DINE-IN NOW
"It's 8:17 PM. I want dinner."
The actual user question is not restaurant discovery, but: "Can I walk into this restaurant and eat there right now?" Today's journey: Google Maps says "Open" → Swiggy shows delivery → Dineout offers a 9:30 PM slot → Call restaurant → "Sorry, no walk-ins tonight."
OPEN FOR DINE-IN NOW. A single real-time binary status switch that hostesses can flip in 1 second, showing spontaneous walk-in table availability on a live map within a 15-minute radius.
Designing for Spontaneous Intent
1-Tap Hostess Switch
Zero complex POS integration required. Hostesses toggle a simple green/red switch on a tablet at the host stand whenever immediate walk-in tables open up.
15-Minute Dynamic Hold
Diners can claim a 'Head Over Now' 15-minute table hold token, giving restaurants committed foot traffic while preventing phantom no-shows.
Automatic State Expiry
To prevent stale data, the "Tables Open" status auto-expires after 45 minutes unless the restaurant explicitly re-confirms with a single tap.
Spontaneous Intent Filter
Only shows restaurants within immediate walking/driving range (max 15 min travel time) to ensure the availability matches physical travel feasibility.