By allowing patrons to make online bookings and informing proprietors about fresh bookings, cancellations, or absences, dining establishment booking software is useful. On the other hand, an online reservation system may also offer in-house table management and waitlist functions to regulate occupancy levels or enable you to sell online event tickets.
To identify the top players in the restaurant reservation software market, we assessed over twenty-five providers, evaluating their capabilities for managing tables, waitlists, and communication with customers. We also rated each platform on its affordability and user-friendliness. Based on our analysis, we identified the ideal applications to help your restaurant maximize the benefits of its chosen software.
The Best Restaurant Reservation Software for 2023
BEST OVERALL – Tablein
Tablein’s budget-friendly and easy-to-use program ranks as our top choice for managing restaurant bookings. Gain complete reservation control with Tablein.
A credit card is not required for the 14-day trial that is being offered for free.
Regulate the number of customers allowed in the restaurant.
Integrating social media platforms.
There are no POS integrations available.
There is no management of a waiting list.
Large, high-volume restaurants are not suitable for this product.
Despite not having the same level of recognition as Yelp or OpenTable, Tablein offers small and medium-sized restaurants comprehensive solutions for reservations and enhancing guest experiences. With its competitively priced plans, extensive range of tools, and rapid implementation process, Tablein distinguishes itself from other reservation software options.
Tablein does not require you to download an application unlike other programs. You can access the responsive platform on any device through a browser, and it will automatically adjust to fit your cell phone, tablet, or desktop screen.
BEST FOR CUSTOMIZATION – Resy OS
With Resy OS software, it is possible to tailor floor plans, employee access, and communications.
Booking through the web or mobile applications.
Types of tables that are made to order or specifically designed for a particular purpose.
Monthly plans that come with a high cost.
The Basic plan does not offer integration with POS systems.
The Basic plan does not include any analytics.
Restaurants can receive reservations and be found on the Resy platform, which has 35 million users. The Resy OS system enables restaurant owners to tailor every aspect of the reservation process, making it the top choice for customization.
With Resy OS, guests and employees can access reservations via web and mobile applications, making it possible to review or make reservations from any device.
BEST FOR EASE OF USE Eat App
From any device, you can conveniently retrieve reservations, guest information, table management, and promotional material.
A free trial period of 14 days is available.
Partner of Google with official status
Customer support through instant messaging.
Optional fees can become costly.
It is not possible to trace the source channel of the reservations.
With its comprehensive features, Eat App facilitates reservation management, capacity restrictions planning, and performance analysis. The platform’s easily navigable interface, graphical representations, and modifying capabilities make it the most user-friendly choice, positioning it as the leading option for simplified use.
By using a web browser, you can easily access your reservation and table management system on any desktop in addition to the iOS and Android manager apps.
BEST LINKED TO POS – OpenTable
Connect your restaurant booking software with 20 different POS systems.
Online training that is free of charge.
Mobile applications that have received high ratings.
Additional charges apply for takeout orders and services.
The Basic plan does not have the capability to integrate with POS.
OpenTable provides reservations for over 1 billion people annually and collaborates with more than 50,000 restaurants globally. While other reservation software may either lack restaurant POS integrations or require substantial monthly fees to incorporate them, OpenTable offers effortless connectivity with commonly used systems, making it the optimal option for restaurants seeking to integrate their reservation system with an existing POS program.
OpenTable can be accessed through either iOS or Android applications, as well as via a web-based dashboard.
BEST FOR CONSUMER-FACING RESERVATIONS – Yelp Guest Manager
Yelp Guest Manager makes managing reservations easy while also delighting guests through its customer-centric approach, top-rated mobile apps, and two-way communication.
The ability to put someone on a waiting list.
Pricing based on a fixed rate
Costly
Sales can be impacted by negative reviews on Yelp.
It is difficult to obtain visibility for your website on the Yelp platform.
Yelp Guest Manager offers exceptional mobile apps, enables communication in both directions, and prioritizes customer satisfaction to simultaneously enhance guest experiences and simplify reservation management.
Yelp has become a leading platform for discovering restaurants, ordering food, and booking tables, having accommodated more than 433 million diners since 2017. With consumer-oriented reservations facilitated by Yelp Guest Manager’s user-friendly features, finding and reserving dining options has become simpler.
With the reservation and waitlist software of Yelp Guest Manager, you will have access to an exclusive management tool to efficiently manage your front-of-house operations, all through the convenience of an iPad.
BEST FREE SOFTWARE – GloriaFood
GloriaFood’s restaurant booking tool enables you to receive unlimited reservations and orders without any setup fee or subscription charges. It is completely free to use.
There are no limits to the number of locations or orders.
An application that is easy for customers to use and navigate.
Enables the booking of reservations through the website.
There is no display for managing tables visually.
There is no management of occupancy.
GloriaFood’s restaurant reservation software enables you to accept limitless bookings and orders without any subscription fees or setup charges. Whether it’s reservations, pick-up orders, or delivery requests, GloriaFood offers an all-in-one solution, including the ability for customers to pre-order. While other companies may only offer free promotions for a temporary period, GloriaFood is entirely complimentary, thus making it the optimal choice for free restaurant reservation software.
Bottom Line
It can be difficult to pick the perfect software for your restaurant’s reservation needs with so many options available. Begin by determining your budget and essential features, like waitlist management, visual floor planning functions, and customer-facing apps. Evaluate reservation software that aligns with your business needs and meets the needs of your customers.
Tablein is our recommended choice for the finest restaurant reservation software due to its affordability, simple installation, compatibility with social media, and outstanding visual design and user interface. Furthermore, Tablein offers a 14-day risk-free trial that allows you to experiment with its capabilities before making a firm decision.
BONUS: What Does Your Favorite Restaurant Reservation App Say About You?
OpenTable represents the economy class, while Resy is considered as the premium economy class, and Tock is equivalent to the business class.
When booking restaurant reservations, Christina Woog, a Los Angeles-based marketing professional, considers her top three reservation systems.
Ms. Woog, aged 40, believes that she is more inclined towards Tock. According to her, she is perpetually searching for something extraordinary, rare, or exclusive.
Previously, reservation systems were impersonal algorithms designed to book tables at restaurants you like. Now, these systems have established their own identities and gained reputations. Similar to how people view Tinder as a casual dating app and Hinge as a platform for serious relationships, diners also have distinct perceptions and judgments about particular reservation systems.
Reserving a table has become almost obligatory in major urban areas. During the summer, Resy, a reservations platform, experienced its highest volume of diners ever, while OpenTable saw a 9% increase in online and app reservations in the first half of 2022 compared to the same period in 2019. In the aftermath of pandemic closures, numerous restaurants that previously did not accept reservations have begun to do so as a means of creating some semblance of predictability.
Ms. Woog mentioned that obtaining a reservation at a highly sought-after restaurant provides her with a targeted release of dopamine.
According to Lindsie Hartman, a 29-year-old employee at a Dallas-based software company, Tock brings to mind high-end set-menu dining experiences, Resy represents luxurious restaurants that may not be as pricey as others, and OpenTable, which was established in 1998 and was previously the dominant service in the industry, is connected with less expensive restaurant options.
Ariana Nathani, a 25-year-old product designer in New York, has stated that she prefers Resy and considers OpenTable to be outdated. She only checks OpenTable if she knows that a specific restaurant uses it.
Prashant Punjabi, a 42-year-old software developer based in Washington, D.C., prefers to use OpenTable over Resy since he is not very keen on trying out the latest and most popular restaurants. He mentioned that his usage of OpenTable is primarily for business lunches and romantic dinner dates with his wife instead of searching for trendy spots.
Due to these perceptions, a considerable number of restaurant proprietors are opting to collaborate with reservation services.
Erika Chou, a partner at River and Hills Hospitality Group, which manages restaurants in New York such as Kimika and Wayla, formerly used OpenTable for her past restaurants, but now exclusively utilizes Resy for all of her establishments.
She mentioned that they collaborate with an exceptional selection of restaurants. This implies that if your establishment is part of that group, your visibility expands as well. You will have the opportunity to reach out to the same target audience – individuals who deeply appreciate the entire dining experience.
These companies’ reputations are not coincidental but are established based on how they marketed themselves to their clients initially.
Established in 2014, Resy initially focused on acquiring sought-after tables at popular restaurants such as Minetta Tavern or Balthazar. Currently, any restaurant can enroll in Resy, but numerous patrons perceive it as a site for discovering new, trendy establishments. Several diners rely on the Notify function of the platform, which sends an email notification if a reservation opens up, while others regularly track ResX social media accounts to obtain or gift desired reservations.
Tock was founded in the same year by Nick Kokonas, one of the co-owners of the upscale dining establishment Alinea in Chicago. Tock’s capacity to provide prepaid reservations and deposits attracted a lot of tasting menu restaurants to utilize the service. Yelp, on the other hand, introduced reservations in 2013 and is distinguished for its virtual wait-list mechanism, which is mostly employed by casual eateries such as ramen shops and cafes.
Joel Montaniel, the co-founder of SevenRooms established in 2011, explained that the platform is designed to be seamlessly integrated with Google, Facebook, Instagram, or a restaurant’s website, without drawing attention from customers.
OpenTable has a dominant position in the reservation sector as it includes over 50,000 restaurants, whereas Resy has 16,000 restaurants, Tock has approximately 10,000 businesses, Yelp has more than 11,000, and SevenRooms refused to disclose its number.
Debby Soo, the CEO of OpenTable since 2020 and formerly a member of the travel search engine Kayak for 10 years, stated that the variety of restaurants offered by OpenTable is a formidable asset. She is content with OpenTable not being recognized as the trendiest brand and prefers to let the restaurants themselves establish their reputations.
According to her, the company has been compelled to innovate due to the competition. In October of 2020, OpenTable revamped its application, enabling restaurants to communicate with customers through the app and impose reservation deposits.
Andrew Riggsby, a 57-year-old professor of classics and art history at the University of Texas at Austin, believes that the issue lies not in the absence of innovation but in the overwhelming abundance of services.
He expressed that it is bothersome for the consumer as they can no longer find a single location to rely on. This reflects his annoyance towards the numerous choices of streaming platforms available for movies and T.V. shows. He is weary of having to install a new application solely for the purpose of going out for a meal.
He said he wouldn’t register for one more.
