Skip the Line: How to Set Up and Use the NX Waitlist Widget ⏳🎉

Giving your guests a seamless way to join your waitlist directly from your website keeps your host stand organized and your dining room full! With the NX Waitlist Widget, customers can easily add their name, party size, and phone number to your live queue right from their phones or computers—no app download or phone call required! 📱✨

What is the NX Waitlist Widget? 🤔

The NX Waitlist Widget is a lightweight, embeddable form designed for your venue's website. When a guest fills out the form, their party is instantly added to the exact same waitlist managed by your host stand in the POS.

Key Highlights ✨

🚀 Instant Setup: Requires just two simple lines of code on your website.
⏱️ Live Estimates: Automatically shows guests their queue position and estimated wait time as soon as they join.
💬 Automated SMS Alerts: Texts guests a confirmation code, queue position, and a "Table Ready" alert when it's time to sit.
📅 Optional Call-Ahead: Allows guests to select an arrival time slot if call-ahead seating is enabled.
🎨 Customizable Branding: Easily adjust colors and fonts to match your restaurant's website design.

What You'll Need Before Setup 📋

Before placing the widget on your site, make sure you have:

🆔 Venue ID: Provided by your dedicated NX representative.
🌐 Website Access: Access to edit your site's HTML (or assistance from your web developer).
⚙️ Configured Waitlist Settings: Your party size limits, wait times, and operating hours set up with your NX contact.
📱 SMS Confirmations Enabled: Ensure waitlist text notifications are switched on for your venue so guests receive automatic updates.

Step 1: Adding the Widget to Your Website 🌐

Ask your web administrator or agency to paste these two lines of code into your website's HTML wherever you'd like the waitlist form to appear (e.g., a dedicated "Waitlist" page or your homepage):

HTML

<nx-waitlist venue-short-code="YOUR-VENUE-SHORT-CODE"></nx-waitlist>
<script src="https://cdn.nxapp.net/widgets/waitlist-widget.js" defer></script>

Important: Replace YOUR-VENUE-SHORT-CODE with your actual Venue Short Code. You can obtain your Venue Short Code from the NX Portal > Venue > General Settings. If the Venue Short Code is entered incorrectly, the widget will display a "Waitlist unavailable. Please contact the restaurant" notice.

Step 2: Understanding the Guest Experience 📱

Filling Out the Form

When guests visit the page, they see the Join the Waitlist card with three simple fields:

Field	What the Guest Enters	Validation Rules 📏
Name	Full Name	Required (minimum 2 characters).
Phone	Mobile Number	Automatically formats into `(555) 555-5555`. Must be a valid 10-digit US number.
Party Size	Number of Guests	Selected using `+` / `-` stepper buttons based on your store's min/max limits.
Arrival Time (Optional)	Preferred Arrival Slot	Appears only if Call-Ahead is active for the current day.

If an estimated wait time is configured for the selected party size, an Estimated Wait tag updates live as they adjust their party size (e.g., ~15 min). The Join Waitlist button becomes active once all required fields are filled out correctly.

After Tapping "Join Waitlist"

Once submitted, guests briefly see "Adding you to the waitlist..." followed by a instant success confirmation card:

🥳 You're on the list!

Position: #5
Est. Wait: 15 min
Confirmation Code: A102

Note: This screen displays a static, one-time snapshot. All subsequent real-time updates are delivered directly via text message.

Step 3: Call-Ahead & Arrival Seating ⏰

If your store supports call-ahead seating, an Arrival Time dropdown menu will automatically show 30-minute time slots across your configured window.

Manager Tip: The arrival window displays time slots across your entire configured window for the day. If you want to prevent guests from booking slots that have already passed late in the day, consider narrowing your daily call-ahead window in your backend settings.

Step 4: Automated Text Message Updates 💬

Guests receive automatic SMS notifications keeping them informed every step of the way:

Event	Message Received 📩	Guest Reply Options 📲
Right After Joining	"Hi {Name}! You've been added to the waitlist at {Venue}. You're #{Position} in line with an estimated wait of ~{Minutes} min. We'll text when your table is ready. Reply 9 to cancel."	Reply 9 to cancel.
Table is Ready	"{Name}, your table is ready at {Venue}! Please check in at the host stand within {Minutes} min or your spot may be released. Reply 1 if you're on your way, 9 to cancel."	Reply 1 (On my way) Reply 9 (Cancel)
After Confirming	"Got it, {Name}! We'll hold your spot for {Minutes} min. See you soon at {Venue}!"	N/A
Cancellation	"Hi {Name}, you've been removed from the waitlist at {Venue}. Hope to see you soon!"	N/A

📱 Flexible Text Replies: Guests don't have to reply with exact numbers! Natural responses like "running 5 mins late" or "please cancel" are recognized automatically.

🛑 Note on Self-Cancellation: Guests cannot cancel directly from the website widget. They must reply 9 to their text message or contact the host stand directly.

Step 5: Customizing Widget Styling 🎨

Your website developer can easily customize the widget's appearance to match your brand by adding CSS custom properties directly to the <nx-waitlist> tag:

CSS

nx-waitlist {
  --nx-primary: #c8102e;         /* Button and accent color */
  --nx-primary-hover: #a10d25;   /* Button hover state */
  --nx-radius: 4px;              /* Corner rounding */
  --nx-font: 'Lato', sans-serif; /* Custom font family */
  --nx-surface: #ffffff;         /* Card background color */
  --nx-border: #e0e0e0;          /* Border lines */
  --nx-text: #333333;            /* Primary text color */
  --nx-muted: #777777;           /* Muted text color */
  --nx-error: #cc0000;           /* Validation error color */
  --nx-success: #2e7d32;         /* Confirmation green */
}

Need Help? Troubleshooting Common Issues 🔍

Problem 💡	Common Cause 🔍	Recommended Action 🛠️
Widget shows "Waitlist unavailable"	Missing or incorrect `venue-id`.	Double-check your `venue-id` value in the website HTML code.
Guest sees "Not currently accepting requests"	Waitlist is turned off or a custom paused message is active.	Ask your NX representative to check your backend waitlist status and clear any custom pause messages.
Guest joined but didn't receive a text	Confirmation texts are switched off or phone number was mistyped.	Confirm that Waitlist Confirmation Texts are enabled in your venue settings.
Guest wasn't notified when table was ready	Table-Ready texts are switched off.	Verify that Table-Ready Text notifications are turned on for your venue.
Arrival Time dropdown isn't showing	Call-ahead hours are not configured for today.	Check your daily call-ahead schedule settings with your NX contact.
Guest unable to text-cancel	Confirmation texts were disabled, so no SMS thread exists.	Remove or cancel the guest manually from the host stand POS terminal.

Still Need Assistance? 💬

If you run into any issues during setup or operation, reach out to NX Restaurant Support with your venue name and the approximate time of the issue! 🌟