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Reservation system review

TablesReady

A waitlist and booking system for small restaurants whose price depends on how many text messages you send; online bookings, table management, payments and the Square integration start with the Business plan at $79 a month for 1,000 messages.

By TablesReadyParent company: Table's Ready, LLC

RTC SCORE

8.1

#2 of 14 with enough data

Our verdict

A simple waitlist-plus-bookings system for a small restaurant on Square. Pick the message tier that fits your volume, and count on Business if you want online bookings.

What we like

  • Published prices for every message tier, with no charge per guest.
  • Business brings online bookings, table management, two-way texting, payments and the Square integration together.
  • Month to month on monthly billing, a 14-day trial and a data export you run yourself.

What to watch

  • Online bookings start with Business: Free and Starter are waitlist-first.
  • The price rises with the messages you send, and texting pauses when you hit the monthly limit.
  • Square is the only POS it connects to, and support is by email on weekdays.
  • The restaurant dashboard is only in English.

How the score breaks down

RTC Score8.1out of 10

Methodology v1.0.0

Data completeness92%

We could verify 92% of the scoring data

Strongest points
12-month cost (reference restaurant), Table management, Waitlist
Weakest point
POS systems it connects to

Score by criterion

  • 12-month cost (reference restaurant)Weight 22%Strongest10.0 out of 10

    $948 over 12 months

  • Table managementWeight 8%Strongest10.0 out of 10
  • WaitlistWeight 7%Strongest10.0 out of 10
  • POS systems it connects toWeight 7%Weakest1.4 out of 10
  • Published pricingWeight 5%10.0 out of 10
  • Where guests can bookWeight 5%6.0 out of 10
  • Guest profilesWeight 5%10.0 out of 10
  • Deposits and prepaymentsWeight 5%10.0 out of 10
  • Card guarantee and no-show feeWeight 5%No data
  • POS integration in the planWeight 5%10.0 out of 10
  • Initial termWeight 5%10.0 out of 10
  • Texting with guestsWeight 4%10.0 out of 10
  • No charge per guest from your own websiteWeight 3%10.0 out of 10
  • Diners from the provider's own appWeight 3%0.0 out of 10
  • Email campaigns to your guestsWeight 3%No data
  • Early termination feeWeight 3%7.5 out of 10
  • Live support hours a weekWeight 3%2.7 out of 10
  • Notice to avoid renewalWeight 2%10.0 out of 10

All the data, with sources

Each value links to its source. "Not published" means the vendor doesn't disclose it; "Unconfirmed" means we looked and couldn't confirm it. Data points we have for fewer than four vendors are left out until we can compare them.

Pricing
Data pointValue
Monthly fee$79/moSource: TablesReady (opens in a new tab)Business plan with 1,000 messages a month, billed monthly ($69 a month billed annually). More messages cost more: $109 for 2,500, $139 for 5,000.
Per guest from the provider's network$0Source: TablesReady (opens in a new tab)TablesReady has no diner app of its own and charges nothing per guest.
Per guest from your own website$0Source: TablesReady (opens in a new tab)No charge per guest; the plan price depends on the messages you send.
Published pricingPublishedSource: TablesReady (opens in a new tab)Free, Starter and Business are published; Enterprise is by quote.
Bookings includedCapped (the cap fits about 200 bookings a month)Source: TablesReady (opens in a new tab)With 1,000 messages a month, up to 2,000 parties. Texting pauses at the monthly limit until you add messages.
Free planYesSource: TablesReady (opens in a new tab)Free plan: waitlist only, up to 100 parties and 150 messages a month per location, without online bookings, two-way chat or the Square integration.
Setup feeUnconfirmedSource: TablesReady (opens in a new tab)The pricing page and the help center don't mention a setup fee.
Platform fee on prepayments2%Source: TablesReady (opens in a new tab)On top of Stripe's processing; neither fee is returned when you refund the guest.
Other fees and add-onsThe price goes up with the monthly message allowance (Business from $79 for 1,000 messages to $359 for 30,000). Raising the allowance mid-cycle adds a one-time upgrade charge. Payments for bookings carry a 2% TablesReady fee on top of Stripe's.Source: TablesReady (opens in a new tab)
Reservations and guests
Data pointValue
Where guests can bookYour website, Google, Instagram or FacebookSource: TablesReady (opens in a new tab)Business includes a booking page you can embed on your website, the Reserve with Google integration and a Book Now button for your Facebook page (help center).
Diners from the provider's own appNo, only your own channelsSource: TablesReady (opens in a new tab)Guests book on your own pages, Google or Facebook; TablesReady has no diner app.
Guest profilesIn the reference planSource: TablesReady (opens in a new tab)Customer records keep notes and recent visits; Business adds custom form properties.
Texting with guestsIn the reference planSource: TablesReady (opens in a new tab)Two-way chat starts with Starter, so Business includes it, plus saved replies and SMS automations.
Email campaigns to your guestsUnconfirmedSource: TablesReady (opens in a new tab)We didn't find email campaigns to your guests on the pricing page or in the help center.
Tables and waitlist
Data pointValue
Table managementIn the reference planSource: TablesReady (opens in a new tab)Floor plans and table management are part of Business.
WaitlistIn the reference planSource: TablesReady (opens in a new tab)
Deposits and no-shows
Data pointValue
Deposits and prepaymentsIn the reference planSource: TablesReady (opens in a new tab)Deposits or full payment for online bookings through Stripe, with a cancellation policy that refunds early cancellations automatically.
Card guarantee and no-show feeUnconfirmedSource: TablesReady (opens in a new tab)Bookings can be paid in advance, but we didn't find a card hold with a no-show charge.
POS integration
Data pointValue
POS systems it connects toSquareSource: TablesReady (opens in a new tab)Square only (orders and customers sync to TablesReady). Its help center says it is not integrated with Toast, Clover, TouchBistro or other POS systems; Zapier and an API are options.
POS integration in the planIn the reference planSource: TablesReady (opens in a new tab)
Contract and exit
Data pointValue
Initial termMonth to monthSource: TablesReady (opens in a new tab)Month to month on monthly billing (the price used here). Annual billing lowers the price and runs a year.
Automatic renewal1 monthSource: TablesReady (opens in a new tab)Renews every month on monthly billing, every year on annual billing.
Notice to avoid renewal0 daysSource: TablesReady (opens in a new tab)You cancel in your account settings before the renewal date; it takes effect at the end of the cycle already paid.
Early termination feeYou pay the period already billedSource: TablesReady (opens in a new tab)
Early termination clauseNo early termination fee, but the billing cycle already paid is not refunded. Within 7 days after a renewal you can ask for a refund, which TablesReady may grant if you haven't used the service. On annual billing you can ask for a prorated refund only in the first six months, and the months used are charged at the full monthly price (Terms of Service, Part A, section 7).Source: TablesReady (opens in a new tab)
Right to raise pricesTablesReady may change the fees for existing products; a change takes effect in the billing cycle after it notifies you (Terms of Service, Part A, section 7).Source: TablesReady (opens in a new tab)
Your guest data when you leaveYou can download them yourselfSource: TablesReady (opens in a new tab)An admin downloads customers and parties as a CSV (data exports come with Business). By default data is deleted 18 months after the last login.
Support
Data pointValue
Support 24/7NoSource: TablesReady (opens in a new tab)
Live support hours a week45Source: TablesReady (opens in a new tab)Email support, Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern; phone support is only on Enterprise.
Language
Data pointValue
Restaurant app in SpanishNoSource: TablesReady (opens in a new tab)
Booking page and messages in SpanishNoSource: TablesReady (opens in a new tab)You can write your own texts and messages in Spanish, but buttons, column names and the disclaimer stay in English.
Help center in SpanishNoSource: TablesReady (opens in a new tab)The help center is in English.
Website in Spanish for the USNoSource: TablesReady (opens in a new tab)The website is in English, with no Spanish version.

More about TablesReady

How we score