Restaurant Table Management System: A Complete Guide

Managing a busy restaurant can be challenging, but a table management system makes it easier. From keeping track of tables to managing reservations, everything can be done with this system. 

In this blog, I will discuss what a table management system is, why it is important, its features, and its benefits. I will also showcase 15 table management system software. After reading this blog, you will be able to choose the most suitable table management system for your business. 

What is a Restaurant Table Management System? 

A restaurant table management system is a software that helps restaurants to organize their seating and reservations. It shows which tables are available, which ones are reserved, and how long guests have been sitting. This helps the restaurant manage everything easily.

This system is useful for restaurants during busy hours. It can be hard to keep track of all the customers, sometimes tables stay empty for too long, or the restaurant can get too crowded. The Table Management System helps by organizing everything on a device like laptop or tab,  computer so the staff can focus on making the guests happy.

Why a Restaurant Table Management System is Important?

A table management system offers many benefits that make the organizing process easier for both the restaurant staff and the customers. It helps restaurants to organize the seating, take reservations, and keep track of everything happening in the restaurant. Here’s a closer look at these advantages in brief:

• Quick seating: In a table management system, staff assign tables to their customers faster. Instead of taking time to find a table manually, the staff use the system to quickly see which tables are available. So, customers don’t have to wait long to be seated and they can start enjoying their meal sooner. 

• Customer preferences: The system can save details about customers’ preferences, like their favorite table location or if they need special accommodations. When customers’ preferences are met, they feel valued and are more likely to come again.  return. 

• Better Reservations: A table management system manages all bookings and makes sure there are enough tables for everyone who has made a reservation. It also helps to prevent double-booking to avoid situations where customers arrive but can’t be seated because all tables are booked.  

• Real-Time Update: As your staff knows which table is reserved and which table is going to be empty, they can quickly reassign the empty tables to new customers. During busy hours, managing tables can be challenging but your restaurant staff can do it easily because they have real-time information on booked and empty tables on their hand. The more customers the restaurant serves, the more money it can make.  

• Tracking Customer Preferences: A table management system collects data on how many customers visit at different times and what types of tables or meals they prefer. You can understand the trends and patterns of your customers. With this informations, you can make better decisions for your restaurants, such as scheduling more staff when it’s busiest or introducing new menu items that customers will like.  

• Automated Reservations: Table management systems automatically handle reservations. Automatic reservations can reduce errors that humans can make. You can connect it to your website and selling touch points.

• Better Team Coordination: A table management system allows different parts of the restaurant to work together. From the counter to the kitchen and then waiters and all the staff, they can communicate better and work together. Working together well will ensure that everything runs smoothly, from seating customers to preparing their meals. 

• More Flexibility: If a customer needs to change their reservation time or if a table needs to be set up in a different way. Your table management system can adjust to it quickly.   

• Better Check-Out Process: Your customers have to go through a step-by-step process to complete an order. A table management system makes this checkout process fast. From placing an order to making payments and receiving food, everything is done through a quick and hassleless process. 

Some systems also integrate with third-party payment gateways to handle digital payments so that customers do not have to face hassle during payment. When you have a faster check-out process, your customers can leave quickly, which is very important during their busy times. 

Key Features of Table Management System

A table management system has many helpful features that makes restaurant operation easier. Here’s a detailed explanation of each feature and how it benefits the restaurant:

Reservation Management

The process of handling and organizing table bookings at a restaurant is called reservation management. Customers can book a table at any time through the restaurant’s website or app. 

When a reservation is made, automatic messages are sent to both the customer and the restaurant. The system displays all current bookings in real-time. It shows which tables are reserved and for how long.

Wishlist Management

Some customers may prefer to dine at specific times or tables that might not be available right away. Wishlist management keeps track of these preferences and informs customers when their desired time or table becomes available.

Waitlist Management

Waitlist management is a very important factor during busy hours. This system keeps track of how many people are waiting for a table and tells them how long they might have to wait. It can also send messages to customers’ phones when their table is ready. 

Customers don’t have to stand in line at the entrance. They can relax and do other things while waiting, and they’ll know exactly when their table is ready.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is a system that manages all of your restaurant’s interactions with current and potential customers. The goal of a CRM is to improve relationships with customers. 

CRM functionality stores important information about repeat customers, such as their favorite dishes, seating preferences, or special requests, and offers a more personalized dining experience to customers.

Reporting and Analysis

Collecting and analyzing information is important to know how the restaurant is doing. Reports show how the restaurant looks during busy times, how long people stay, and when reservations are made. You can use the reports to decide how many staff members are needed, what special offers to create, and other ways to improve the restaurant.

POS Integration

A POS (Point of Sale) system is a technology that businesses use to manage sales and transactions. It handles processing orders, managing payments, tracking sales, and handling inventory.

When a customer places their orders, the restaurant staff inputs that order detail into the POS system. The system then sends these orders to the kitchen or bar. 

Restaurants takes bill payments both before and after dine. If you take bills before dine then the POS system will calculate bills right after placing orders. The POS system also generates reports showing sales trends, busy times, and popular items.

Top 15 Table Management Software Solutions

We have explored the key features and importance of table management systems. Now we will explore the top 15 table management system software. Let’s look at what they are, their features, and pricing. 

Toast 

Toast is a cloud-based table management software that helps restaurants keep track of tables and customers. There are different business types in toast: cafe/bakery, casual dining, fine dining, bar/lounge, food truck, hotel restaurant, pizzeria, and brewery. You can choose your business type from them. It has integration capabilities with kitchen display systems, online ordering platforms, and payment processing solutions.

Features of Toast:  

1. Offline mode 
2. 24/4 support 
3. Customized view  
4. 100+ integrations sync with POS 
5. Inventory management 
6. Scheduling 

Pricing: Starter package (Starter Kit) is free. 

Other packages start with $69/months

Open Table 

It’s a cloud-based table management system. Open Table provides real-time reservations for both diners and restaurants. With its existing systems, Open Table can integrate with other booking, POS, payments, marketing, and delivery partners. 

Features of Open Table: 

1. Table management 
2. Real-time inventory 
3. POS integration 
4. Takeout management 
5. In-house and online waitlist.  

Pricing: Starts at $149/month

Eat App 

This is also a cloud-based table management system. Eat App provides real-time website bookings. It has the scope to integrate with Google and social media platforms. You can earn commission fees directly from reservations. You can choose business types of all sizes: restaurants, hotels, F&B groups, bars, winners, etc. from Eat App.

Features of Eat App: 

1. Table management 
2. Online reservations 
3. Guest database and CRM 
4. Waitlist  
5. Dining experience 
6. Marketing 
7. Reports and trends 

Pricing: Monthly package starts with $55/month 

Yearly package starts with $34/month

SevenRooms 

Managing reservations, waitlist, and table booking are provided by SevenRooms. It is a cloud-based table management software.  It is a part of a SevenRoom guest management platform. SevenRooms collects customer data to make a personalized experience for your restaurant business. You can also send personalized and trigger-based emails using CRM data. It has 100+ POS and API integrations. It supports restaurants, restaurant groups, hotels, membership clubs, nightclubs & bars, sports & entertainment, and breweries &wineries businesses.

Features of SevenRooms: 

1. Table management 
2. Reservation and waitlist 
3. Reputation management 
4. API and integrations 
5. Email marketing 

Pricing: For specific pricing information, you have to book a call with the SevenRooms sales team.

The Fork 

You can increase the online visibility of your restaurant using The Fork. You will also get a customized page for free. You can send personalized emails and text messages to your customers and provide special offers. You will get a reservation button for your customers so that they can reserve a table quickly without spending much time. 

Features of The Fork: 

1. Online reservation 
2. Online reviews 
3. Reservation buttons 
4. Customer database 
5. Customer relationship management 
6. Digital dining room plan 

Pricing: Starts with 29 pounds/month

Clover 

With Clover, you can modify the menus, seating, ordering, and payment at the counter. It is a cloud-based restaurant POS system. From the front of the house to the back of the house, your restaurant can maintain ordering efficiently with its order routing, inventory tracking, and real-time order display. From the back of the office, you can maintain operational activities, team performance, and finance – all from a single dashboard.

Features of Clover: 

1. Inventory management 
2. Employee management 
3. POS system 
4. Payment processing 
5. Tracking and reporting 

Pricing: Starts at $165/month

TouchBistro

An all-in-one POS and restaurant management system is TouchBistro. It’s a complete solution for both front and back-of-house operations. You can control the menu, sales, and staff of your entire restaurant from a single platform. You can also customize TouchBistro to meet your restaurant business needs. TouchBistro will help you to save money, monitor staff performance, reduce food waste, and report tools. 

Features of TouchBistro: 

1. Menu management 
2. Staff management 
3. Guest engagement 
4. Payment processing 
5. Reporting and analytics 
6. Tableside ordering 

Pricing: Starts at $69/month

Tock 

You will get an adjustable floor plan with Tock’s restaurant management solution. Tock is nicely designed and it provides rescheduling and customizable floor planning services. Tock also provides the ability to update floor plans and pricing in real time. You will get email and phone support and chat support from the dashboard when you use Tock.

Features of Tock:  

1. Adjustable floor plan 
2. Reservation management 
3. Table management 
4. Customization  
5. Guest data and reports 
6. Waitlist management 

Pricing: Starts at $79/month

Revel 

With Revel’s table management system, you get customizability to match the specific needs of your business. This solution includes features like kitchen management, online ordering, customer display system, drive-thru, POS, third-party integrations, and mobile order tracking.

Features of Ravel System:  

1. Inventory management 
2. Kitchen management 
3. Analytics and data insight 
4. Real-time table tracking  
5. Order management 
6. Customer engagement 
7. POS System 

Pricing: Revel’s pricing depends on the requirements of your business.

Resy 

It’s a cloud-based table management solution. Resy provides features such as customizable restaurant floor plans, real-time table management, and efficient waitlist handling. It also offers personalized SMS text confirmations to keep guests informed, as well as tools for gathering guest feedback to make the dining experience better. With its reporting and analytics capabilities, restaurants can make data-driven decisions to improve service. Resy’s supports ticketing for special events and allows proper coordination of bookings and reservations. 

Features of Resy: 

1. Table management 
2. Restaurant floor plan 
3. Waitlist management 
4. SMS Confirmation 
5. Analytics and Report 
6. Support 

Pricing: Starts at $249/month

TableCheck 

You can manage your bookings from multiple booking channels all from a single dashboard in TableCheck. With TableCheck, you can build direct relationships with your customers. The platform supports smarter decision-making through detailed insights and data analysis. TableCheck helps you to maximize your seating capacity by efficiently managing reservations and waitlists.

Features of TableCheck: 

1. Multi-channel integration
2. 24/7 booking system
3. POS integration
4. Pickup & delivery
5. Custom brand emails
6. Real-time venue booking
7. Social media integration

Pricing: Starts at $250/month

ResDiary

It is a table management solution for restaurants. With ResDiary, you can keep track of table reservations, appointments, and payments all in one place. It shows you which tables or rooms are available in real-time, so you always know what is open. You can also check expenses and plan events quickly. ResDiary makes it simpler to manage everything at your restaurant or hotel and keep things running smoothly.

Features of ResDiary:

1.  Table management
2.  Yield management
3.  Promotions and special events
4.  Advance reporting
5.  Marketing software integration
6.  24/7 support

Pricing: For specific pricing information, you need to contact ResDiary.

resOS 

You can track the available tables and turn the tables faster to customers using resOS. Table management is fully automatic in resOS but if you want then you can do it manually too. You can also combine the available tables for your customers if they want a four-spot seating arrangement. The system will just combine two two-seated tables together, so no booking will be lost. You can also give each table a priority of one to ten. Table of priority 10 will be booked before 1-9. The best tables will be booked in this way first.

Features of resOS:

1. Visual table planner.
2. Online waitlist
3. Automatic customer profiles
4. Booking reminder
5. Schedule management
6. Guest feedback
7. Customization

Pricing: The free version is $0 forever. 

The basic plan starts at $47/per month.

Restroworks

With RestroWorks, you can create and save multiple floor plans for different occasions or seasons. You can easily switch between the floor plans and start the billing operations. You can use color codes to track table status between vacant occupied and billed tables. You can import the existing layout of your floor plan to your POS and there is no need to start from scratch.

Features of Restroworks: 

1. Restaurant POS
2. Table ordering
3. Customer order display. 
4. Queue management
5. Real-time analytics. 

Pricing: Pricing depends on the requirements of your business. 

Sapaad

With the Sapaad table management system, you can view all your orders in one place. You can quickly generate bills and modify your orders. You’ll also know the status of all your tables including which are available and which will be free soon. Defining floors, zones, and tables to match your restaurant’s layout also can be done with Sapaad. This system allows you to manage and move orders between each table. Sapaad is compatible with both Android and iOS devices.

Features of Sapaad:

1. Restaurant POS
2. Inventory management
3. Table management
4. Customer display system
5. Kitchen display system
6. Loyalty management system. 

Pricing: Starts at $39.99/month.

How to Choose the Right Table Management System? 

Choosing the right Table Management System for your restaurant requires considering several important factors. Each factor helps to make sure the system will work well with how your restaurant operates and helps you to provide a better experience for your customers. Here are the factors you need to consider when choosing a system:

• Restaurant Size and Type: The size and type of your restaurant will help you to decide which system you need. If your restaurant is small, choose a system that’s simple and easy to use. Bigger restaurants or restaurant chains might need systems with more advanced features.

• Scalability: Your restaurant may grow over time, and your system should grow with it. Choose a system that can easily add more tables, handle more reservations, and manage larger customer numbers as your business grows. The system should be flexible and not require a lot of changes as you expand

• User-Friendliness: The system should be easy to use for everyone – customers, waiters, chefs, and managers. A difficult system can slow things down and cause mistakes. Choose a system that is simple and clear.

• Customization: Every restaurant is different, so your system should fit your specific needs. A system that you can change and customize will work better for your restaurant. Look for software that lets you change the table layout, reservation times, and seating options.

• Customer Support: Choose a system that offers customer support in case you need help, especially if you operate late or on weekends. Look for a company that responds quickly and can fix problems fast.

• Cost: The price of the system is important. It has to fit your budget, but also give you the features you need to run your restaurant well. You need to compare the costs of different systems and see which one matches your budget. Some systems have one-time fees, while others have monthly subscriptions. Make sure you get good value for the price. It’s also a good idea to try free trials or demos before buying.

• Security: Your system will handle sensitive information like customer data and payments. It’s important to protect this data to keep your customers safe. Choose a system that has strong security features like encryption and user access controls. Also, make sure it follows data protection laws.

• Analytics and Reporting: Information helps you understand your restaurant better. A system that provides reports can show you when you are busiest and what customers prefer. These reports will also help you make smart decisions and improve your business. Choose a system that gives you detailed reports on reservations, table turnover, and customer feedback.

Keep these factors in mind while choosing a table management system. Always keep your business needs on the priority and see if those needs match with the system. You will be able to filter and choose the best fit for your business this way.

Wrapping Up

In this blog, we’ve covered all the essential aspects of a table management system, including its features and benefits. and how it can improve your restaurant’s operations. You’ve learned that these features can greatly benefit you in your restaurant business. You have also learned which factors you need to focus on while choosing a better system.

As you have learned all the ins and outs of a restaurant table management system, it’s time to choose one to start your restaurant business.  

FAQs