For restaurants
Bookings for independent restaurants
You do not need a marketplace, a per diner fee or a six month contract to take bookings. You need a page customers can use in under a minute, sensible pacing so the kitchen copes, and a way to tell the floor. That is Tablez.
Free up to 60 bookings a month, then £5 a month paid yearly. Never a fee per cover.
What independent restaurants actually pay for
The big booking platforms sell two things bundled together: software to manage your diary, and a marketplace that sends you diners. The marketplace is what costs money. Fees per diner, fees per booking through their app, premium placement to appear above the restaurant down the road. If you are a neighbourhood restaurant with regulars, word of mouth and a decent Google listing, you are paying for a marketplace you do not need.
Tablez is only the software. Your customers find you the way they already do, book on your own page, and stay your customers. The price is flat: free up to 60 bookings a month, £5 a month up to 150, £15 up to 500, each paid yearly. We never charge per cover. Compare that with OpenTable, ResDiary or TheFork.
Built for how a dining room works
Tables, not just covers
Add your tables as groups: six 2 seaters, eight 4 seaters, two 6 seaters, and named tables like the window or the private room. Tablez works out what fits. Optionally let a party of 8 combine two 4 seaters when nothing bigger is free.
Turn times by party size
A couple turns in 90 minutes; a table of 8 with a birthday cake does not. Set turn times per party size so availability is honest. Nobody gets seated at a table that is still on dessert.
Pacing the kitchen
Cap how many covers can be seated in any 15 minute window and how many per service. The calendar and time slots adjust automatically. A full 7:30 stops being offered before it becomes a problem, and 8:15 gets offered instead.
Three ways to confirm
Instant confirmation for small parties. Staff approved for large groups you want to phone first. Live check for busy services, where the customer waits a couple of minutes with a countdown while the floor manager taps accept on the staff app. All three are on every plan.
Emails that reduce no-shows
Every booking gets a confirmation with a calendar file, a manage link to cancel or change, and a reminder the day before. That reminder plus an easy way to cancel is the single most effective thing you can do about no-shows without taking a card. There is more in our guide to reducing no-shows.
Your website and your socials
Put the booking page on your own site with one line of code. It works with WordPress without a plugin, and with Squarespace, Wix, Shopify and anything else that lets you paste an embed. If you would rather not touch your website, a "Book a table" button that opens the page in an overlay takes thirty seconds to add.
Put the link in your Instagram bio, on your Facebook page, and as the reservation link on Google Business Profile. Print the QR code on the menu for people who want to book their next visit while they are paying for this one.
Staff app on the pass
The staff app installs on any phone from the browser. Tonight's bookings in order, requests at the top with a countdown, big accept and decline buttons, and a beep when something arrives. Mark arrivals and no-shows as they happen. On Starter and Pro, push notifications reach every staff phone even when the app is closed, and you can have as many staff logins as you need.
What Tablez is not
It is not a full front of house system. There is no drag and drop floor plan, no EPOS integration, no waiting list with text messages. Deposits and card holds are coming soon but are not here yet. If you need those today, you need a bigger system and a bigger bill. If you need bookings that work, this is it.
FAQ
Questions from restaurants
Will I lose bookings by leaving a marketplace?
Some restaurants do get real volume from marketplaces, particularly in city centres and for tourists. Many find that most of their "marketplace" bookings were regulars who would have booked directly anyway. A fair test is to run Tablez alongside for a month and see where the bookings actually come from.
Can I take large party bookings differently?
Yes. Set a maximum party size for online bookings and a note asking bigger groups to phone, or leave large parties on staff approved mode so you can call them before confirming.
Does it handle lunch and dinner separately?
Yes. Each day can have separate services with their own hours, turn times and cover caps. You can close one service for a private event without touching the other.
Can I export my bookings and customers?
Yes, as a spreadsheet, whenever you like. They are your customers.
Can I import bookings from my old system?
Most venues simply add the next few weeks of bookings by hand in the staff app, which takes an hour or so. If you have a large export from another system, get in touch and we will help.