The last seating is a start time
Closing hours and a comfortable meal allowance answer different questions.
A restaurant can be open until 22:30 without offering a new two-hour dinner at 22:00. That is the simple distinction behind the last-seating line. The Reed & Ember example gives dinner a two-hour allowance and ends regular starts at 20:30. Lunch allows ninety minutes and ends starts at 13:30 before a 15:00 close. The hours describe a complete period, while the seating times describe when a plan can begin.
The local preview checks both. Choosing a printed start is necessary, and the resulting meal must fit within the service window. The same-day lead rule adds another boundary: at least 120 minutes must remain before the proposed start. All of these comparisons use the restaurant’s Europe/Amsterdam civil time, so a traveller’s device timezone does not silently change the weekday or the meaning of lunch.
Private dining uses a separate start at 18:00 and a three-hour allowance. A party of nine to sixteen also needs seven calendar days of lead time. The organiser can use that frame to plan arrivals and the first plates, while leaving space for a real discussion with the venue about access, ingredients and other arrangements. A valid local plan means only that the proposed visit fits the printed rules; it does not hold the Reed Room or confirm that anyone has received a request.
A useful plan can change as the party changes. An earlier start may make lunch possible, while a larger group may need the private-dining outline. The form removes an old result when its inputs change, so the summary always belongs to the choices just made. A saved plan repeats its unsent status alongside the meal, party size and time allowance. Those ordinary details help an organiser keep a clear proposal without confusing it with the confirmation a real restaurant would have to provide.
