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In today's restaurant industry, guests don't expect much from restaurants when booking a table and dining - they are mainly after simplicity.
Tools for front-of-house restaurant management play a crucial role in running an efficient restaurant. That's why reservation management systems like OpenTable or OpenTable alternatives are a godsend for hospitality businesses.
Without a digital reservation management system helping you take online reservations, you could be losing out on new customers and hiring more staff than you ideally need to.
OpenTable is a well-known starting point for restaurants just getting started with online reservations and table management.
The core OpenTable product starts at $249 per month and is a full-featured, if expensive, solution for front-of-house restaurant management software.
But OpenTable isn’t the only choice for restaurant operators.
There are a number of systems that help with restaurant operations, reservations, and guest management in the market. We've compiled a list of options that we think are best currently available.
Here are a few OpenTable alternatives to help you get started.
OpenTable is widely used - but the restaurant industry is changing
When you need to manage and increase reservations, OpenTable is a valuable tool. In the US opentable.com is large diner discovery platform that can help get your restaurant discovered online. As a reservation management tool it allows you quickly organize bookings and seat guest through a table management system.
On top of that, OpenTable provides valuable features including all of the following:
- Connecting to social media channels (commission is charged)
- Guest surveys and customer feedback
- Shift planning
- Guest profiles
- Basic marketing features
- Email and SMS reservation messaging
Those features, combined with ease of use, mean that OpenTable can help restaurant owners get the job done when it comes to increasing reservations and managing tables.
But, even with all that in mind, looking for alternatives to OpenTable is a great idea for a number of reasons.
Why look for an OpenTable alternative?
OpenTable is great if you don't mind paying commissions on reservations and need a simple restaurant management system. But if you are independently minded and want to keep more of your hard earned revenue then there are other options available.
Here’s why you might want to consider one of OpenTable competitors.
0% commission on online reservations
Right now the restaurant industry is moving on from the OpenTable business model of paying commissions for reservations.
Increasingly diners are discovering restaurants through social media platforms and Google search rather than discovery platforms like OpenTable. Many restaurant management software companies now offer commission free reservations and the restaurant industry at large is moving this model.
Recently, OpenTable has relaxed some of its commission pricing but most OpenTable customers should expect to receive monthly variables fees related to incoming online reservations.
Many systems now offer more features, plus commission free pricing for online reservations. This allows restaurants to truly take control of their restaurant and customer loyalty.
With an OpenTable alternative, independent restaurants could end up paying less and get more reservation, table and guest experience tools.
Guest Experience Tools
OpenTable does one thing — Reservation Management — really well, but they don't provide powerful guest experience tools many operators are increasingly demanding.
As they rely on opentable.com as the key selling point, it makes sense that they focus on this particular use case for restaurants. But many OpenTable alternatives offer equally seamless reservation management as well as powerful guest data tools, integrations, deposits and payments and a more efficient overall experience.
Today's most advanced systems help restaurants manage the entire guest journey, where online reservations, are just one key part of process.
So why does this matter?
Because dine-in restaurants that want to drive customer loyalty focus relentlessly on the guest experience and can benefit from switching to tools that support the entire customer journey.
Rather than leveraging multiple tools to manage the guest experience, you could running table reservations, table management, guest engagement and marketing automation from a single platform.
For restaurants looking to improve productivity, a centralized workflow is a proven way to boost their numbers.
Better support
One of the biggest complaints we see about OpenTable is level of customer service. Most of the time, nothing goes wrong. But quite often setting up reservation system tools can be complicated and when you need help it can take days for someone to get back to you.
Many of the software solutions similar to OpenTable offer better support, including in-app live chat, so that you can get your problem solved and keep working efficiently.
Here are the best OpenTable alternatives in the market currently:
Eat App
Fundamentally, Eat App is a guest data platform that ties into a full featured table management and reservation system that powers restaurant operations, marketing, analytics and customer feedback. Eat App aims to help restaurants leverage everything at their disposal to grow their business, whether that be through generating demand, increasing customer loyalty and retention or optimizing operations.
Cost: 0$ for 50 covers per month, $69 per month for 500 covers per month, $139 for unlimited covers per month, $239 per month for full stack guest experience tools, Enterprise plans also available
Ease of use: 5/5
Functionality: 5/5
Support options: Live in-app support chat, onboarding specialist email support, knowledge base, account managers for higher tiers
Platform operability: Native iPad, iPhone, Android apps, Full web app
Free trial: 14 day free trial, free tier also available
Key Features
Powerful CRM w/ marketing automation lets you build marketing campaigns directly tied to your customer data. Easily run guest retention campaigns from your reservation system.
Fully Integrated with existing software like point of sale (POS), Phone, Booking Channels, Payment processing and PMS integrations for Enterprise clients.
The fastest way to manage bookings. The Eat App system is designed to speed up all front-of-house workflow including staff management, managing on-the-go with mobile devices and waitlist management. The UI is fast and easy-t0-use.
We might be biased but we think Eat App is the best alternative to OpenTable for most restaurants.
Our low cost, flexible approach gives great options for restaurants of all sizes without sacrificing on features and tools. These features include reservation and waitlist management, rich analytics, automated messaging, advanced tagging and guest CRM, off peak bookings, and shift management. These features are accessible natively on their iOS, Android and iPad apps or directly on the web.
The system itself is built around your restaurant. Your floor plan, guests and reservations are front and center when you need them most. Alternatively, you're able to manage your restaurant through a calendar, timeline or grid view.
| OpenTable | Eat App | |
|---|---|---|
| Commission free online reservations |  |
 |
| Own your customer data | |
|
| FB, IG & Google Integrations | |
|
| Reservation management | |
|
| Table management | |
|
| Pre-payments and deposits | |
|
| Guest CRM | |
 |
| Analytics & reports | |
|
| Customizable messaging | |
|
| Marketing automation | Only in $499 tier | |
| Operations automation | Only in $499 tier | |
| Live chat support | |
|
| Cost/month | $249+ fees | $239 |
Learn more about Eat App >>>>
Tock
Tock's main premise is helping restaurants make the most of their tables and decrease no-shows through selling seats. Every empty table at your restaurant is a missed revenue opportunity and by defining what each of those tables cost your restaurant, Tock can start to help you make up for lost revenue.
Cost: Tock Plus: $199 per month + 2% fee on prepaid reservations and Tock Pro: $699 per month + 0% fee on prepaid reservations
Ease of use: 4.5/5
Functionality: 4/5
Support options: Email support
Platform operability: iPad and Web apps
Free trial: N/A
Key Features
Event and pre-payment features are one of Tock's main selling points. They provide many great options for taking up-front payments including reservations upsells.
Online ordering features are no available in Tock's system for an extra cost. If you are planning on running direct to consumer delivery options, Tock may be able to provide features to help run off-premise operations.
A reservation platform to list your restaurant is now available with Tock giving restaurants some extra visibility to list on the platform. Compared to other large restaurant discovery platforms, Tock is still relatively small.
| OpenTable | Tock | |
|---|---|---|
| Commission free online reservations | |
|
| Own your customer data | |
|
| FB, IG & Google Integrations | |
|
| Reservation management | |
|
| Table management | |
|
| Pre-payments and deposits | |
|
| Guest CRM | |
|
| Analytics & reports | |
|
| Customizable messaging | |
|
| Marketing automation | only in $499 tier | |
| Live chat support | |
|
| Cost/month | $449+ fees | $199 + payment fees |
Resy
Like most other full feature table management systems, Resy offers waitlist management, reservation management, table management and POS integration. Your day to day operations with Resy are powered through a fully customizable floor plan that feeds into your online booking widget to provide availability to guests. Guests can then confirm, cancel and make modifications to their bookings through text and even let you know when they are running a bit late.
Cost: Basic: $249 per month, Pro: $399 per month, Enterprise: $899 per month
Ease of use: 4.5/5
Functionality: 4/5
Support options: 24/7 support
Platform operability: iPad and iPhone apps only
Free trial: N/A
Key Features
Flexible reservation settings and options are key features of Resy. The ability to release reservations on certain time frames and schedules is popular feature of the platform
Solid basic feature set for reservations and table management give restaurants all the tools they need to run an effective front-of-house these include guest surveys and ticketed events.
A reservation platform to list your restaurant is a popular feature of Resy through resy.com and gives restaurants extra marketing visibility. Customers should be aware that Resy is now owned by American Express.
Before you jump into using Resy consider:
That Resy doesn't support advanced guest experience tools like a guest CRM, database management and marketing automation. This makes Resy an expensive option considering the price point, and therefor has limited features for helping restaurants drive customer loyalty or waitlist management.
| OpenTable | Resy | |
|---|---|---|
| Commission free online reservations | |
|
| Own your customer data | |
|
| FB, IG & Google Integrations | |
|
| Reservation management | |
|
| Table management | |
|
| Pre-payments and deposits | |
|
| Guest CRM | |
|
| Analytics & reports | |
|
| Customizable messaging | |
|
| Marketing automation | Only in $499 tier | |
| Operations automation | Only in $499 tier | |
| Live chat support | |
|
| Cost/month | $249+ fees | $399 |
Yelp Reservations
Like OpenTable, Yelp Reservation boasts not only a reservation and table management system but also a massive consumer network that helps drive reservations to your restaurant. In terms of table management, Yelp Reservations has most of the standard features you've come to expect from a system of its caliber including waitlist management system, basic server management and reservation management. But like some of the others on this list Yelp lacks many of the advanced features restaurants are using to deliver better guest experiences.
If your restaurant is already listed on Yelp, this restaurant management system might help you convert your listing views into revenue driving reservations.
Cost: Basic: $99 per month, Pro: $249 per month, 10+ venues: Custom pricing
Ease of use: 4/5
Functionality: 3.5/5
Support options: Basic email support
Platform operability: iPad app
Free trial: N/A
Key Features
Powerful waitlist options are one of the key features of Yelp. They provide online waitlist management and a "kiosk"system for automatic check-in at the door. For restaurants with large volumes of walk-ins many restaurants find Yelp a great tool.
Access to the Yelp Connect Network give restaurants access to the Yelp connect network and listing on their discovery apps. Unlike OpenTable, Yelp does not charge a per reservation fee for access and claims to have the largest footprint in the US of all the restaurant discovery apps.
| OpenTable | Yelp | |
|---|---|---|
| Commission free online reservations | |
|
| Own your customer data | |
|
| FB, IG & Google Integrations | |
|
| Reservation management | |
|
| Table management | |
|
| Pre-payments and deposits | |
|
| Guest CRM | |
|
| Analytics & reports | |
|
| Customizable messaging | |
|
| Marketing automation | Only in $499 tier | |
| Operations automation | Only in $499 tier | |
| Live chat support | |
|
| Cost/month | $249+ fees | $99-$199 |
TableIn
While OpenTable is catered towards restaurants of all sizes, TableIn might be the right fit for you if you're in charge of operations at a smaller business looking to generate online covers without too much in terms of table management. TableIn's restaurant management system is an affordable web based solution that helps streamline your reservations through a basic calendar view.
TableIn doesn't offer much in terms of table management or integrations which makes it a unique entry to this list, but nonetheless a great OpenTable alternative for those looking for a specific set of features and can make do with TableIn.
Cost: Basic: $99 per month (315 reservations per month), Pro: $149 per month (unlimited)
Ease of use: 4/5
Functionality: 3/5
Support options: Live chat support
Platform operability: Web only
Free trial: 14 day
| OpenTable | Table In | |
|---|---|---|
| Commission free online reservations | |
|
| Own your customer data | |
|
| FB, IG & Google Integrations | |
|
| Reservation management | |
|
| Table management | |
|
| Pre-payments and deposits | |
|
| Guest CRM | |
|
| Analytics & reports | |
|
| Customizable messaging | |
|
| Marketing automation | Only in $499 tier | |
| Operations automation | Only in $499 tier | |
| Live chat support | |
|
| Cost/month | $249+ fees | $149 |
Eveve
Eveve leverages your real time availability combined with your online booking pages to provide your customers with a real-time booking experience. One of their key features is preventing you from ever turning away guests when your restaurant is full, this is facilitated through "Full Availability" - a feature which offers alternative dates to your guests when their request is fully booked.
Pricing
Cost: N/A, reports estimate the cost at between $100-300 per month
Ease of use: 3/5
Functionality: 3/5
Support options: Email support
Platform operability: Web only
Free trial: 14 day
| OpenTable | Eveve | |
|---|---|---|
| Commission free online reservations | |
|
| Own your customer data | |
|
| FB, IG & Google Integrations | |
|
| Reservation management | |
|
| Table management | |
|
| Pre-payments and deposits | |
|
| Guest CRM | |
|
| Analytics & reports | |
|
| Customizable messaging | |
|
| Marketing automation | Only in $499 tier | |
| Operations automation | Only in $499 tier | |
| Live chat support | |
|
| Cost/month | $249+ fees | $150-300 |
Table Agent
The main aim of Table Agent is to provide restaurants with an easy to use and affordable reservation system with the goal of saving restaurants as much money as possible - often times Table Agent is completely free of charge.
In an effort to keep their pricing as close to zero as possible, Table Agent offers a simple reservation system on the web that isn't regularly updated.
Unlike OpenTable and some of the other reservation management providers on this list, Table Agent utilizes a "List" based approach to managing reservations. This will make using Table Agent feel like a digital version of your traditional reservation book with the exception that it's connected to an online booking widget.
If you're coming from OpenTable and are used to managing your reservations through a calendar or floor plan, switching to Table Agent will definitely be a different experience.
If your restaurant is extremely cost sensitive Table Agent is good option but most restaurants will get more benefit to their overall revenue from pay extra for a more advanced system.
Cost: Free, but reservations with payments are charged a fee.
Ease of use: 3/5
Functionality: 2/5
Support options: Email support
Platform operability: Web only
Free trial: 14 day
| OpenTable | Table Agent | |
| Commission free online reservations | |
|
| Own your customer data | |
|
| FB, IG & Google Integrations | |
|
| Reservation management | |
|
| Table management | |
|
| Pre-payments and deposits | |
|
| Guest CRM | |
|
| Analytics & reports | |
|
| Customizable messaging | |
|
| Marketing automation | Only in $499 tier | |
| Operations automation | Only in $499 tier | |
| Live chat support | |
|
| Cost/month | $249+ fees | $0+ fees on deposits |
The Fork
The Fork is a European restaurant management system owned by TripAdvisor that operates similarly to OpenTable. We've included in this if you are a reader from Europe and looking for an OpenTable alternative.
Whilst The Fork offers a basic reservation and table management system, their main selling point for restaurant owners is to get more bookings through TripAdvisor and The Fork websites.
Cost: Free tier, with commission on average spend from The Fork website, and Google reservations, $125 per month (no commission on Google bookings)
Ease of use: 4/5
Functionality: 3.5/5
Support options: Email, phone and chat
Platform operability: Web only
Free trial: 14 day
Key Features
Access to The Fork and TripAdvisor websites for direct bookings are the main benefit of The Fork. Restaurants in Europe should be aware however that The Fork charges hefty reservation commissions in both its free and paid tiers. Similarly with OpenTable, independently minded restaurants might want to take a look at other options when it comes to a service for managing reservations.
Email marketing tools are available with the Fork which is great for restaurants looking to send blast messages without the added functionality of a guest CRM.
| OpenTable | The Fork | |
|---|---|---|
| Commission free online reservations | |
|
| Own your customer data | |
|
| FB, IG & Google Integrations | |
|
| Reservation management | |
|
| Table management | |
|
| Pre-payments and deposits | |
|
| Guest CRM | |
|
| Analytics & reports | |
|
| Customizable messaging | |
|
| Marketing automation | Only in $499 tier | |
| Operations automation | Only in $499 tier | |
| Live chat support | |
|
| Cost/month | $249+ fees | $120 + fees |
The Takeaway
If you are thinking about switching from OpenTable and are looking for the best alternatives, you'll quickly notice how many systems exist that achieve more or less what your restaurant requires at a much better price point.
We hope that this article sheds light on some of these OpenTable alternatives and helps you make an informed decision about what's right for your restaurant.
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