Waitwhile has partnered with Google Maps to make it easier than ever for your restaurant to allow diners to view the waitlist and join directly from Google Maps. This feature is called Reserve with Google, and is available on both desktop and mobile.
Is your Waitlist ready for Reserve with Google?
In order for customers to be able to join your waitlist through Google Maps, ensure your location meets the following criteria:
Your waitlist must allow public registrations, and the following configurations must be disabled:
Allow only invited customers to join
Enable geo-fence for waitlist
Your waitlist must not require a mandatory service selection.
Your waitlist must be open and accepting additional registrations.
Steps to activate Reserve with Google
To turn on this feature complete the following steps for your Waitwhile location:
Make sure your business is listed on Google Maps: In order for Waitwhile to sync properly with Google Maps for this integration, it's important that your business is already listed and visible on Google Maps. The Waitwhile integration will work even if you haven't claimed the business.
Make sure your business is a "Restaurant" of "Cafe": Google only supports this feature with restaurants or cafes. To check your account categorization go to Account Overview > Account Settings > Business Info . Select the Restaurant or Cafe and click save.
Confirm your location address matches your Google Maps listing: Make sure that the address you have listed in Waitwhile is the same as the address you have associated with your Google Maps listing. You can update your location address in Waitwhile under Location settings > Location details > Location Address
At a minimum, the following fields should be provided:
Location name
Street address
Postal code
City
Country
The following information, if provided, may also be used by Google to more accurately match your business, but is not strictly required:
State
Business website
Business phone
The above information will only be used by Google to identify your Google Maps listing, and will not be visible on Google maps.
Update your waitlist hours: Make sure that your waitlist hours are set to open when you want them to show on Google Maps. Go to Location settings > Location details > Opening hours and click on Edit hours to verify they are set propery
Turn on the Google Maps integration: Under Settings > Registration enable Google Maps
The ability to join your waitlist through Google Maps may take up to 72 hours to be visible from Google.
Waitlist Limitations when using Reserve with Google:
A few Waitwhile features behave differently on Google Maps:
Visitors will only be able to supply their name, phone number, and email. No other input fields or selections will be used, even if they are set as mandatory.
Visitors with a waitlist entry through Google Maps will always see the number of parties ahead and a current waiting estimate, even if the location is normally configured not to.
Unlike when using Waitwhile’s normal waitlist flow, visitors need to manually update in order to view up-to-date information regarding their waitlist entry, such as estimated waiting time.
Benefits of Adding Waitlist to Google Maps:
Increased Exposure: Your business will become more discoverable when customers search for services nearby.
Streamline walk-ins: Guests can join the queue from Google Maps without visiting your website or calling in.
Improved Customer Experience: Offering this convenience can lead to higher customer satisfaction and engagement.
Warning: This is a feature available on our paid plans. Google is currently limiting this feature to Restaurants and Café businesses, but might open to other industries in the future.
Have additional questions or need assistance? Reach out to us via chat or at support@waitwhile.com.