OpenTable vs. ResDiary - which platform is best for your business to use?
This is a common question, as both booking management solutions are very similar. However, each solution also offers something unique and can be used in a slightly different way.
The one you decide to use should depend on how your restaurant wants to offer reservations, and what kind of additional features you’d like beyond simple table management.
To help make this decision, we’ve broken down the specific features, pros, and cons of each platform in detail.
What is OpenTable
OpenTable is a software platform that facilitates online restaurant reservations.
The platform serves as a bridge between diners and restaurants, allowing users to easily search for available dining options based on various criteria like location, cuisine type, and party size. Through OpenTable, diners can make reservations at their preferred restaurants without the need for phone calls or physical visits.
The software streamlines the reservation process, offering users the convenience of browsing through a range of restaurant options, checking real-time availability, and securing a table at their desired time.
For restaurants, OpenTable provides a system for managing reservations efficiently, helping to optimize table occupancy and improve overall customer service. This software ultimately aims to enhance the dining experience by simplifying the booking process for both diners and restaurants. It also gives restaurants an extra option for securing bookings - which is always useful.
Who is OpenTable for?
OpenTable is a great hospitality industry tool, designed for both diners and restaurants.
Diners
OpenTable is for individuals or groups looking to make restaurant reservations conveniently and efficiently. It caters to diners seeking to discover, explore, and book tables at restaurants that match their needs. It can also be a great tool to help diners discover new restaurants.
Restaurants
OpenTable is also for any restaurant seeking a streamlined system to manage their reservations, optimize table occupancy, and enhance customer service.
The platform provides tools and resources for restaurants to handle bookings, seating arrangements, and customer interactions effectively. The platform also includes a range of extra tools that can help restaurants enhance their operations and marketing efforts. This can help you run a much smoother front-of-house.
What is ResDiary?
ResDiary is also a software platform designed to manage restaurant reservations. It’s a comprehensive tool for both diners and restaurants, allowing users to make and manage reservations efficiently.
ResDiary does not have an app or platform that diners access. Instead, the platform allows restaurants to build and embed a booking calendar on their online channels - like their website. It’s a slightly more customized solution compared to OpenTable.
For diners, ResDiary provides a user-friendly interface to explore various dining options, check availability, and book tables at restaurants.
For restaurants, ResDiary offers a system to effectively manage reservations, optimize table occupancy, and improve overall customer service. It provides tools for table management, waitlist management, yield management, group dental reservations, and more.
This enables restaurants to streamline their operations and enhance the dining experience - which is always something most restaurants are interested in.
Who is ResDiary for?
Just like OpenTable, ResDiary is designed to serve both diners and restaurants.
Diners get to use the booking tools to easily make online reservations and manage their booking. This can be particularly useful if you need to make a booking for a large group.
For restaurants, ResDiary makes managing reservations a seamless process. You can easily manage all bookings through the platform for a far more efficient font-of-house system. There are also a few extra tools that make restaurant operations easier to manage.
OpenTable Main Features
To understand the differences between OpenTable vs. Resdiary, we’ll need to take a deeper dive into the specific features and functions of each platform.
Here are some of the key features and abilities of OpenTable.
Online Reservations
OpenTable is a reservation management platform. This is the main focus of the software and the key reason why restaurants use it.
Users can browse and make restaurant reservations conveniently through the online platform or mobile app, selecting specific dates, times, and party sizes.
Restaurants can seamlessly receive bookings through the app, and easily manage them from the backend of the platform. This includes setting availability, confirming, modifying, or canceling reservations.
Table Management
Restaurants can optimize their seating arrangements by visualizing and organizing tables, ensuring maximum capacity utilization and smooth operations. This is easy to do on the platform, which can help optimize your restaurant’s floor plan.
Guest Management
Restaurants can keep track of guest preferences, special occasions, and dining histories, enabling personalized service and tailored experiences.
This is one of the most useful benefits of a reservation management system, as these insights can be highly beneficial for your restaurant marketing and for improving guest experiences.
Waitlist Management
Handling walk-in customers becomes more organized with the waitlist feature, enabling restaurants to manage the queue effectively.
Reviews and Ratings
OpenTable allows diners to leave reviews and ratings. This provides valuable feedback for restaurants to improve their services, and it helps restaurants build up more credibility in the eyes of potential customers.
Marketing Tools
Restaurants can utilize OpenTable’s promotional features to attract customers. This includes things like special offers, events, and featured listings.
There are also some great customer loyalty features, like customized email campaigns, guest notes, and scorecards. These can help you generate that all-important repeat business.
Analytics and Reporting
Access to data analytics helps restaurants understand booking trends, peak times, and other insights to optimize operations and marketing strategies.
Integration
OpenTable integrates with various restaurant management systems and POS solutions. This streamlines operations and data synchronization, making it easy to fit OpenTable into your existing restaurant software.
Mobile App
OpenTable's mobile app offers on-the-go access for both restaurants and diners, making reservations and management more convenient.
ResDiary Main Features
ResDiary offers many similar features to OpenTable. Although, the platform is unique, and does include a few slightly different functions for restaurant owners.
Online Booking System
Like OpenTable, ResDiary is a booking management tool at its core.
The platform provides diners with an online platform or app to search for restaurants, check real-time availability, and make reservations based on preferred dates, times, and party sizes.
Restaurants can seamlessly manage and accept bookings through the platform, and easily set their availability for customers. The platform also makes it easy for restaurants to manage table allocation and seating arrangements.
The yield management function also makes it easier to share booking information with kitchen staff to help them manage their day. This makes things like inventory management and food ordering a more organized process.
Online Ordering
Customers can also place orders online through ResDiary. This makes it a handy tool to open up new ordering channels.
You could use this for expanding your restaurant operations, or for making group bookings easier by allowing customers to place their orders in advance. This can offer a better guest experience, and it makes managing each table a lot smoother.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
One of the great things about using a reservation system like ResDiary is that you can collect a lot of customer data.
The platform allows restaurants to create and manage guest profiles, enabling more personalized service and tailored experiences for regular patrons.
Guest Loyalty
resDiary includes some handy guest loyalty features to keep your diners coming back. Guests can gift dining experiences with the platform, which can be a great way to attract new customers.
Marketing Tools
While it’s far from a marketing platform, ResDiary does include some useful features for attracting new guests.
This includes tools that allow you to promote deals, events, and menus online. This can make your restaurant more visible to new guests, which can be a great way to attract new business.
Automated Confirmations and Reminders
ResDiary sends automated confirmations and reminders to both diners and restaurants, reducing the likelihood of missed reservations or no-shows.
Integrations
ResDiary offers integrations with various systems and platforms for seamless restaurant operations. It’s easy to fit the software into whatever POS or restaurant management system that you’re using.
OpenTable Pros and Cons
Pros
- User-Friendly Platform: OpenTable provides a simple and intuitive interface for users to search, explore, and book restaurants effortlessly.
- Wide Restaurant Network: It offers access to a broad range of restaurants, allowing users to discover various dining options based on preferences such as cuisine, location, and reviews. As a restaurant, this can help you gain visibility and attract new customers.
- Real-Time Availability: The platform shows real-time availability, enabling users to instantly see which restaurants have open tables that match their desired date, time, and party size.
- Easy Reservation Management: OpenTable includes a range of table and reservation management features that help restaurants provide a more seamless guest experience.
Cons
- Requires Customers to Use the App: Not all diners browse OpenTable, so it could limit the platform’s use. You may need an additional reservation management system to add a booking calendar to your website.
- Service Fees for Restaurants: OpenTable charges restaurant fees for each reservation made through the platform, which can add up.
ResDiary Pros and Cons
Pros
- Customization and Flexibility: ResDiary offers customizable features and flexible settings, allowing restaurants to tailor the platform to their specific needs and preferences.
- Comprehensive Table Management: The platform includes various tools for managing table allocations, seating arrangements, and optimizing bookings, enhancing overall operational efficiency.
- Integration Capabilities: ResDiary integrates well with various systems and platforms, allowing for smooth operations and enhanced functionality.
- Online Ordering: ResDiary’s online ordering function is something that makes the platform unique. This can be a really useful feature for improving guest experiences even more and making group bookings easier to manage.
Cons
- Limited Restaurant Network: Compared to OpenTable, ResDiary does not offer the same kind of brand exposure and restaurant network.
- Requires Some Technical Knowledge: While the platform is easy to use, it does require some technical skills to set up and customize your booking calendar.
OpenTable vs. Resdiary: Which is Best for Your Business?
So, Opentable vs. ResDiary - which should your restaurant use?
This can be a tricky decision, as both platforms offer very similar features. However, each one is unique.
The major drawcard of using OpenTable is that you can put your restaurant on the platform’s large network. This can give you a lot of exposure to new customers, making it a valuable marketing tool.
OpenTable is also more of a customer-centric platform. It’s designed for customers to use, so it offers an exceptional booking and guest experience. It’s also a very popular and well-established software solution, and it includes many features and small details that have been proven to help restaurant owners.
However, it can be expensive, and it’s not always the type of booking system restaurants are interested in.
ResDiary is a good idea if you’re after a booking calendar to publish online and through social media. You don't get to join the large OpenTable restaurant network, but you can customize your booking calendar a bit more. There are also plenty of extra features from ResDiary that can help make running your restaurant a much smoother process.
Both platforms offer a solid range of integrations and other operational features that you can use to streamline your day-to-day. Ultimately, the right solution really just comes down to what kind of booking experience you want to offer, what restaurant management software you already use, and how you want guests to request bookings.
Conclusion
Doing a ResDiary Opentable comparison shows you just how similar each platform is. At the same time, each platform also offers its own unique use cases and advantages.
Deciding which one is best for your restaurant just comes down to how your operations are run, what kind of software you already use, and what kind of booking experience you want to create.
If your venue also hosts events, then you’ll need to use an event management system to streamline your operations and improve customer experiences. Try Perfect Venue to see how the platform can make running the events side of your restaurant a whole lot easier.
