Best Restaurant Waitlist System: Top Tools to Manage Your Guests

Running a restaurant means dealing with the dinner rush—and sometimes, that rush can turn into an enormous line of hungry guests waiting for the next free table. 

How you manage your waitlist during these busy periods is essential for your restaurant. After all, a long wait can turn hungry customers away, and nobody wants that. 

That's why having a good waitlist system is so important. 

A well-managed waitlist keeps customers satisfied, reduces the number of people who leave because the wait is too long, and helps you turn more tables. 

This means more customers served and, ultimately, more revenue. 

That’s why in this article, we'll explore five of the best waitlist systems out there, starting with Tablein.

1. Tablein

Tablein is our very own restaurant reservation system with waitlist capabilities. 

We built Tablein with usability and simplicity in mind, but that doesn't mean it's lacking in features. 

In fact, alongside our other key features, Tablein has a seamless waitlist functionality to help you improve your guest flow.

Source: Tablein

Since ease of use is our priority, we made the waitlist feature straightforward to learn and use, with your staff needing very little training to get started. 

To illustrate, let's say some walk-in guests arrive at your restaurant, and you're fully booked. 

In just a few steps, a staff member can quickly enter the guest's details like their name and phone number using any device, whether it’s a desktop computer, tablet, or smartphone. 

Source: Tablein

With that, the guest is added to your waitlist.

Now, the guests on the waitlist will be visible right alongside your reservation list, helping your team make decisions about seating arrangements, prioritizing guests, and managing table turnover efficiently. 

Source: Tablein

Plus, when a table opens up, our SMS notification feature makes it easy to let waiting guests know their table is ready.

Overall, this waitlist functionality is straightforward and doesn’t include overly advanced options, but it is incredibly practical for restaurants that often operate at capacity or rely heavily on walk-ins. 

Also, a big benefit is that the waitlist option integrates seamlessly with the entire Tablein system, allowing for smooth operations.

While initially designed for smaller and medium-sized restaurants, Tablein is now used across the industry, even in larger businesses, restaurant chains, and hotel restaurants.

On that line, if you take a look at our pricing, you'll see we offer options for various restaurant types and sizes.

Source: Tablein

Starting at €47with all features unlocked, you can use our system's full capabilities even at the lowest price tier. 

Other than waitlists, Tablein’s features include:

• Full reservation management
• Guest database
• Reports and analytics
• Restaurant website integration
• Email and SMS communication
• Deposits for no-show protection
• Feedback management tools

The higher price tiers are more suitable for restaurants with more monthly reservations, typically mid-sized and larger establishments.

But, no matter your restaurant's size, if you're looking for an affordable waitlist and table reservation system that's easy to use and you don't need overly complex or niche features, Tablein is a great choice. 

So, go ahead and try our free trial and see for yourself without any long-term commitment.

2. Waitlist Me

Next up, we have a system tailored primarily for managing waitlists, as you can probably guess from its name: Waitlist Me.

Source: Waitlist Me

Previously known as NoshList, the rebranded system aims to provide waitlist management and wait time estimates across various industries, including hospitality and restaurants. 

Being purpose-built for waitlist management, this system offers excellent features including:

• enabling restaurants to create a list of guests, 
• give estimated seating times, and
• send text and voice messages to customers when their table is ready. 

Their wait estimates are accurate, based on historical data or averages, and factor in party size and current table availability.

Source: Waitlist Me

It's worth noting that, being a specialized system, Waitlist Me lacks some of the more advanced restaurant-focused features found in systems like Tablein, such as table and reservation management. 

On the other hand, you get some specific features like:

• Web widget
• Two-way texting
• Public waitlist page
• Multi-device syncing
• Self check-in kiosk mode
• Customizable notifications
• Setting business hours and blackout days

And while these features and the system itself are easy to use, some might consider the design and the frequency of app updates a bit lacking. 

Now, regarding pricing, Waitlist Me offers three paid tiers.

Source: Waitlist Me

The Premium tier is affordable, starting at $27.99 USD per month, but it lacks some core features that make Waitlist Me stand out, such as predictive wait estimates and two-way texting. 

For those features, you'll need the Pro tier, priced at $47.99 USD, which is comparable to some of the more complete restaurant reservation systems on our list, like Tablein. 

But, if you solely need waitlist management and don't require additional features, Waitlist Me can be a great option to start with.

3. OpenTable

Third on our list is OpenTable, a well-established player in the restaurant industry known for its extensive network of restaurants and diners. 

Unlike systems like Waitlist Me, OpenTable offers a broader range of functionalities, making it more similar to Tablein in its ability to manage both reservations and walk-ins efficiently. 

This versatility allows restaurants to seamlessly transition walk-in guests to the waitlist, optimizing table utilization and ensuring smoother operations.

Source: OpenTable

The key waitlist features offered by OpenTable include:

• Remote waitlist joining
• SMS notifications
• Customizable party sizes
• Control over when the waitlist is active
• Estimated wait times

One standout option is OpenTable’s Notify Me feature, which allows guests to join a reservation waitlist remotely up to two days in advance.

If a guest’s preferred time or table becomes available—whether due to a cancellation or rescheduling—OpenTable can automatically notify them, giving the restaurant a chance to fill the empty spot quickly. 

Source: OpenTable

This option is particularly helpful for managing demand and ensuring tables are never empty for long, maximizing revenue potential, and optimizing turnover rates. 

Clearly, this feature is a great fit for high-traffic restaurants that frequently deal with guest overflow or sudden cancellations.

However, OpenTable’s extensive features come with a higher price tag. 

The system offers three pricing tiers, starting at $149 per month.

Source: OpenTable

This pricing makes OpenTable the most expensive tool on our list. 

And even more so when you consider that the waitlist functionality is not included in the Basic plan. 

This means you’ll need to opt for the Core or Pro plan to access it, which can be quite costly for restaurants with limited budgets.

That said, if the waitlist features we've highlighted justify the higher price tag for your business, you might want to explore OpenTable further. 

It offers a robust and comprehensive solution for restaurants looking to optimize their reservation and waitlist management processes.

4. Yelp Waitlist

Next, we have Yelp Waitlist. 

While Yelp is primarily known as a popular restaurant review platform, it also offers a set of waitlist management features, along with table and reservation management tools. 

Specifically, Yelp Waitlist is their dedicated waitlist management solution. 

It originated as a partnership between Yelp and Nowait back in 2016, after which Yelp acquired the business and integrated Nowait's technology into its platform.

History aside, Yelp Waitlist allows guests to join a restaurant's waitlist in several ways:

• while browsing restaurants on the Yelp platform, 
• searching for the restaurant on Google, 
• or even through various social media platforms.

The restaurant using Yelp Waitlist will have the "Join waitlist” button on their Google My Business profile. 

Source: Google

This feature is similar to OpenTable's "Notify Me" and provides guests with estimated wait times for different days of the week based on previously tracked visitor data, promising up to 96% accuracy. 

This helps guests make informed decisions about where and when to dine.

You also get other features designed to enhance the guest experience, such as credit card holds to deter no-shows, two-way texting for convenient communication, and the ability to accommodate seating policies and preferences. 

Core features like SMS notifications for guests on the waitlist are also included.

Source: Yelp

With these texts, guests are notified when they join the waitlist, receive estimated wait times, and get a text message when their table is ready. 

Essentially, Yelp Waitlist takes the core waitlist SMS notification functionality of tools like Tablein and adds conveniences like wait time estimations.

However, these conveniences come at a higher price tag as you can see from the price tiers shown below.

Source: Yelp

The Basic tier starts at $129 per month and subscribes you to the Yelp Guest Manager platform, which includes Yelp Waitlist and its core features, but with a limitation of 500 monthly booked covers. 

For advanced features like credit card holds when joining the waitlist, or access to the waitlist API for custom integrations and greater flexibility, you'll need to opt for a higher tier.

These pricing tiers make Yelp Waitlist less suitable for smaller restaurants that might be better served by a waitlist-only solution like Waitlist Me or a more affordable reservation management system like Tablein. 

But, if you're interested in trying out Yelp Waitlist, there's a free demo available for Yelp Guest Manager, so you can explore its features firsthand.

5. Eat App

Finally, we have Eat App, another system offering restaurant reservation features with waitlist capabilities, similar to other tools on our list, like Tablein and OpenTable. 

However, Eat App's waitlist features are unique in that they can be used as a standalone product, independent of its complete reservation system. So, for restaurants that only need waitlist functionality, this offers valuable flexibility and convenience.

Speaking of features, Eat App offers the following core waitlist functionalities, illustrated below.

Source: Eat App

Like the previous two tools we covered, Eat App allows guests to add themselves to your waitlist through a booking widget when a table isn't immediately available. 

Once added to the list, Eat App provides estimated wait times based on your restaurant's capacity and historical data. 

Also, guests can receive SMS notifications confirming their placement on the waitlist, updating them on their estimated wait time, and alerting them when their table is ready.

These wait time estimates are AI-powered, automatically suggesting wait times based on your tables, available rooms, and shift types. 

In fact, Eat App stands out on our list because it heavily promotes its AI features, which extend beyond waitlist management to include table allocation, reservation optimization, and more.

Source: Eat App

While larger establishments looking to experiment with these new AI tools might find Eat App an interesting option, some restaurants might prefer the simplicity and straightforwardness of more user-friendly options like Tablein or Waitlist Me.

That being said, here are the pricing options offered by Eat App.

Source: Eat App

A big plus is Eat App's free tier, allowing up to 30 covers per month. However, this tier doesn't include the Online Waitlist option, which costs $19.99 per month, and it also lacks SMS notifications. 

In fact, except for the Pro tier at $229 per month, all other pricing options require an additional fee for the online waitlist feature.

But, if Eat App's waitlist options and AI-powered features sound appealing, a 14-day trial is available for you to try out the system and see if it meets your needs.

Conclusion

And that’s it for our look at the top restaurant waitlist systems. 

As you can see, there are many unique options to choose from. Picking the right system will ultimately depend on the size of your restaurant, the complexity of your seating arrangements, and your specific goals for managing guests. 

Before making a decision, we urge you to take the time to evaluate your customer flow and table management challenges to find a solution that works for you. 

The right waitlist system can make a huge difference in how smoothly your restaurant runs and how happy your customers are. 

So, take a look at the options we've discussed, try out some demos, and choose the one that best fits your needs.