This is version 1.0 of the reservation model, and it's published: these weights are final. The table below is generated from the model itself, so its weights are always the ones we use.
We score what a restaurant feels every service, at the host stand and on its bill:
- Cost by channel. What a one-location restaurant with about 200 bookings a month pays over a year: the monthly fee, the fee for each guest who books through the vendor's own diner app or network, any fee for the guests who book on your own website, and setup. We assume 100 guests a month come from the vendor's network; you can change that number in the calculator. Optional add-ons are shown, not added, and a price that isn't published counts as missing, never as zero.
- Reservations and guests. Where guests can book (your website, Google, social media, the vendor's diner app, partner sites), guest profiles with notes and history, texting with guests and email campaigns.
- Tables and waitlist. A floor plan to seat parties and see each table's status, and a waitlist that tells walk-ins when their table is ready.
- Deposits and no-shows. Deposits, prepayments and card guarantees with a no-show fee.
- POS integration. Which POS systems the vendor connects to, and whether the connection comes with the plan we price or only with a higher one.
- Contract and support. The initial term, the early termination fee, the notice to avoid a renewal and live support hours. Every vendor gets the same contract template.
Each feature is scored on the plan the calculator prices: a feature that only comes with a higher plan or as a paid add-on counts for less than one that's included.
In the Spanish edition of this site, the Spanish-language criteria count too: the restaurant's app, the booking page and guest messages, support, the help center and the website in Spanish. In this English edition they aren't part of the score.
Third-party ratings, promotions, referral programs and anything commercial never count toward the score. A system needs enough verified data before it enters any ranking.
Criteria and weights
Spanish-language criteria count only in the Spanish edition
These criteria count only in the Spanish edition of this site: restaurant app in Spanish, booking page and messages in Spanish, support in Spanish, website in Spanish for the US, and help center in Spanish. In this English edition they aren't part of the score, and the weights in the table add up to 100% without them. So a reservation system can have a different RTC Score in each edition.
| Criterion | Pillar | Weight | What we measure | How it's scored |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12-month cost (reference restaurant) | Cost | 22% | 12-month reservation cost | 12-month cost of the reference restaurant: full score at $1,200, zero at $6,000 |
| Table management | Tables and waitlist | 8% | Table management | By option: In the reference plan → 10/10; Paid add-on → 5/10; In a higher plan → 4/10; Not offered → 0/10 |
| Waitlist | Tables and waitlist | 7% | Waitlist | By option: In the reference plan → 10/10; Paid add-on → 5/10; In a higher plan → 4/10; Not offered → 0/10 |
| POS systems it connects to | POS integration | 7% | POS systems it connects to | By option: Toast → 1.4/10; Square → 1.4/10; Clover → 1.4/10; Shift4 POS → 1.4/10; Lightspeed → 1.4/10; SpotOn → 1.4/10; Heartland (Genius) → 1.4/10; TouchBistro → 0/10; Others → 0/10 |
| Published pricing | Cost | 5% | Published pricing | By option: Published → 10/10; Partly published → 5/10; Quote only → 0/10 |
| Where guests can book | Reservations and guests | 5% | Where guests can book | By option: Your website → 2/10; Google → 2/10; Instagram or Facebook → 2/10; The provider's diner app → 2/10; Partner apps and sites → 2/10 |
| Guest profiles | Reservations and guests | 5% | Guest profiles | By option: In the reference plan → 10/10; Paid add-on → 5/10; In a higher plan → 4/10; Not offered → 0/10 |
| Deposits and prepayments | Deposits and no-shows | 5% | Deposits and prepayments | By option: In the reference plan → 10/10; Paid add-on → 5/10; In a higher plan → 4/10; Not offered → 0/10 |
| Card guarantee and no-show fee | Deposits and no-shows | 5% | Card guarantee and no-show fee | By option: In the reference plan → 10/10; Paid add-on → 5/10; In a higher plan → 4/10; Not offered → 0/10 |
| POS integration in the plan | POS integration | 5% | POS integration in the plan | By option: In the reference plan → 10/10; Paid add-on → 5/10; In a higher plan → 4/10; Not offered → 0/10 |
| Initial term | Contract and exit | 5% | Initial term | By steps: Up to 11 months → 10/10; 12–23 months → 7.5/10; 24–35 months → 5/10; 36–47 months → 2.5/10; 48 months or more → 0/10 |
| Texting with guests | Reservations and guests | 4% | Texting with guests | By option: In the reference plan → 10/10; Paid add-on → 5/10; In a higher plan → 4/10; Not offered → 0/10 |
| No charge per guest from your own website | Cost | 3% | Per guest from your own website | Linear: full score at $0, zero at $0.50 |
| Diners from the provider's own app | Reservations and guests | 3% | Diners from the provider's own app | By option: Yes, it has its own diner app → 10/10; Only through partner apps and sites → 5/10; No, only your own channels → 0/10 |
| Email campaigns to your guests | Reservations and guests | 3% | Email campaigns to your guests | By option: In the reference plan → 10/10; Paid add-on → 5/10; In a higher plan → 4/10; Not offered → 0/10 |
| Early termination fee | Contract and exit | 3% | Early termination fee | By option: None → 10/10; You pay the period already billed → 7.5/10; A fixed amount → 5/10; Fees left in the term → 2.5/10; Another formula → 2.5/10 |
| Live support hours a week | Support | 3% | Live support hours a week | Linear: full score at 168, zero at 0 |
| Notice to avoid renewal | Contract and exit | 2% | Notice to avoid renewal | Linear: full score at 30 days, zero at 90 days |
The formula
Each criterion gives a partial score from 0 to 1. The RTC Score is 10 × the weighted average of the criteria we could verify, reduced when data is missing: × (1 − 0.5 × (1 − completeness)). Completeness is the share of the total weight we could verify.
Below 60% completeness, a reservation system is marked as not having enough data and isn't ranked. That check always uses the base weights, so a ranking by type of restaurant never includes a system the overall ranking leaves out. A price the vendor doesn't publish counts as missing: it lowers completeness, and with too little data the system isn't ranked.
Reference profile for cost
Reference: 1 location, 200 bookings a month, 100 guests from the provider's network, 12 months: 1 location(s), 15 people with an account and 0 screen(s) per location, over 12 months.
Assumptions behind the cost criteria
- The cost adds the cheapest plan that covers the reference restaurant (priced per account, location, user or screen), the monthly and yearly fees, usage fees (per guest, text message or invoice) and one-time setup and hardware.
- Optional add-ons are shown on each pricing page but not added. A module the reference restaurant always needs is added.
- A price the provider doesn't publish never counts as $0: the estimate stays incomplete and the cost criterion counts as missing.
- Promotions, like free months, are never taken off the cost and never count in the score.
Weights by type of restaurant
Rankings by type of restaurant multiply some weights. The overall ranking always uses the base weights.
| Type of restaurant | Adjustments |
|---|---|
| Full-service restaurants | Table management ×1.25 · Guest profiles ×1.25 · Card guarantee and no-show fee ×1.25 |
| Small and budget restaurants | 12-month cost (reference restaurant) ×1.25 · Published pricing ×1.25 · Initial term ×1.25 · Early termination fee ×1.25 · Email campaigns to your guests ×0.5 |
| Waitlist-first restaurants | Waitlist ×2 · Texting with guests ×1.5 · Deposits and prepayments ×0.5 · Card guarantee and no-show fee ×0.5 · Diners from the provider's own app ×0.5 |
| Tasting menus and prepaid experiences | Deposits and prepayments ×2 · Card guarantee and no-show fee ×1.5 · Waitlist ×0.5 |
| Multi-location | 12-month cost (reference restaurant) ×0.8 · Guest profiles ×1.5 · POS systems it connects to ×1.25 · POS integration in the plan ×1.25 |
What never affects a score
Commissions, affiliate deals, sponsorships and price requests. The scoring engine has no access to them, and every vendor gets the same rubric.
Changelog
v1.0.0 ·
Published version. The weights of the 0.1.0 draft are now final, so no score changes with this version. This section is no longer a draft.