# Restaurant bookings

> “Take restaurant reservations online”. Ranked by expert consensus and what people use now; affiliate links never change the order.

A booking system decides two things: who brings you the diner, and who owns their details afterwards. Marketplace tools such as OpenTable and TheFork Manager fill quiet services with new guests from their apps. Zenchef, ResDiary and SevenRooms charge no commission per cover and push bookings through your own website. Busy places fighting no-shows should look hard at deposits and card guarantees, which Zenchef and CoverManager both offer.

Last checked: 2026-10-06

## Ranking

1. **[SevenRooms](https://suiteintent.com/t/sevenrooms?m=GB)**: Reservations, guest data and marketing for hospitality. · Best for: Groups building repeat visits from their own data · Pricing on request
2. **[OpenTable](https://suiteintent.com/t/opentable?m=GB)**: Restaurant reservations with a diner network. · Best for: Restaurants looking for new diners · Pricing on request
3. **[Zenchef](https://suiteintent.com/t/zenchef?m=GB)**: Restaurant bookings with no per-cover commission. · Best for: Cutting no-shows with card guarantees · Pricing on request
4. **[ResDiary](https://suiteintent.com/t/resdiary?m=GB)**: Commission-free restaurant reservations. · Best for: Independents tired of paying per diner · Pricing on request
5. **[TheFork Manager](https://suiteintent.com/t/thefork?m=GB)**: Restaurant bookings software linked to TheFork. · Best for: Filling quiet services with new diners · Pricing on request
6. **[CoverManager](https://suiteintent.com/t/covermanager?m=GB)**: Restaurant reservations for Spain and Latin America. · Best for: Busy restaurants fighting no-shows · Pricing on request

## Side by side

| Tool | Price | Ease of use (1-5) | Team size |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| SevenRooms | Pricing on request | 3 | growing team, large team |
| OpenTable | Pricing on request | 4 | small team, growing team, large team |
| Zenchef | Pricing on request | 4 | small team, growing team |
| ResDiary | Pricing on request | 4 | small team, growing team |
| TheFork Manager | Pricing on request | 4 | small team, growing team |
| CoverManager | Pricing on request | 4 | small team, growing team, large team |

## Why these picks

- Prices last checked: 2026-10-06
- Ranked by expert consensus and what people use now; affiliate links never change the order.

## Head to head

- [SevenRooms vs OpenTable: restaurant bookings](https://suiteintent.com/compare/sevenrooms-vs-opentable)

## Questions

### Should I pay per cover or a flat monthly fee for reservations?

Per-cover pricing makes sense while a marketplace is sending you diners you would not otherwise see. Once most bookings come from regulars and your own website, paying for each guest stops adding up. Zenchef, ResDiary and SevenRooms take no commission per cover, so they suit restaurants with a steady direct audience. TheFork Manager and OpenTable bring bookings through the diner apps they list you on.

### How do I cut no-shows on Friday and Saturday nights?

Ask for a card guarantee or a deposit on the tables that hurt most when they stay empty, such as large groups and peak slots. Zenchef supports deposits and card guarantees, and CoverManager handles prepayments and deposits with a waitlist to refill cancelled tables. SevenRooms and ResDiary also take deposits. Automatic reminders before the booking help too, since many no-shows are people who forgot.

### Can I keep taking bookings by phone if I switch to software?

Yes, and you should: staff add phone bookings to the same digital book so the table plan stays accurate. Every tool on this page gives you a single diary for online, phone and walk-in guests. The gain is that a phone booking and a website booking can no longer clash on the same table. Plan a quiet afternoon to load existing reservations before you go live.

### Is TheFork or OpenTable the better listing in Europe?

It depends on your country. TheFork Manager lists you on TheFork, the big reservation app in France, Spain and Italy. OpenTable is the stronger name in the UK and the US and also covers Germany. In Spain, many leading restaurants run CoverManager for their own bookings and add a marketplace only for extra covers.

### Who owns the guest data collected by a booking tool?

With a marketplace, the diner is also the platform's customer, so you share that relationship. SevenRooms is built around owning your guest data and using it for automated marketing that brings people back. Zenchef, ResDiary and CoverManager each include a guest CRM, which lets you record allergies, visits and preferences. Under GDPR you still need consent before you send marketing emails to those guests.