What Claude (Anthropic) with web search answered for reservation systems (restaurants) on 2026-09-22

Claude (Anthropic) with web search claude-opus-5 asked 2026-09-22

Coverage: Claude (Anthropic) with web search. Other engines not included.

The question asked, verbatim: best reservation systems for restaurants

Brands named, in the order the engine gave

1. OpenTable mentioned
   OpenTable - Still the default, and the only one with a diner network big enough to genuinely fill seats.
2. Resy recommended
   Resy - My pick for most urban, reservation-driven restaurants.
3. Amex mentioned
   It's Amex-owned, has a real (if smaller) consumer marketplace, and critically it's flat-rate - roughly $249/mo with no per-cover fees, so your bill doesn't punish you for a busy month.
4. SevenRooms mentioned
   SevenRooms - The one to choose if guest data is the point.
5. Tock mentioned
   Tock - Best if you take deposits or sell tickets: tasting menus, chef's counters, wine dinners, pop-ups.
6. Toast mentioned
   Toast Tables - If you're already on Toast POS, just use this.
7. Toast Tables mentioned
   Toast Tables - If you're already on Toast POS, just use this.
8. Yelp mentioned
   Yelp Guest Manager - Good for high-volume casual places where the waitlist matters more than the reservation book.
9. Yelp Guest Manager mentioned
   Yelp Guest Manager - Good for high-volume casual places where the waitlist matters more than the reservation book.
10. Tablein mentioned
    Tablein or Eat App - Budget picks for a small independent that just needs a clean booking widget and a digital book.
11. Eat App mentioned
    Tablein or Eat App - Budget picks for a small independent that just needs a clean booking widget and a digital book.

Sources the engine cited

The answer, as recorded

Here's how I'd actually rank them, based on what kind of restaurant you're running. The big split is **marketplaces that bring you new diners** (you pay for demand) vs. **tools that run on your own demand** (you pay a flat fee and keep the guest data). **1. OpenTable** - Still the default, and the only one with a diner network big enough to genuinely fill seats. Worth it if you need new-guest acquisition. The catch is the pricing model: subscription plus per-cover fees (commonly cited around $0.25-$1.50 per cover, with full-service plans running into the thousands per year), so the cost scales with your success. [touchbistro.com](https://www.touchbistro.com/blog/best-restaurant-reservation-systems/) **2. Resy** - My pick for most urban, reservation-driven restaurants. It's Amex-owned, has a real (if smaller) consumer marketplace, and critically it's flat-rate - roughly $249/mo with no per-cover fees, so your bill doesn't punish you for a busy month. Strongest in major US cities; weak if you're not in one. [ustechautomations.com](https://ustechautomations.com/resources/blog/automate-opentable-vs-resy-2026) **3. SevenRooms** - The one to choose if guest data is the point. Deep CRM, guest profiles, marketing automation, and you own the relationship rather than renting it from a marketplace. Popular with hotel F&B and multi-outlet groups. Quote-based pricing, generally ~$500/mo and up, and it brings you zero inbound diners - you supply the demand. [sevenrooms.com](https://sevenrooms.com/blog/restaurant-reservation-system-comparison-guide/) **4. Tock** - Best if you take deposits or sell tickets: tasting menus, chef's counters, wine dinners, pop-ups. Prepayment is native rather than bolted on, and it avoids per-cover fees (~$199/mo, with a transaction cut on prepaid bookings). Overkill for a neighborhood bistro doing standard two-tops. [restauranttools.ai](https://restauranttools.ai/blog/best-restaurant-reservation-systems-2026) **5. Toast Tables** - If you're already on Toast POS, just use this. Reservations, waitlist, and table management tied directly to check and ticket data, at $50/mo basic or $199/mo for Plus. The integration is the whole argument; standalone it's not better than the above. [pos.toasttab.com](https://pos.toasttab.com/products/toast-tables) **6. Yelp Guest Manager** - Good for high-volume casual places where the waitlist matters more than the reservation book. Self-serve waitlist, text updates, Yelp discovery, and it plugs into Reserve with Google. Starts around $99/mo. [business.yelp.com](https://business.yelp.com/restaurants/products/yelp-guest-manager/) **7. Tablein or Eat App** - Budget picks for a small independent that just needs a clean booking widget and a digital book. Tablein runs ~$80-115/mo and is the more polished of the two; Eat App starts ~$49/mo and has a free tier, but a clunkier interface. Neither brings you diners, and Tablein lacks POS integration and waitlist. [tablein.com](https://www.tablein.com/blog/best-restaurant-reservation-software) · [restaurant.eatapp.co](https://restaurant.eatapp.co/blog/online-restaurant-reservation-systems) **Short version:** new restaurant that needs to be found → OpenTable. Established restaurant with its own following → Resy, or SevenRooms if you'll actually use the CRM. Prix fixe or deposits → Tock. Already on Toast → Toast Tables. One caveat: a lot of what ranks for this query is vendor-authored or affiliate content, including several sites pushing their own product as "#1." Treat every price above as a starting point and get a real quote - OpenTable and SevenRooms in particular negotiate, and effective cost depends heavily on your cover volume. Sources: - [The 6 Best Restaurant Reservation Systems for 2026 - TouchBistro](https://www.touchbistro.com/blog/best-restaurant-reservation-systems/) - [OpenTable vs Resy: 7 Key Differences for Restaurants 2026](https://ustechautomations.com/resources/blog/automate-opentable-vs-resy-2026) - [Restaurant Reservation System Comparison Guide - SevenRooms](https://sevenrooms.com/blog/restaurant-reservation-system-comparison-guide/) - [Best Restaurant Reservation Systems 2026 - RestaurantTools.ai](https://restauranttools.ai/blog/best-restaurant-reservation-systems-2026) - [Toast Tables | Restaurant Reservation Software](https://pos.toasttab.com/products/toast-tables) - [Yelp Guest Manager](https://business.yelp.com/restaurants/products/yelp-guest-manager/) - [The 12 Best Online Restaurant Reservation Software Solutions - Tablein](https://www.tablein.com/blog/best-restaurant-reservation-software) - [13 Best Online Restaurant Reservation Systems in 2026 - Eat App](https://restaurant.eatapp.co/blog/online-restaurant-reservation-systems)

Markdown edition · the question page, with every recording · Answer Watch · AEO Watch

Answer Watch records what one AI answer engine said on one date, nothing more. Each page names the engine and the model, carries the date the question was asked, and lists the brands that appeared in the answer in the order the engine gave them, with the sources it cited. It is a measurement, not a ranking, not a recommendation and not a claim about the world. Brands that did not appear in an answer are not named on any public page. Coverage: Claude (Anthropic) with web search. Other engines not included.