Capture additional information about your guests during the intake process. Custom Fields appear when a staff member adds a guest to the waitlist, or when a guest joins via Self Check-in (if enabled).
When to use this article
You want to collect specific information from guests at check-in (e.g. date of birth, party size, email address)
You need to create, edit, or delete a custom field
You want to understand what field types are available and when to use each one
You need to configure which queues or guest types a field applies to
Creating a Custom Field
Navigate to the Custom Fields Settings page.
Click New Custom Field at the bottom of the list.
Fill in the Add Custom Field form with your preferred settings:
Field Name (required) — What you want to call this field, e.g. "Date of Birth" or "Party Size."
Field Type — What kind of field this is. See the Field Types section below for all available options. Depending on the type selected, additional configuration options may appear.
Field Icon — Optional emoji to help identify this field at a glance.
Field Display Visibility — Choose whether this field appears in the Staff Intake form, Self Check-in, or both.
Guest Types — Control which guests see this field:
All — shown every time a guest is added
New — shown only for new guests and unrecognized phone numbers
Returning — shown only for repeat guests and recognized phone numbers
Is Required — Toggle on to make this field mandatory when adding a guest.
Display on Waitlist — Toggle on to show this field's value on each guest's row in the main waitlist view. Toggle off to capture the data without displaying it on the waitlist — useful for decluttering when the field is collected but not needed at a glance.
Enable Quick Editing — Toggle on to make this field directly editable on the guest's waitlist row, without opening the guest details panel. Current limitations:
Available for Short Text and Number Input field types only
Only one Custom Field can have Quick Editing enabled per Queue at a time
Allow Repeat Guests to Edit Past Info — Toggle on to allow returning guests to update previously collected information for this field on subsequent visits.
Enabled Queues — If this field only applies to specific queues, select them here. Leave blank to apply to all queues.
Click Create to save the field.
Editing a Custom Field
Navigate to the Custom Fields Settings page.
Click the More icon (...) to the right of the field you want to update, then click Edit.
Make your changes in the Edit Custom Field form.
Click Save.
Deleting a Custom Field
Navigate to the Custom Fields Settings page.
Click the More icon (...) to the right of the field you want to remove, then click Delete.
Confirm the deletion in the pop-up. Deletion is permanent — deleted fields cannot be reactivated. The field will no longer appear on any intake forms, though it may still appear in historic data reports.
Reordering Custom Fields
Drag and drop fields in the Custom Fields list to change the order they appear on intake forms and Self Check-in. The order in the list is the order guests see them.
Field Types
Choose the right field type when creating a custom field. The type determines how guests enter data and what validation is applied.
Freeform Text — Open text entry with no character limit.
Short Text — Open text entry with a character limit.
Multiselect Dropdown — A dropdown where guests can select one or more options.
Dropdown — A dropdown where guests can select exactly one option.
Checkbox — Adds one or more checkboxes to your form. Useful for newsletter opt-ins, additional terms, waivers, and similar consent captures. You can define each checkbox as optional or required, and insert URL links into the label. Checkboxes appear in the order shown in your Custom Fields list — drag to reorder.
Telephone — A phone number entry field, for collecting additional numbers beyond the primary guest phone.
Email Address — An email address entry field.
Number Input — A field formatted for numeric responses (whole numbers).
Date — A calendar date picker. Useful for date of birth, appointment dates, document dates, and similar. Optional settings:
Age Limit (Years) — Set a minimum age requirement. Guests will see "Must be older than [X]" when entering their date. Leave blank for no limit.
Time Input — A time picker field.
Queue Assignment — A dropdown where each option maps to one of your existing Queues. When a guest selects an option, they are automatically assigned to the corresponding queue. This field replaces the standard queue selector — you cannot use both at the same time, and you are limited to one Queue Assignment field per business. Common use case: a restaurant's "Party Size" field that routes guests to the correct table-size queue automatically.
Using the iOS or Android app? Custom Field settings are managed from the web app at web.nextmeapp.com. Fields configured there appear automatically on the mobile app's add guest form.
Common Search Phrases
"How do I add a custom field to my waitlist?"
"How do I collect extra information from guests?"
"What types of custom fields can I create?"
"How do I make a field required?"
"How do I add a party size field?"
"How do I create a date of birth field?"
"How do I delete a custom field?"
"Can I show a field only to new guests or only to returning guests?"
Related Articles
Still Need Help?
If this article didn't solve your issue, click the chat icon to speak with our support team or email support@nextmeapp.com.