Which rule wins on a special date, and what are day-and-time rules?

When two special dates overlap, day-and-time rules for every week, the same rules on other pages, and what to check when a date's rule doesn't seem to apply.

Part of What's different about Christmas Day? (Special dates). This part covers when two special dates overlap, day-and-time rules, the same rules on other pages, how a special date beats your everyday settings, and what to check when a date's rule doesn't seem to apply.

When two special dates overlap

The more specific date wins a rule both set: the one covering fewer days, then the one that starts first. If they cover exactly the same days, the one first in your list wins — that's the one you added first, unless you chose Make this one win (below).

Both dates say so, on that rule's own row and on the Review before you save — for example "On 25 Dec, Christmas Day's deposit applies, not Festive season's (it covers fewer days)". The line names the exact days, and both dates show "to check" on the list.

• Change and the other date's name (Change Festive season) opens that date in the same window, on the step that sets that rule. What you've set for the date you started on is kept; Back to and its name takes you back. One Save saves both dates — the button says Save both dates, and the Review lists what the other date now changes.
• Make this one win shows only when two dates cover exactly the same days and set the same rule. It moves the date you're changing ahead of the other one in your list, so its rule applies instead. Save to keep it.

Dates that set different rules both apply. If the longer date sets a deposit and the shorter one sets only its opening hours, the longer date's deposit still applies on the shorter date's days. The Review and the deposit row say so — for example "On 25 Dec, Festive season's deposit also applies (Christmas Day doesn't set its own)". These lines are for information, so they don't count as "to check". To change that, set the shorter date's own deposit on its Money step, or change the longer date's days.

Day-and-time rules

The page's Day-and-time rules section changes online bookings at certain times of every week, rather than on one date. Each rule is listed in one line — say "Fri, Sat 17:00–21:00: set sittings 18:00 and 20:30" — with its on/off switch and Change.

Click Add a day-and-time rule and it is set up step by step, in the same kind of window as a special date:

• Which days? — give it a name if you like (guests see it if a time is turned away) and pick the days.
• Which times? — the first and last start time it covers.
• What changes? — for online bookings then, each choice starts as Same as normal, which changes nothing:
• Only set sittings — only the start times you add are offered online then: for example Friday and Saturday dinner, 18:00 to 20:30, at 18:00 and 20:30.
• Set party sizes — for example 2 or more at dinner. A rule can only narrow your everyday party sizes, never widen them; the window names a rule that tries to, with a fix.
• Review — what happens when you save, then Save rule.

Change opens the same window on its Review. To switch a rule off without losing it, use its switch; to delete it, choose Remove this rule on its first step, then Remove rule on the Review. A new rule you close before saving stays on the list unsaved (press Save changes to keep it), unless you changed nothing.

Every plan can use them, and they're for online bookings only: your team can still book any time and any party, with a warning about a smaller party (or stopped, with Also stop your team beside Smallest party online on How many at once). Which wins: "A special date beats your day-and-time rules, which beat your everyday rules." If two rules set the same thing at overlapping times, the first one wins and the page says so.

The same rules on other pages

A date's rules have one home — this page. When people can book lists your upcoming blocked dates and dates that open early, and How many at once shows a limit for particular dates, each read-only with a link back here; the "Now booking" line on your booking page is still switched on on When people can book, because it's words rather than a rule. On Settings → Payments and deposits → What guests pay, Event deposits, Special pay-in-full dates and the card to hold's Special dates list the dates with money rules of their own, and Special pre-order dates does the same on Pre-orders — each read-only, with a link back here. They're the same rules, not copies.

Until you first save the Special dates page, it reads every date from those lists. After that, if a date's rule is changed on another page, the Special dates page says "Some special-date rules were changed on another page since this page was saved" — the rules still apply, and saving the Special dates page leaves them exactly as they are. Click Bring them onto this page to see and edit them here.

A special date beats your everyday settings

Whatever a date sets for itself wins on that date over the everyday rule — the rest stays as normal. Two that are easy to miss:

• A date's own deposit beats your everyday pay in full. If you take pay in full from parties of 8 or more every day and give Christmas Day its own £10-a-head deposit, a party of 8 on Christmas Day pays the £10-a-head deposit (£80), not the full price. Give the date its own Pay in full if you want that instead — a date's own pay in full still beats its own deposit.
• A date's opening day holds it. With When it opens for booking → From a day and time (say 1 November at 10:00), guests can't book the date online before then — even though it's already inside your normal booking window.

When a date's rule doesn't seem to apply

The page warns you beside the rule when something else decides it — check these first:

• A deposit or full payment with no party size of its own follows your everyday "for parties of N or more" from What guests pay. The box shows the size that really applies; set it to 1 to ask every party on that date.
• No Stripe connected: a date that takes a deposit, a full payment or a card can't be booked online until Stripe is connected — or let guests pay the deposit at the venue (Paying at the venue → At the venue only). The owner can click Connect Stripe beside that line: your answers on the date are kept (nothing is saved yet), and Stripe brings you back to the same date, where you left off — then save.
• Asking guests to pre-order changes the wording only — a booking is never cancelled over a missing pre-order.

Related: What's different about Christmas Day? (Special dates) · How do I add a special date? · How do I check which rules apply to a booking? · Where are my booking rules? (Booking rules at a glance) · When can guests book?