How much does a restaurant booking system cost?
By Steve Evans, founder of Table Harmony and restaurant owner in Alicante.
Published
When comparing restaurant booking systems, the monthly subscription is a useful starting point. But it may not tell you the full cost.
You also need to understand what is included, whether charges increase with bookings and which extras your restaurant would actually use.
Whether you are considering Resos, CoverManager, Table Harmony or another provider, here is a practical way to compare the costs.
Start with the features you need
Write down the tasks the system needs to handle before comparing prices.
For a small restaurant, these might include online reservations, staff-entered phone bookings, table management, booking confirmations and control over arrival times.
You may also want a visual floor plan, guest feedback or marketing tools.
Check which subscription includes your essentials. A lower starting price is less useful if you need a higher plan to manage your tables.
Understand the charging model
Providers may charge a fixed subscription, fees linked to reservations or a combination.
Check whether any variable charge applies per booking or per guest. A reservation for six people could generate one booking charge or six per-cover charges, depending on the terms.
Also ask whether charges apply to all reservations or only those received through a particular channel.
Calculate a realistic monthly total
Use your own booking numbers to compare options.
For illustration, imagine a service charges €25 a month plus €1 per guest booked through a chargeable channel. If 100 guests book through that channel, the total would be €125 before any applicable tax or other charges.
This is a hypothetical example, not a quoted price from a provider.
A fixed subscription is easier to budget for, but the best choice still depends on the features and value you receive.
Check extras and contract terms
Before signing up, ask about:
- Setup, training or data-import fees.
- Optional messaging services.
- Extra restaurants or user accounts.
- Paid integrations and additional features.
- Tax, minimum contract periods and cancellation terms.
Check what happens at the end of a trial or promotional period, too.
Consider the time your team spends
Cost also includes staff time.
A system that makes it easier to add a phone booking, find a reservation or change a table assignment may reduce everyday admin.
Use a trial to test those tasks with your team. A longer feature list does not necessarily mean a better fit for your restaurant.
Our guide to choosing a restaurant booking system explains the practical checks to make.
What does Table Harmony cost?
Table Harmony offers two plans:
- Harmony: €20 per month plus IVA, including table management, booking requests and automatic confirmation.
- Harmony Plus: €30 per month plus IVA, adding features such as a visual floor plan, custom questions, a guest database and guest feedback.
I built Table Harmony using my experience running restaurants in Alicante and my background in IT. The aim is to make booking management straightforward at a cost independent restaurants can assess clearly.