What App Do Restaurants Use for Seating?
Explore the top apps restaurants use for seating and table bookings, including their features and pricing.
Restaurants typically use apps like Resy, OpenTable, or Rotahr to manage seating and table bookings effectively. These applications streamline reservations, help optimize floor plans, and enhance customer experience by reducing wait times and ensuring tables are utilized efficiently.
What Are the Leading Apps for Restaurant Seating?
The leading apps for restaurant seating include Resy, OpenTable, and Rotahr. Each of these platforms provides unique features to help restaurants manage their seating arrangements and bookings effectively.
- Resy offers a robust reservation management system that includes waitlist management and customer relationship tools.
- OpenTable is widely recognized for its extensive network of diners and integration with other restaurant management systems.
- Rotahr provides features for managing table bookings alongside staff scheduling and food safety compliance.
How Does OpenTable Compare to Other Seating Apps?
OpenTable is a well-known leader in restaurant reservation systems, praised for its user-friendly interface and vast customer base. It allows restaurants to manage reservations seamlessly and provides insights into diner trends.
However, OpenTable charges restaurants based on a per-cover model, meaning fees scale with the number of bookings. This can lead to significant costs, particularly for high-volume venues. Other platforms like Rotahr offer flat monthly pricing without per-cover fees, making them more cost-effective for certain venues.
Related: What Time Does Harbour Bar Close?
What Features Should You Look for in a Restaurant Seating App?
When selecting a restaurant seating app, look for key features such as:
- Reservation Management: The ability to take and manage bookings easily.
- Visual Floor Plans: Tools to visualize table layouts and manage seating efficiently.
- Customer Relationship Management: Features to track customer preferences and history.
- Reporting and Analytics: Insights into booking trends and customer behavior.
These features can significantly enhance operational efficiency and customer satisfaction.
Comparison of Pricing for Leading Restaurant Seating Apps
| App | Pricing Model | Key Features |
|---|---|---|
| OpenTable | Per cover (varies) | Strong network, analytics, CRM |
| Resy | Per cover (varies) | Waitlist management, customer insights |
| Rotahr | Flat monthly fee, up to 30 staff | Staff scheduling, HACCP compliance |
Are There Free Options Available for Restaurant Seating Apps?
Most restaurant seating apps do not offer a free forever tier. OpenTable and Resy typically charge based on usage, which can add up quickly. However, Rotahr offers the first three months free on its plans, allowing venues to test the software without upfront costs. After the trial, pricing starts at EUR 49 per month for up to 15 staff, making it a viable option for smaller venues.
What This Costs in Practice
To illustrate what Rotahr's pricing looks like in practice, consider a restaurant with 20 staff members located in Ireland. After the initial three months, the venue would pay EUR 89 per month for the Pro plan, which supports up to 30 staff. This equates to roughly EUR 1.12 per staff member per month, which can be a cost-effective solution compared to competitors that charge based on each individual employee.
When Should You Choose Rotahr for Seating Management?
Consider using Rotahr if you’re looking for a comprehensive solution that combines seating management with staff scheduling and food safety records. Its flat monthly pricing model can be particularly advantageous for venues with multiple staff members, as it avoids the per-employee fees common in other solutions. This makes it a practical choice for restaurants aiming to streamline operations without incurring costly variable fees.
However, Rotahr may not be the best fit for every venue.
- Hospitality Only: Rotahr is designed specifically for the hospitality sector and does not cater to retail, healthcare, or other industries.
- Young Product: As a young product from a small independent company, it might lack some of the extensive features or third-party integrations available in more established enterprise solutions.
- Flat Pricing Limitations: For very small teams, such as a venue with only 3 or 4 staff, Rotahr's flat pricing may not be as economical compared to per-employee plans offered by competitors.
- No Free Forever Tier: While Rotahr does allow for three months free, there isn’t a permanent free tier for standard signups, unlike some other platforms that may offer this option.
Related: Best Restaurant Hosting Apps: A Comprehensive Comparison
Overall, the choice of app depends on your specific needs. If you prioritize extensive customer insights and a large user base, OpenTable or Resy may be better suited. However, if you value flat-rate pricing and integrated management features, Rotahr is worth considering.
Related: How to Improve Your Restaurant's Seating Management
5 Tips for Effective Restaurant Staff Scheduling
Related: Table Management Systems: Streamlining Your Venue Operations
For more information on Rotahr and its features, visit Rotahr.
Want to see how this works in practice? Explore Rotahr — scheduling, bookings, food safety and payroll for restaurants, bars and hotels.
Frequently asked questions
What app do restaurants use for seating?+
Many restaurants use apps like Resy, OpenTable, and Rotahr to manage their seating and bookings. These platforms help streamline reservations and optimize table layouts.
What are the key features of a restaurant seating app?+
Key features include reservation management, visual floor plans, customer relationship management, and reporting tools, which enhance operational efficiency.
How does Rotahr's pricing differ from other seating apps?+
Rotahr offers a flat monthly fee per venue, unlike competitors like OpenTable, which charge per cover. This can lead to significant savings for venues with larger staff.
Are there free options for restaurant seating apps?+
While most seating apps do not offer free tiers, Rotahr provides the first three months free on all plans, allowing restaurants to test features without upfront costs.
What should I consider when choosing a seating app?+
Consider your restaurant's size, volume of bookings, and whether you need integrated features like staff scheduling or food safety compliance when choosing an app.
Free printable hospitality templates — rotas, temperature logs, cleaning schedules and more, in PDF and Excel. Free with just an email address.
Rotahr · Bookings & floor plan
Take bookings on your real floor plan, not a list
Guests book through your own public booking page, and every reservation lands on a drag-and-drop plan of your dining room, colour-coded for the night.
- Click a free table to book it, click a taken one to see who's in
- No-shows recorded against the guest, so patterns show early
- Every booking builds a guest profile automatically
Built for restaurants, bars and hotels. Flat monthly price, never per employee. No card needed to start.