Restaurants leaving SevenRooms should first decide which half they need: reservations and table management, or guest data and marketing. A booking page and floor plan may only need a lighter tool. Guest profiles and campaigns need a CRM whose data stays on your account and exports cleanly. Private events are a third job with their own specialists.
SevenRooms sells two things in one: a reservation and table system, and a guest data and marketing platform. Most owners who look elsewhere need one half more than the other. Here are eight alternatives for restaurants and bars, in no particular order. Most are mid-sized hospitality vendors rather than tiny start-ups, because that's who builds software in this field.
Bookings, guest data or both?
If all you want is a booking page, a floor plan and fewer no-shows, a lighter booking tool may be all you need. Your team takes the reservation, seats the table and moves on, and you don't pay in time or training for marketing features nobody uses.
If you want guest profiles, visit histories and campaigns, you're buying a CRM, and the questions change. Where does the guest data live? Is it held on your own account, or on the vendor's consumer network? Can you export it cleanly, with notes and consent records, if you leave? Ask those three questions on every demo, and ask for the answers in writing.
Some venues need a third thing as well: a way to sell and run private events, from the first enquiry through to the night itself. That's its own category, and the tools that do it well aren't always the ones that seat walk-ins on a Friday.
Reservation and guest tools, A to Z
CoverManager
Best for: Operators who want bookings, deposits, payments and guest data in one system; the vendor talks about turning reservations into revenue.
Eat App
Best for: Small and large restaurants alike that need a reservation and guest management system, which the vendor says is flexible enough for both.
Fishbowl
Best for: Restaurant marketers who want a customer data platform, CRM and marketing automation built for restaurants, so guest data can drive campaigns.
Resos
Best for: Smaller restaurants wanting a simple booking system to take bookings and cut no-shows, with a free plan to start, according to the vendor.
Resy
Best for: Restaurants, wineries and hotels looking for reservation software that, in the vendor's words, is built for hospitality and backed by American Express.
TheFork Manager
Best for: Venues wanting bookings, table management and guest loyalty in one place, with the vendor pitching it from reservations through to daily operations.
Tripleseat
Best for: Event teams at restaurants, hotels and venues who capture leads and manage private events on one platform instead of shared drives and phone chasing.
Zenchef
Best for: Restaurants wanting bookings, table management and payments in one all-in-one platform, which is now also home to Formitable.
Before you shortlist anything tied to your till
One name you may come across, BentoBox, now describes itself as part of Clover and open only to Clover POS customers, which is why it isn't listed here. It's a useful warning. Some hospitality tools are tied to a particular point-of-sale system, and eligibility can change when ownership does.
Check whether any tool you like needs a specific till, and what happens to your bookings and guest records if you change tills later. A reservation system you can't keep after a POS switch is a much bigger move than it looks.
Eight booking tools side by side
| Tool | Main focus | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| CoverManager | Reservations and guest data | Bookings with deposits and payments |
| Eat App | Reservations and guest management | Small and large restaurants |
| Fishbowl | Guest relationship marketing | Campaigns built on guest data |
| Resos | Booking system | Simple bookings and fewer no-shows |
| Resy | Reservation platform | Restaurants, wineries and hotels |
| TheFork Manager | Restaurant management | Bookings, tables and guest loyalty |
| Tripleseat | Event and venue management | Private events and group enquiries |
| Zenchef | Restaurant management | Bookings, tables and payments together |
Table management, guest marketing and private events
Bookings and tables. Zenchef combines bookings, table management and payments, and it's now also home to Formitable. TheFork Manager handles bookings, tables and guest loyalty in one place. Resos is the smallest vendor here, a booking system built around taking bookings and reducing no-shows. Resy serves restaurants, wineries and hotels and says it's backed by American Express.
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Guest relationship marketing. Fishbowl is the pure guest-data option: a customer data platform, CRM and marketing automation for restaurants. Eat App and CoverManager sit between the two halves, pairing reservations with guest management, and in the second case deposits and payments too.
Private events. Tripleseat is a different animal. It's event management for restaurants, hotels and venues that captures leads and manages private events, so it often runs alongside a table booking system rather than replacing one.
Advice for restaurant and bar owners
Start with the gap that loses you most covers. If it's no-shows, look hard at booking tools with deposits and reminders. If it's quiet midweek nights, guest marketing will do more for you than a new floor plan. If it's group and party enquiries slipping through the cracks, an events tool is the fix.
Rules on deposits, cancellation charges and marketing consent vary by country, so check your local regulator and data protection guidance before you switch either on. And don't let a long feature list push you into a system your front-of-house team won't use during a busy service. My restaurant reservation software guide covers more booking options, and my restaurant staff scheduling roundup helps with the rota side.
Make sure your guest list comes with you
Guest data is the part of a reservation system that's hardest to rebuild, so test the exit before you sign up.
- Ask for a sample export of guest profiles, visit history and notes in a spreadsheet format.
- Check the contract for who owns the guest data: you or the vendor.
- Ask whether guests who booked through the vendor's consumer app count as your guests.
- Confirm that marketing consent records move with each profile.
- Find out how long you can still reach your data after you leave.
Do you make restaurant reservation or guest management software? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.
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Frequently asked questions
Do I need a reservation system and a CRM?
Not always. If you mainly want bookings, a floor plan and fewer no-shows, a booking system is enough. Add a CRM when you're ready to run campaigns on guest data and have someone to run them.
Can I keep my guest data if I switch?
Usually, but check before you sign. Ask for a sample export, read who owns the data in the contract, and confirm marketing consent records come with it.
What's table management?
It's the floor plan side of a reservation system: seating guests, combining tables, tracking turn times and seeing which tables are free during service.
Is a free booking system enough for a small restaurant?
For a small restaurant with simple bookings, a free or entry plan can be enough to start. Check what needs an upgrade, such as deposits, reminders or more covers, before you rely on it.
Do reservation tools work with my till?
Many connect to common point-of-sale systems, and a few are only open to customers of one. Ask each vendor which tills they work with and what happens if you change yours.
Should private events run through the same system as table bookings?
If you sell a lot of private dining or functions, a dedicated events tool keeps enquiries, menus and contracts in one place. Smaller venues often manage group bookings inside their reservation system.
