built for appointments with one provider. It cannot combine tables, pace the kitchen or hold a request for staff to approve. Tablez does all of that and is cheaper.
Will the form slow my site?
No. The script is under 4KB and the form loads inside its own frame after your page has rendered.
Does it work with a custom domain?
Yes. The embed does not care what domain your site is on.
What does it cost?
Free up to 60 bookings a month, then £5 a month, paid yearly (£60 a year). No per cover fees. See pricing.