SevenRooms is among the most trusted restaurant management systems today, but not every restaurant needs advanced analytics and marketing automation features.
The right system depends on your priorities, whether you want lower fees or a more flexible, easy-to-use booking system.
Ready to explore some alternatives?
Join us in exploring five powerful tools every restaurant owner should consider.
Tablein is a reservation management tool for restaurants of all sizes, focusing on simplicity and fast implementation.
It enables restaurant automation with core features like a color-coded calendar view and a drag-and-drop floor plan at your fingertips for easy navigation.
Source: Tablein
All essential table booking features are accessible from one centralized platform, enabling you to set opening hours, request deposits and instant payments, handle waitlists, and more.
While Tablein offers fewer features than SevenRooms, it’s more accessible to international customers, with booking options available in 24 different languages.
Plus, guests can select their preferred dining area in advance to help ensure a positive experience—something the other solution doesn’t currently offer.
Source: Tablein
After adjusting the booking widget’s style to your brand, you can easily embed it into your website, connecting it with other essential reservation widgets like Google Business, Facebook, Instagram, and the Michelin Guide.
Keep in mind that Tablein doesn’t have a dedicated mobile app, but it’s fully optimized for mobile use, allowing your staff to easily manage reservations on the go.
Compared to SevenRoom’s robust, enterprise-level analytics and marketing insights, Tablein offers a more modest, yet crucial overview of:
Simply head over to our user-friendly dashboard, and you can start generating the reports you need to drive success.
Source: Tablein
As demonstrated by Tablein’s consistently high ratings on platforms like GetApp, you won’t have to worry about getting the staff on board or making full use of the available features.
Source: GetApp
To top it all off, Tablein offers a perfect blend of functionality and cost-effectiveness.
Unlike most of the other solutions on this list, the pricing plans are readily available on Tablein’s website, starting with an affordable €47 a month geared toward smaller businesses.
Source: Tablein
Most importantly, you won’t have to pay extra to unlock premium features, as is the case with SevenRooms.
All in all, Tablein is a reservation management tool that both your staff and guests will want to use, making it a perfect partner to help you bring your restaurant business to the next level.
OpenTable is a well-known booking and restaurant management system that caters to large, high-volume establishments that want more visibility.
OpenTable’s global reach stems partly from its dual role as a software platform and a trusted guide to dining trends and top restaurants.
The video below showcases some of its essential features, from table layout and shift management tools to the guestbook.
Source: OpenTable on YouTube
The system as a whole works to maximize seating capacity while specific features like pre-shift reports ensure your staff delivers a superb dining experience tailored to each party.
This is very similar to a SevenRooms feature, but one thing that OpenTable does better is explaining how to make the most of its software.
Users have an array of resources at their disposal, including accessible video tutorials on YouTube.
When it comes to restaurant marketing features, you have everything you need to segment your audiences and build customer loyalty through targeted emails and marketing campaigns.
Source: Capterra
However, don’t count on in-depth customer relationship management or event-led upselling.
OpenTable provides relatively detailed guest profiles, but its focus is on increasing restaurant visibility and ensuring a broader market reach.
Restaurants in OpenTable’s network are featured among top dining options, with clearly visible booking counts and open reservation slots.
Source: Capterra
Their notification center works as a news feed of sorts, providing general updates on guests' favorite restaurants, as well as last-minute notifications if a table opens up.
Finally, considering OpenTable’s newly announced strategic partnership with Uber, becoming a part of their network seems like a logical course of action.
So, where’s the holdup?
For starters, a big obstacle for many restaurants is their pricing.
Starting at $149 a month, OpenTable is cheaper than Seven Rooms at a glance, but it charges per-cover commissions that can quickly add up.
As this quick breakdown shows, this is even more true if you’re relying on their extensive network.
Source: HostMe
Ultimately, it all comes down to your priorities—OpenTable offers strong features and visibility, but its value will depend on how well it aligns with your restaurant’s needs.
Resmio is another booking solution that prioritizes core reservation management functionalities while still enabling additional customization through add-ons.
You can manage online reservations, build relationships with your guests, and drive revenue from a single system—it also works well for those who are just starting their restaurant business.
Just take a look at the clean, intuitive dashboard below.
Source: Resmio
This simplicity enables your staff to quickly access all guest-facing features, seamlessly adding new bookings, checking the waitlist and deposits, and managing walk-ins.
However, one thing that’s missing is a visual floor plan interface—the “Graphical table plan for web” is available only if you subscribe to Resmio's Premium or Ultimate plan.
Alternatively, iPad users can download "Resmio Tables" for a more visual reservation and guest management.
Standard online booking features are complemented by offerings that enable you to digitize your menu and start a takeaway and delivery service with Resmio.
The most notable difference from SevenRooms lies in guest management.
While SevenRooms offers 360-degree guest profiles, Resmio focuses on essential details, quick notes, and a streamlined set of tags.
Source: Resmio
Nevertheless, the solution still offers plenty of features that boost retention and engagement.
Although less robust than some others on our list, Resmio’s marketing tools enable you to manage feedback, create personalized newsletters, and even offer unique experiences through a coupon and ticket system.
Source: Resmio
You can also access key insights through comprehensive weekly reports on all bookings, orders, guest figures, and customer satisfaction.
There is very little to be found on other users’ impressions of Resmio, but Google Play reviews suggest that the mobile app’s usability is currently its clearest drawback.
While that may be enough to give you pause, it’s important to highlight Resmio’s pricing plans.
There are no additional booking fees, and the basic plan is free, except for voucher and takeaway delivery commissions.
Source: Resmio
To sum up, Resmio gives you a lot of versatility at a reasonable price, so if that’s what you’re looking for, consider scheduling a call.
ResDiary is a reservation management platform with a strong focus on branding, customer engagement, and analytics.
Similar to Tablein, ResDiary draws in guests through an intuitive, customizable booking widget, but with slightly more theme settings and adjustments.
Source: ResDiary
Another standout feature is ResDiary's ResPhone, an automated phone booking service that you can integrate directly with your booking system.
Pretty useful if you’re handling a high volume of phone-in visitors and need all hands on deck.
When it comes to behind-the-scenes efficiency, ResDiary’s Running Order View gives you a customizable list of all reservations for the day.
You can sort and filter reservations by service or area and highlight the most important aspects of each one as needed.
However, ResDiary’s features mainly benefit customer experience through specialized offers, promotions, or special menus for different guests and parties.
Their voucher add-on is a step above Resmio, and serves as a key marketing reach tool and an additional source of revenue through listings on the restaurant discovery platform, DishCult.
Source: ResDiary on YouTube
An additional way of increasing profitability is to make use of their robust analytics features.
With ResDiary, you can easily track core booking insights, table utilization stats, revenue forecasting, and marketing efforts.
The booking source report shows which channels bring in the most customers at a glance, while the lead time report helps you identify booking patterns and adjust marketing accordingly.
However, low usability and customer support scores on Capterra highlight some challenges.
Reviews mentioning Android mobile app issues and feedback from users like Andy Barker, who point to support resources as an area for improvement, support this further.
Source: Trustpilot
Although Capterra lists ResDiary at £89, the platform doesn’t provide a clear pricing structure on its website.
Still, its pricing is likely more predictable than per-cover solutions.
However, keep in mind that many useful features are only available as add-ons, which can quickly increase costs.
Source: ResDiary
Nevertheless, ResDiary’s strong analytics, guest engagement tools, and zero-commission model make it an attractive option for a variety of establishments.
CoverManager is a comprehensive booking and event management platform designed to enhance customer loyalty in the hospitality sector.
While CoverManager offers several separate modules, its core focus remains on reservation and ticket management—you can check out the interface below.
Source: CoverManager
CoverManager highlights several features for eliminating no-shows, including multi-booking notification, prepaid reservations, and cancellation policies.
To complement this, larger restaurant chains and high-traffic restaurants looking to optimize capacity and sales can benefit from automated AI bookings.
As mentioned, CoverManager caters to establishments organizing or hosting leisure and gastronomy events.
With the Payments expansion, you can access a range of tools for event ticket sales and online payment management, create a personalized sales website with your brand image, and more.
Source: CoverManager
Although CoverManager is marketed for various event types, it provides limited details on specific offerings and customizations, making it difficult to compare directly with SevenRooms' features.
What’s clear is that the platform effectively centralizes information on all reservations, events, and otherwise, and connects it all with your customer database.
Advanced CRM and analytics are available through another module, giving you access to reservation sources and trends, guest behavior, as well as benchmarking features.
Source: CoverManager
Unlike ResDiary, CoverManager has been consistently hailed for its customer service, earning a high 4.8 score on Capterra.
However, the same users who praise customer service have several complaints about the user interface and overall lack of practicality.
Source: Capterra
Keep in mind that CoverManager hasn’t publicly shared its pricing and features, likely due to its customization options, but most reviewers seem satisfied with its value.
CoverManager is a solid choice for restaurant and event management, offering commission-free pricing.
However, since there’s no free version or trial, it’s important to gather all pricing details upfront and schedule a demo.
What did you think—did one of these platforms stand out to you?
The best restaurant management system is more than a list of robust features; it’s about what works for you.
Maybe you want to enhance guest engagement and restaurant visibility, or you need a solution with a minimal learning curve that will work for all your staff members.
Whatever your priorities, don’t settle too soon.
Take a closer look, test a few options, and choose the one that will elevate your restaurant’s success in every way.