Confirm the exact restaurant branch, date, time and guest count. Establish whether you are requesting a table, holding a confirmed reservation or joining a queue. Keep the response where you can open it at the door, and ask about any deposit or cancellation terms before paying.
Know what you are arranging
A reserved dinner can give the evening an easy shape. Start with the meal and the location that fit your day, then find out how that particular restaurant handles arrivals. A review listing, an enquiry form and a queue ticket serve different purposes.
| What you have | What to confirm |
|---|---|
| A reservation request | The restaurant still needs to respond. Ask when and how it will confirm the table. |
| A confirmed reservation | Check the branch, date, time, party size, name and any arrival or cancellation conditions. |
| A queue number | You are waiting for an appropriate table. Check the table-size category, where to wait and how your number is called. |
| A prepaid meal or set menu | Check whether the purchase also reserves a table. Read the dates, branch, redemption and refund conditions. |
Dianping can help you find a restaurant and read reviews. For the booking itself, use the route the actual venue publishes: its own website, a supported booking service, telephone or WeChat contact. Features and phone-number support vary.
Send a request the restaurant can answer
- Find the right branch and contact route.
Save the restaurant's Chinese name and full address. Check the venue's own details against the listing before sending personal information or paying a deposit. If a website offers an enquiry form, read what it says about confirmation.
- Identify the restaurant and leave a contact you can use.
This example is Mandarin Oriental Pudong, Shanghai's dining enquiry form. Choose the restaurant and your country or territory, then enter your own name, phone number and email. For an overseas number, check whether the phone field expects the country calling code. Use an email or number you can check during the trip.
On this example form, choose the restaurant and provide your own contact details. A request still needs an explicit confirmation. - Check the date, time and everyone in the party.
In the form below, yyyy/mm/dd means year/month/day: 2027/05/07 is 7 May 2027. Time uses a 24-hour clock, so 19:00 means 7pm. Include children in the guest count and mention a high chair or access needs in the comments. Give a time you can reach without rushing the previous visit.
Enter the date as year/month/day, use the 24-hour time and count everyone in the party. The restaurant still needs to confirm your request. - Wait for an explicit confirmation.
A message saying your request was received is not necessarily a table confirmation. Keep the response that confirms the branch, date, time, number of guests and booking name. If it has not arrived, contact the venue before travelling there.
For a serious food allergy, use the dietary needs guide and obtain a clear answer about suitability before booking. A note in a comments box does not establish that the kitchen can meet the requirement.
Read a queue number as a waiting arrangement
At a busy restaurant, ask the host whether it is taking reservations or issuing numbers for available tables. Explain the total party size. A number for a two-person table may belong to a different queue from one for a larger group.
- Take the correct number. Ask which category matches your party and whether everyone needs to be present.
- Check how the call works. Will a screen show the number, will staff call it aloud, or will your phone receive a message? Ask where you may wait and what happens if you miss the call.
- Keep the record accessible. Retain the paper slip or queue screen and keep the relevant app available. Ask staff for an updated estimate before moving far away.
- Leave room for another meal. If the wait no longer fits your day, ask how to release the number. Agree on a nearby alternative before everyone becomes tired or hungry.
Recognise these words
- 预订 / 订位 / 订座
- A reservation or table-booking route; read the confirmation conditions.
- 排队 / 取号
- A queue or the action of taking a queue number.
- 过号
- A missed queue number. Ask the host what happens next.
- 包间
- A private dining room; check its own booking and spending conditions.
A displayed waiting time is an estimate. Avoid placing an uncertain queue immediately before a train, airport transfer or a timed evening event. The family travel guide has useful ideas for keeping meals within a manageable day.
Ask what a room or deposit actually includes
If you want a private room, ask about the particular room, not only whether the restaurant has one. Confirm the guest count, seating, access, minimum spend or room charge, any fixed menu and the end time.
- Does the minimum spend include drinks, service charges and taxes?
- Is the deposit taken as a completed payment or a temporary card hold?
- How and when is it applied to the final bill?
- What happens if the number of guests changes, you arrive late or you cancel?
- Which payment method is accepted, and how would any refund be returned?
Ask for the conditions in a message you can keep. Before paying, check the recipient and amount against the restaurant's own instructions. Our refunds and card holds guide helps distinguish money charged from money temporarily set aside.
Use a simpler route when the app gets in the way
If a platform does not accept your number, card or account, use the restaurant's direct contact route or ask your hotel to call. Establish who will hold the booking and how the venue will identify you at arrival. Keep your own confirmation and the contact details you have agreed to use.
If someone is helping with an app, agree on the request and any charges first. Keep verification codes and payment credentials private. Avoid entering an unrelated person's number simply to advance to the next screen.
A reservation request you can adapt
Replace the brackets before sending. The restaurant still needs to confirm availability and terms.
Hello, could you confirm a table at [restaurant and branch] for [total guests, including children] on [date] at [time]? Our booking name is [name]. We need [dietary/access requirement, if relevant]. Please confirm availability, any deposit or minimum spend, and the cancellation and late-arrival conditions. You can reach us by [contact method].
请问可以预订[日期][时间]、[总人数，含儿童]的座位吗？请确认门店、是否有订金或最低消费，以及取消和迟到的规定。
Make arrival easy for the host
Arrive at the confirmed branch with the booking name and message ready. If you are running late, contact the restaurant as early as possible and ask whether the table can still be held. State the new arrival time clearly.
Before ordering, reconfirm any agreed menu, dietary arrangement or deposit credit with the staff serving you. Then use the eating out guide for portions, shared dishes, digital menus and checking the bill.
Before you move on
Questions you may still have
Does sending an online restaurant enquiry confirm my table?
An enquiry form asks the restaurant to respond. Treat the table as confirmed only when the restaurant or booking service explicitly confirms the branch, date, time and party size.
What if a booking app will not accept my overseas phone number?
Use the restaurant's own contact route or ask your hotel or an agreed local contact to call. Confirm how the restaurant will identify your booking and reach you. Avoid entering an unrelated person's number simply to get past a form.
Is a queue number the same as a reservation?
A queue number holds a place in a waiting list, often for a particular table size. It is not a guaranteed table at a fixed time. Check where to wait, how numbers are called and what happens if yours is missed.