Table & Floor Management: The Complete A-to-Z Guide
Which tables are free, which are about to turn, and which two just got pushed together for a walk-in group of six.
What a table's status actually means
Four statuses, one table, and a lot of covers lost when a status never gets updated.
| Status | Meaning | Who acts next |
|---|---|---|
| Available | Empty, clean, ready to seat | Host seats a new party |
| Occupied | Guests seated, order likely placed | Waiter takes/updates the order |
| Billing | Guest asked for the bill | Cashier closes out payment |
| Cleaning | Guests left, table needs resetting | Staff clears and resets it |
Seating a walk-in
- 1
Open the floor plan and find a table marked Available
/table-management/floors - 2
Tap the table to seat the party — status flips to Occupied
- 3
Continue straight into the POS Terminal against that table to take the order
- 4
When the guest asks for the bill, mark the table Billing — it signals the cashier without anyone walking over
- 5
After payment, mark it Cleaning, then Available once it's actually reset
A table's evening, end to end
| Time | Event | Status after |
|---|---|---|
| 8:00 PM | Party of 4 seated | Occupied |
| 8:45 PM | Guest requests the bill | Billing |
| 8:58 PM | Payment completed | Cleaning |
| 9:03 PM | Table cleared and reset | Available |
Common mistake
Merging and splitting tables
A walk-in group of 6 rarely fits a single 4-seater. Merging two tables combines them into one billing unit — their orders and KOTs consolidate under a single ticket, rather than running as two disconnected bills that have to be reconciled by hand at the end.
| Before | After merge |
|---|---|
| Table 3 (2-seater) — separate bill | Table 3+5 — one bill, one KOT stream |
| Table 5 (4-seater) — separate bill |
Splitting works the same way in reverse — a large party that later asks to pay separately can have specific items or guests broken back out, without re-entering the whole order.
Table turnover rate
Turnover rate
A 40-seat restaurant open 6 hours that serves 160 covers in a night has a turnover rate of 160 ÷ (40 × 6) = 0.67 — roughly two-thirds of every seat filled once per hour, on average. Tracked over weeks, this is what actually tells you whether tables are moving fast enough to justify your seating count, not gut feel from a busy-looking room.
Quick reference
| To… | Go to |
|---|---|
| View and manage the floor plan | /table-management/floors |
| Add or edit a floor/table layout | /table-management/floors/new |
Before service, check:
A table never marked Cleaning. The floor plan looks fuller than it actually is, and the host stand turns away parties it could have seated.
Merged tables billed separately anyway. Defeats the purpose — recombine the bill, not just the seating, or the split has to be redone by hand.
No one owns updating status during a rush. Status only stays accurate if someone — usually the waiter or host — is responsible for tapping it at each step.
Related RasoeeCloud Products
Frequently Asked Questions
Typically Available, Occupied, Billing, and Cleaning — each table moves through this cycle once per seating, and a table stuck in the wrong status is usually just a step someone forgot to tap.
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