Scheduling & Booking · GoTable + Claude
GoTable MCP with Claude: Automate Restaurant Reservations and Guest Management
The short answer
Claude works with GoTable through the Model Context Protocol, a secure standard that lets Claude use the tool with permissions you control. Once connected, Claude can check table availability, create and update reservations, manage guest profiles and publish offers. Staff give instructions in everyday language, and consequential actions can be set to need human approval.
What is GoTable?
GoTable is a restaurant management platform with an API for reservations, tables, guests, offers, availability and webhooks. Restaurants, hotel dining rooms, cafe groups and hospitality operators use it to take bookings, track guest details and manage how tables are filled across the day. Developers use the API to connect GoTable to websites, apps and other business systems, so bookings and guest records stay consistent everywhere.
How Claude connects to GoTable through MCP
The Model Context Protocol, or MCP, is an open standard that acts like a universal adapter between Claude and other software. It lets Claude read information from a tool and take actions in it, using access that the organisation sets and can withdraw at any time. GoTable connects to Claude through its API key sign-in, so access is tied to a credential your team controls.
Once connected, Claude can typically look up availability for a given party size and time, create or change a reservation, find a guest profile, note dietary preferences or visit history, and publish an offer to a set of guests. Staff can ask in plain language, for example to find a table for four on Friday evening, and Claude carries out the lookup and the booking within the access granted.
Permissions are kept narrow. Your team decides which actions Claude may take, such as reading availability but not deleting guest records. Important steps, such as publishing a promotion or changing a large group booking, can be routed for a person to approve before they go live. Audit logs record what was done, so managers can review activity at any time.
What you can automate
Answering booking enquiries
Guests often ask by chat or e-mail whether a table is free on a certain night. Claude can check GoTable availability for the requested date, party size and time, then reply with the options. Staff only step in for unusual requests, such as private dining or large events, which keeps response times short and the front-of-house team focused.
Managing reservation changes
When a guest wants to move or shrink a booking, Claude can locate the reservation, check whether the new slot is open and make the change. It can also record the reason for the change on the booking. This reduces phone queues at busy times and stops double-booked tables caused by manual updates.
Building guest profiles
Useful details such as allergies, seating preferences, celebrations and past visits are often scattered across notes. Claude can read and update guest profiles in GoTable so that the next host knows the guest's history before they arrive. Changes can be limited to agreed fields, protecting data quality.
Publishing targeted offers
Marketing teams often want to fill quiet nights or reward loyal diners. Claude can help draft an offer, check which guest segment it should reach and publish it through GoTable once a manager approves. This lets small teams run regular promotions without needing a developer for each one.
Preparing daily service reports
At the end of each day, managers want to know bookings, no-shows and covers. Claude can pull reservation and availability data from GoTable and summarise it into a short report for the owner or general manager. The report can be sent to a shared channel each morning.
An end-to-end workflow: Event enquiry to confirmed booking
TriggerA guest sends an enquiry through the restaurant website asking for a private table for 12 on a Saturday.
Claude reads the enquiry and confirms the date, party size and any dietary notes.
Claude checks GoTable availability for private dining on that date.
Claude looks up the guest profile in GoTable and notes any previous visits or preferences.
Claude drafts a booking and a menu options reply, then routes both to the events manager for approval.
Once approved, Claude creates the reservation in GoTable and sends the confirmation to the guest.
The confirmed booking is logged in the team's Microsoft 365 calendar and the event is added to the kitchen's prep sheet.
OutcomeEnquiries are answered within minutes rather than hours, the private room is booked without double-booking, and the kitchen and front-of-house team see the event in their existing calendars. Typical results depend on your volumes and approval rules.
How we set it up
Free automation audit
We review your reservation process, guest communication and reporting to find the workflows worth automating with GoTable and Claude. You leave with a clear list of priorities and a sense of effort involved.
Secure connection with an API key
We set up the GoTable MCP connection using the API key sign-in method. The key is stored securely, and access is limited to the actions your workflows need, following least-privilege principles.
Workflow design and approvals
We design the end-to-end flow across GoTable and your other systems, such as Microsoft 365, your CRM or your ticketing tool. We agree which actions Claude can take alone and which need a person's approval.
Testing with real cases
We test the workflows against past enquiries, bookings and changes from your own records. We check edge cases such as overbooking, duplicate guests and unusual party sizes before anything goes live.
Launch, monitoring and training
We launch with audit logs and monitoring in place, then train your reservations, events and management teams. We review performance after launch and refine the workflows as your needs change.
Who benefits
- Restaurant general managers
- Clearer views of bookings, covers and no-shows, with fewer manual updates across the day.
- Reservations and front-of-house teams
- Faster answers to guests and fewer phone queues, so staff can focus on hosting.
- Marketing and guest experience leads
- A simpler way to publish offers and build better guest profiles without waiting on developers.
- IT and digital leads
- A governed, API key based connection with clear permissions and audit trails.
Security and control
- Least-privilege access, so Claude only uses the GoTable actions each workflow requires.
- Human approval for consequential steps such as publishing offers or changing large group bookings.
- Audit logs of every action Claude takes in GoTable, available for review.
- Careful handling of guest personal data, with agreed fields and retention rules.
- Regular testing and monitoring after launch to catch errors early.
For teams in the US, UK, India and the Middle East
Organisations in the United States and the United Kingdom can host the workflow in a region that meets their data requirements. Businesses in India must meet the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, and we design guest data handling to support it. Operators in the Middle East, including the UAE and Saudi Arabia, must comply with local data protection laws, and we select hosting and access controls accordingly. Hosting region is chosen to meet your specific requirements.
Learn more about Claude and MCP
Anthropic's AI model and assistant.
Secure links between Claude and business tools.
How engineers build and change software with Claude.
Hosted agents that run multi-step work.
The open standard Claude uses to connect to tools.
Frequently asked questions
What does the GoTable MCP server do?
The GoTable MCP server acts as a secure bridge between Claude and the GoTable API. It lets Claude read and act on reservations, tables, guests, offers and availability through the access you grant. You do not need to write code for everyday requests such as checking a table or updating a booking, because the server handles the technical exchange.
Is connecting GoTable to Claude secure?
It can be, when set up carefully. We use API key sign-in, store the key securely, limit permissions to what each workflow needs, require approval for important actions and keep audit logs. Security depends on your configuration and ongoing governance, so we review these settings with your IT team before launch.
What can Claude do with GoTable once connected?
Typically, Claude can check table availability, create and change reservations, look up and update guest profiles and help publish offers. It can also summarise bookings for reports. The exact actions available depend on the access you approve during setup.
How long does setup take?
Timelines vary with the number of workflows and how many other systems are involved. A focused single workflow often takes a few weeks from audit to launch, while a wider programme across several systems takes longer. We confirm a realistic timeline during the free automation audit.
What plan or permissions do I need in GoTable?
In general, you need an API key with access to the reservation, guest and availability functions your workflows use. Requirements depend on your GoTable account and how it is configured, so we check your existing access during the audit and advise on any changes needed.