The Reservation Wars: How to Pick the Right Platform For Your Business

If you were a restaurant operator 15 years ago and you took reservations, your options were pretty slim. Either you went the old-fashioned route and manually jotted them down in a book, or you were using OpenTable. OpenTable was a virtual monopoly, and most operators felt they were being gouged, but saw it as a necessary evil. There was the upfront fee, the $1 fee per cover for reservations made through their website, plus another fee for covers booked in-house; OpenTable was making cash on every guest that walked through the door. But there was virtually no competition. A few minor competitors existed, but they were more like seating apps than actual reservation platforms.

Yelp got into the game in 2010 via a partnership with OpenTable. But it wasn’t until Resy launched in 2014 that the game really changed. Soon after tech startups threw their hat in the ring launching Reserve, SevenRooms, and Tock. At some point the credit card companies took notice and realized that the reservation platform was a great way to offer amenities to their best cardholders. American Express bought Resy in 2019, then bought Tock five years later. Capital One partnered with SevenRooms in 2022, and most recently Chase and Visa got involved with OpenTable.

That leads us to where we are today, with the ‘reservation wars’ in full swing. As a recent New York Times article points out, there’s a lot of money on the table to lure the hottest restaurants onto one platform or another. OpenTable, Resy, SevenRooms, and Tock are the major players now, and figuring out which one is right for your business isn’t simple. Let’s break it down.

OpenTable: The Legacy Brand Regaining Its Mojo

OpenTable launched in 1998 and became the gold standard for online reservations. For years, it was the only game in town. That monopoly has been challenged in the last decade, but OpenTable still has the widest reach, especially in high-tourism markets and with a slightly older demographic. I tend to push towards OpenTable in markets where there is higher European tourist traffic. The reservation platform competition is much higher in Europe, but the only domestic platform with any traction is OpenTable, so, when visiting, European travellers tend to lean towards the platform they know. 

The downside? That $1-per-cover fee they charge if the reservation comes through their website. Bookings through your own site’s widget are free. But if guests aren’t going to your website, and are instead finding you through OpenTable’s search engine, you’re stuck with that fee every time someone books a two-top for a meal. (I’ve spoken with a few operators who claim that they’re paying a higher monthly fee to avoid the booking fee, but I haven’t seen the contracts, so I cannot confirm.)

Recently, OpenTable has been spending serious cash to get back its mojo — thanks in part to its partnership with Chase, which lets them cross-market to the bank’s cardholders. They’ve been cutting some sizable checks to lure “hot” restaurants back onto the platform. But don’t expect those incentives if you're a smaller neighborhood independent in a second-tier market; those dollars are flowing to high profile spots in major markets.

My one lasting grudge with OpenTable is that there was a time, not too long ago, when you would find restaurants on OpenTable constantly without reservations available…because they weren’t actually on OpenTable. It happened to some friends’ restaurants as well as my former business partner’s restaurant. When you looked for the restaurant, there were never reservations available, but it would guide you towards similar options, where there were reservations. Pretty shady! I haven’t heard of it happening in a few years, but still.

Resy: Cool, Clean, But a Little Pricey

Ah, Resy — the hipster cool kid of reservation platforms. Stylish, design-forward, and backed by American Express, which acquired them in 2019.

Resy gained traction as the anti-OpenTable. There are no per-cover fees, and the user experience (for both guests and operators) is somewhat smoother than OpenTable’s. It’s got a cool factor, and for diners in major markets, Resy is the go-to. If your restaurant’s got a natural wine list, a vinyl record player, serves "small plates," or is a perennial hot spot, you’re probably on Resy.

The downside? It’s not as effective in smaller markets. Outside the big cities, diners don’t gravitate towards Resy. There’s also been noise about glitches — user crashes, system hiccups — though sources say Resy has been bumping up support to address them. In terms of pricing, it usually runs a little bit higher than OpenTable on monthly fees, but without the per-reservation cost. So is it a better deal? If you are a place that’s getting 1,000 bookings a month from the OpenTable search engine, it’s definitely a better deal. But, then again, would you still get those 1,000 bookings?

Tock: The Ticketmaster of Fine Dining (and Takeout)

Tock has always been a bit of an outlier and for a specific niche. Founded by Nick Kokonas of Alinea Group fame, it was brought into the world to serve fine dining and ticketed experiences, and it still does that better than anyone. Chef’s counter experience? A wine pairing event? Thanksgiving feast? Tock’s your best bet.

Much like Resy, Tock is now also owned by American Express (Amex is building a dining empire). Tock has a strong system for prepaid reservations, events, and integrated takeout — arguably better than any of the other platforms.

Where it struggles is discovery. If you’re a diner just deciding where to eat tonight, you’re not starting on Tock’s site. You’re on OpenTable or Resy. That lack of a compelling search engine makes it less appealing for operators who want foot traffic from new guests, not just existing fans.

If your model includes curated tasting menus, Tock does the job, and does it well. But if you’re a mid-range bistro trying to fill seats, its reach might feel limited.

SevenRooms: Data, Personalization — and Now, DoorDash

SevenRooms has always been the dark horse in this race. Launched in 2011, SevenRooms is less flash than Resy and less ubiquitous than OpenTable, but far more powerful behind the scenes. It's not built to help diners find you. It's built to make sure they come back.

The platform’s superpower lies in deep customer relationship management and POS integration. Your host can pull up a returning guest’s full history — what they ordered, how much they spent, where they like to sit — and it’s comprehensive and valuable info. SevenRooms’ next-level personalization is particularly great for operators who want to anticipate their guests’ needs, not just react to them, and go that extra mile.

They’ve been gradually gaining traction, especially after forming a partnership with Capital One to offer exclusive reservations to cardholders. But even bigger than the Capital One partnership is that DoorDash is buying SevenRooms for a reported $1.2 billion in a deal that’s expected to close in the second half of 2025.

That changes the game.

On one hand, this gives SevenRooms major firepower — more resources, better integration across delivery and in-house experiences, and a reach not previously afforded. DoorDash wants to unify the ecosystem, giving restaurants tools to drive not just reservations but revenue, whether that's dine-in or delivery. And if done right, it could help smaller operators punch above their weight.

On the flip side: DoorDash isn’t exactly known for handing control to restaurants. There are very real concerns about data ownership and brand autonomy, and whether this will skew the lines between your restaurant and DoorDash’s sprawling third-party commerce machine. If your hard-won guest data ends up feeding DoorDash’s algorithm more than your coffers, is it still yours?

Add to that the fact that SevenRooms still doesn’t have a public-facing discovery engine like Resy or OpenTable — diners can’t browse and stumble upon your place. they need to know where they’re going — and that’s a hurdle for restaurants trying to grow awareness outside their existing guest base.

Still, if your goal is to build loyalty, deepen relationships, and operate at a high level of hospitality, SevenRooms is hard to beat. Just be aware that with the DoorDash era looming, the platform’s identity and independence may be shifting.

Google and Yelp: The Stragglers With Reach but Little Respect

As much as I don’t want to discuss these platforms, I would be remiss to not mention Google reservations and Yelp’s reservation tools. Not because they’re beloved — they aren’t — but because they exist, and diners use them, often without realizing it.

Google’s “Reserve with Google” function integrates with third-party platforms (like OpenTable, Resy, or Tock) and lets diners book directly from a restaurant’s Google listing. Very useful from a guest convenience standpoint, but kind of a black box for operators — you’re still depending on whatever platform is powering the back end, with little insight or control over the guest journey.

Yelp, on the other hand, still offers a built-in reservation and waitlist tool — formerly Yelp Reservations, now folded into Yelp Guest Manager. It’s functional, but here’s the honest truth: most restaurants still view Yelp as a review platform first and a necessary evil at best. The integration with POS systems is limited, the customization is minimal, and while it can be cheap or free depending on promotions, it doesn’t offer much beyond basic table management.

Diners might stumble in through Google or Yelp — but for serious operators looking to build long-term relationships, loyalty, and a brand beyond “we showed up on search,” these platforms are side doors, not front entrances.

So… Which One Should You Use?

It depends on what kind of restaurant you run, and what you’re optimizing for.

• Need visibility and are in a tourist market? OpenTable still has the biggest footprint.

• Chasing the youth and the cool kid aura or care about user experience? Resy is your scene.

• Hosting ticketed dinners or pushing delivery and takeout for a fine dining space? Tock. 

• Want to know everything about every guest before they walk in? SevenRooms will get you there.

The last option, which is increasingly common, is you run multiple platforms. Yes, it’s a pain in the ass. Yes, it costs more. There is more time involved in flipping between the sites to make sure you don’t overbook. But in a landscape where diners are split across ecosystems, restaurants are learning to be everywhere at once.

One thing’s clear: whoever controls the reservation button is shaping your business — they aren’t just filling your seats.