How to choose a restaurant reservation system
Seven questions to ask before you pick a booking system, so you are not paying for it in commission, lost guests or a contract for years.
The Revotab team2 min read
Most restaurants pick a booking system the same way: a friend uses it, or a salesperson called on a quiet afternoon. A few months later they notice the commission on every cover, or that they cannot export their own guest list. These seven questions help you choose once.
1. Do you pay per booking, or one price per month?
Marketplaces often charge for every guest who books through them. That feels small on one booking and large on a busy month. A flat monthly price per venue is easier to plan: a full Saturday costs the same as a quiet Tuesday. Work out what you would pay in your best month, not your average one.
2. Whose guests are they?
Ask plainly: can you export every guest, with their email and phone, at any time? Can you email your own regulars without paying the platform again? If the answer is no, the platform is building its audience with your guests.
3. Where can guests book?
The best booking happens where guests already are: your own website, your Instagram profile, Google Maps, and a QR code on the table or in the window. Check that each of these is one link or one small piece of code, not a project for a developer.
4. Does it handle the nights that matter?
A table of two on a Tuesday rarely goes wrong. A table of ten on a Saturday, or Valentine's night, does. Look for deposits for larger tables, automatic reminders, and a waitlist that offers a freed table to the next guest.
5. Will your team actually use it during service?
Open it on the tablet at your host stand. Can you see the whole room, seat a walk-in, and move a party in a few taps? If it only feels good at a desk, it will be ignored on a Friday night.
6. Does it speak your guests' languages?
If you see tourists, the booking page and the confirmation emails should be in the guest's language, while your team keeps working in yours.
7. Can you leave?
Monthly plans, no contract, and your data in an export you can open. A system you can leave easily is usually one you will not want to.
Where Revotab fits
Revotab was built around these questions: one flat price per venue with no commission on bookings, your guest list always yours to export, a booking button for your website, Instagram and Google, deposits and a waitlist for busy nights, and a floor plan made for a tablet at the host stand. You can try every module free, with no card and no contract.