Guide
Reserve with Google for restaurants, explained
You have seen the "Reserve a table" button on Google Maps. Here is what it is, how venues get it, what it costs, and what the alternative is. Honest note up front: Tablez does not offer Reserve with Google yet. It is on our roadmap, and this guide explains what we are working towards.
What Reserve with Google is
Reserve with Google is Google's system for booking directly inside Google Search and Google Maps. When a venue is connected, its listing shows a "Reserve a table" button, and the diner picks a party size, date and time in a Google interface and confirms without visiting anyone's website. The booking is passed to the venue's booking system, which confirms it and sends the emails.
It is not something a restaurant signs up for directly. Google works with booking system providers, who integrate with Google's API and then enable their venues. So whether you can have the button depends on which booking system you use, not on anything you do in your Google Business Profile.
What it costs
Google does not charge diners or venues for Reserve with Google itself. Some booking providers include it in their subscription; some marketplaces treat a booking that arrives through Google as a network booking and charge their per diner fee on it. Check the terms of whatever system you use. A booking that came from someone searching your name on Google, and then attracts a marketplace fee, is a poor deal.
The reservation link: what you can do today
Separate from Reserve with Google, every Google Business Profile can have a reservation link. It appears as a "Reserve" or "Book a table" style link on your listing and takes the diner to whatever page you give it. It is set by you, in your Business Profile under links, and works with any booking page, including Tablez.
The difference for the diner is one tap. With Reserve with Google they book inside Google; with a reservation link they tap through to your booking page, which on Tablez takes under a minute. For the venue, the reservation link means the booking happens on your page, with your wording, your policies and no third party in between.
To set it up: open your Google Business Profile, find the links or reservations section, and paste your Tablez booking link, for example tablez.uk/book/your-venue. It usually shows on your listing within a day or two.
Does the button matter for search ranking?
Google has not said that having Reserve with Google improves where you appear in local results. What does help your listing is being complete: hours, menu, photos, reviews, and a working reservation link. Reviews and photos do far more for you than which booking button you have.
Pros and cons of Reserve with Google
For it
- One tap fewer for the diner.
- Feels official and trusted.
- Availability shown inside Google, so a full night is not a wasted click.
- Google Assistant and Maps can suggest booking.
Against it
- Depends on your booking provider supporting it.
- Some providers charge per diner on it.
- Google's booking screen, not yours: no room for your notes or policies.
- Google decides what gets shown; features have been added and removed over the years.
Where Tablez stands
Tablez does not yet integrate with Reserve with Google. It is on our roadmap and we will announce it when it is ready, with no per booking fee, because we do not charge per cover on anything. In the meantime, put your Tablez link as the reservation link on your Google Business Profile. Diners tap it, land on your booking page, and book in under a minute. In practice the difference in bookings between the two is small; the difference in fees on some other platforms is not.
Checklist for your Google listing
- Claim and verify your Business Profile if you have not.
- Set your hours accurately, including holiday hours.
- Add your booking link as the reservation link.
- Add a menu link or menu photos.
- Post a few good photos of the room and the food.
- Ask happy customers for reviews and reply to them.
- Check the listing on your own phone once a month.
FAQ
Reserve with Google questions
Can I get the Reserve button with Tablez?
Not yet. Reserve with Google is on our roadmap. You can add your Tablez link as the reservation link on your Google Business Profile today, which puts a booking link on your listing.
Is Reserve with Google free?
Google does not charge for it. Your booking provider may. Some marketplaces charge per diner on bookings that arrive through Google.
Why does my listing show a Reserve button I did not set up?
Marketplaces sometimes list venues and enable booking through their own platform. You can ask Google to remove a third party link from your profile and set your own reservation link instead.
Will a reservation link get me fewer bookings than the button?
Slightly fewer taps complete on the button, but the difference is small for a booking page that takes under a minute. Reviews, photos and accurate hours matter far more.
Does Tablez charge for bookings from Google?
No. Tablez never charges per booking or per cover, wherever the booking came from.