Restaurant online reservation software

This kind of software is intended to drive customers to your restaurant, facilitate easy booking, and often will work with the practices and processes you already have in place with your staff. Founded by internet entrepreneur Chuck Templeton in , OpenTable was revolutionizing online best practices for restaurants well before online restaurant booking platforms became a viable business market.

OpenTable has developed their software based on real in-market experience that spans almost two decades, and offers a great deal in terms of features for restaurant industry veterans.

OpenTable seats about 23 million people a month, and serves 40, restaurants worldwide. Suffice to say, they have worked with countless restaurants and retained them as engaged clients.

The features that make OpenTable stand out the most are their detailed analytics reports, as well as their fully integrated hardware system that works in the restaurant, and online. OpenTable also offers free training for your staff, which is a huge bonus and will help your restaurant run smoothly with their service offerings.

OpenTable fees are based by region, and they do not advertise or quote over phone or email we tried. Hailing themselves as a direct competitor and solution to, after partnering with OpenTable, Yelp boasts a diner network of 92 million with million Yelp visitors every month. In , Yelp acquired online reservation and floor management startup SeatMe and renamed it Yelp Reservations. Then in , they went on to acquire Eat24 for online deliveries and takeout now serving over 35, restaurants in over 1, cities.

And most recently, Yelp partnered with the restaurant technology company NoWait to help foodies skip the line at their favorite local spots. So what does Yelp do? They offer table and waitlist management solutions, and your customers can book their reservation online.

The one downside is that with Yelp, you cannot put an online reservation booking widget directly on your website homepage. If you want to accept payments using GloriaFood, you can choose your existing online payment gateway using the management application. You also can buy a custom branded reservation and ordering application for smartphones with pricing available via a custom quote. With many great solutions to reservation woes, it can be challenging to choose the best software for your restaurant.

Start by selecting your budget and must-have features, such as customer-facing apps, waitlist management, or visual floor planning functions. Consider restaurant reservation software offering the best fit for your business and restaurant guests.

Our top pick for the best restaurant reservation software is Tablein. A restaurant reservation system lets customers reserve a table while restaurateurs oversee bookings, cancellations, and no-shows.

Reservation software may also offer waitlist tools, visual table management features or allow you to handle digital pre-payments. Most restaurant reservation systems work on web browsers and offer mobile applications for guests or management.

However, you can also add a widget to your website to simplify online reservations or allow people to book a table via Meta or your Google business page. Although people used to reserve tables for dinner or special events, today, consumers may need to book a table to meet pandemic-related occupancy limits. Restaurant owners may also use restaurant reservation software to handle a virtual event or on-site event ticketing, sell to-go food bundles, or book a table at the last minute.

Most restaurant reservation software solutions are subscription-based plans where you pay a flat fee per month. But, some providers charge extra fees for POS integrations or reservations booked through your website or third-party providers. Higher-priced plans often include more features such as occupancy control, waitlist functions, and an online ordering platform.

To find the best restaurant reservation software systems, we reviewed more than two dozen providers. We compared tiered pricing plans for overall affordability, types of features, and volume limits. By looking at unique features and add-on capabilities, we determined specific software solutions best for certain use cases. Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for Investopedia.

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Best Restaurant Reservation Software. Bottom Line. Compare Providers. Best Overall : Tablein. Sign Up Now. Pros Free day trial, no credit card needed Control restaurant capacity Social media integrations.

Best for Customization : Resy OS. Pros Web- and app-based booking Custom table types. Best for Ease of Use : Eat App. Pros Free online training Highly rated mobile applications. Finally, the system presents features to collect customer reviews and feedback. Deliver automated confirmation via email and SMS to customers to inform them and minimize no-shows. Install a simple booking widget to facilitate reservations through social media and your website. With a restaurant reservation system, you can proficiently handle your staffing needs.

Plus, you can use historical data to forecast a rush and keep your kitchen staff prepared. Also, you can free up your phone lines as you can send text messages to customers about their reservation. The platform can protect your restaurant from double booking and overbooking since all your call-in, desktop, and mobile reservations will be in a single location. Further, if a customer cancels a booking, the application will automatically allow another customer to make use of the available slot.

It also helps customers to book in advance. You can integrate your reservation management software with booking apps to boost your reach. Customers can use the reservation and wait list app to access real-time waits, table availability and booking, phone number, address, and hours of operation.