Custom Availability on Direct Book forms allows you to override your standard Location Hours and control when a specific form can accept inquiries.
This is most commonly used for one-off or limited-time offerings, like holiday menus, special events, or catering pickup days, where availability differs from your normal business hours.
What is Custom Availability, and how does it work?
Custom Availability is a form-level setting that allows you to define a specific date range and time window during which a Direct Book form can accept submissions.
When enabled, the form will only accept requests within the defined availability window, regardless of your Location Hours or other global settings. This means the availability set on the form overrides your standard location hours, ensuring submissions are limited strictly to the dates and times you choose.
When should I use Custom Availability?
Custom Availability is best used when a form needs availability outside of (or more limited than) your standard Location Hours.
Common use cases:
- Holiday-specific forms
- Christmas week or Thanksgiving week availability
- One-day events
- Super Bowl Sunday catering pickup
- Valentine’s Day specials
- Limited-time offerings
- Seasonal menus
- Pop-up events
Example:
A catering form that should only accept orders for Super Bowl Sunday would have Custom Availability set for that specific date only.
How to Enable Custom Availability
To enable Custom Availability on a Direct Book form:
- Go to Settings → Direct Book Forms.
- Select and Edit the desired form.
- Scroll to the Specialty Availability section.
- Check the box for Enable Custom Availability.
- Use the calendar selector to choose your desired date range.
- Manually enter the available hours for each day of the week.
Once saved, the form will only accept submissions within the dates and times you’ve defined.
Important Limitations
Custom Availability is designed for flexibility, but it does override several standard settings. Keep the following in mind:
1. Overrides Location Hours
Custom Availability will override the hours set in Settings → Configuration → Location Hours. Your standard business hours will not apply to this form.
2. Disables Lead Time Limits
Any lead time limit settings configured in Settings → Configuration will not apply when Custom Availability is enabled.
3. Disables Event Duration Settings
Event duration rules set in Settings → Configuration will also be disabled for forms using Custom Availability.
4. Manual date updates are required
Custom Availability does not automatically roll forward. You must manually update the date range on each form as needed.
Example:
- If availability is set for April 1 – April 30
- It will not automatically update to May 1 – May 31
Best Practices
- Use Custom Availability for specific, time-bound use cases rather than ongoing availability.
- Double-check date ranges before publishing your form.
- Set reminders to update or remove availability after an event or promotion ends.
- Communicate clearly on the form what the availability is for (e.g., “Super Bowl Catering Pickup Only”).
Before making your form live on your website, we strongly recommend testing it to ensure everything is functioning as expected.
- Submit a test inquiry through the form.
- Confirm that only the intended dates and times are selectable.
- Verify that the submission behaves as expected on both desktop and mobile.
Testing before going live helps catch any configuration issues early and ensures a smooth experience for your guests.