Online Table Booking for Restaurants: The Options
By CodexierPublished 6 min read
A restaurant can take bookings through a marketplace platform, through a booking widget on its own website, by phone, or all three. Each route has a different cost model, a different answer to no-shows and a different answer to the question that matters most long term: who owns the relationship with your guests. This guide compares them so you can choose deliberately instead of by default.
Platform booking and its fees
Marketplace platforms list many restaurants in one app or site, and guests search there by area, cuisine and time. That is their value: visibility to people who would not otherwise have found you. The price model usually combines a monthly subscription with a fee per booking or per seated guest, and extra fees for promoted placement. Check the current terms directly with each platform, as they change.
- Ask whether the fee applies to all bookings made through the platform's widget, including those on your own site, or only to guests who found you in the marketplace.
- Ask who owns the guest data and whether you can export it, including e-mail addresses and consent status.
- Ask what happens to your booking history and reviews if you leave.
- Check the notice period and whether the widget is tied to the subscription.
Booking on your own website
A booking system on your own site usually has a flat monthly fee and no charge per cover. The guest books directly, gets a confirmation from you, and their details end up in your system. Most regulars and people who already know your name will book this way if the button is easy to find.
- Place the booking button at the top of every page and in your Google Business Profile, so people who search for your name book directly.
- Make it work on a phone in under a minute: date, time, number of guests, name and phone number. Ask for more only when it is needed.
- Show real availability. A form that only sends a request, answered hours later, loses guests to places with instant confirmation.
- Send the confirmation from your restaurant's name with address, directions and your cancellation policy.
Some restaurants also take orders for pickup on the same site; our guide on running online ordering on your own site covers that side of the business.
No-show deposits and reminders
An empty table on a Saturday is lost revenue you cannot make back. The tools against no-shows work on different parts of the problem, and it makes sense to use them in layers rather than putting a card guarantee on every booking.
| Tool | What it solves | Downside |
|---|---|---|
| SMS reminder the day before | Guests who simply forgot | Small cost per message |
| Easy cancellation link | Guests who would cancel but cannot be bothered to call | None, it frees tables you can resell |
| Card guarantee with no-show fee | Groups and peak nights where a no-show really hurts | Some guests book elsewhere instead |
| Prepaid deposit or set menu | Special evenings and large parties | Adds friction and refund handling |
| Waiting list | Filling cancelled tables quickly | Needs someone to act on it |
If you charge a no-show fee, state it clearly before the guest confirms, including amount and cancellation deadline. Under Swedish consumer rules, terms that were not clearly shown are hard to enforce.
Phone bookings during service
Many guests still call, especially older guests, groups and people with questions about allergies or accessibility. The problem is that calls peak exactly when staff are busiest. A phone ringing out at 19.30 on a Friday is a booking that goes to the restaurant down the street.
- Record a voicemail message that points to online booking and says when you call back, and actually call back.
- Send an SMS with the booking link to missed callers, if your phone system supports it.
- Let one person own the phone during service, with the booking system open on a tablet.
- Use an AI receptionist that answers in Swedish or English, books directly into your booking system, answers common questions about opening hours and allergies, and hands over anything unusual.
We set up AI receptionists for exactly this situation, and our guide to AI phone answering for restaurants goes through how it works during a busy service.
Owning your guest list
The guest list is one of the few assets a restaurant builds over time. With it you can invite regulars to a new menu, fill a quiet Tuesday or announce a summer terrace. Without it, you pay a platform again every time the same guest comes back. Under GDPR, you are the controller for the bookings you take, and you may use contact details for marketing only with the guest's consent or within the limits for existing customers, with an easy way to opt out.
When you do not need to change anything: if the platform brings you a steady stream of genuinely new guests, your regulars already book directly and your phone is covered, your setup works. And a small café without table service does not need a booking system at all. If you are unsure where your bookings actually come from, book a short call and we will help you read the numbers.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use a platform and my own booking system at the same time?
Yes, but only if availability is synchronised, otherwise you risk double bookings. Many restaurants use one booking system as the master and connect the platform to it, or use the platform's own widget on their site. Check the fee terms for widget bookings before you choose.
Is it legal to charge a no-show fee in Sweden?
Yes, if the guest has accepted clear terms before booking: the amount, when it applies and the cancellation deadline. The fee should be reasonable in relation to your loss. Hidden or vague terms are hard to enforce.
May I send newsletters to guests who have booked a table?
Only with consent, or within the rules for marketing to existing customers, and always with a simple opt-out in every message. Ask for consent in the booking form with a separate, unticked checkbox.
Do I need an app for bookings?
Almost never. A fast booking page on your website and in Google Business Profile covers what guests need. Our guide on whether a restaurant needs an app explains the rare exceptions.
Want fewer missed bookings?
Book a fifteen-minute call and tell us how guests book with you today. We will suggest a setup for the website, the phone and no-shows, and tell you honestly if what you have already works.
Book a free 15-minute call