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Reservation system review

Yelp Guest Manager

Reservations and waitlist from Yelp, with tables listed on Yelp, Google and Apple Maps and no fee per guest. Basic costs $159 a month for up to 500 booked guests; the floor plan, guest profiles and POS integration start with Plus.

By YelpParent company: Yelp Inc.

RTC SCORE

6.3

#12 of 14 with enough data

Our verdict

A flat monthly price with no fee per guest and the reach of Yelp, Google and Apple Maps. Count on Plus if you need a floor plan, guest profiles or your POS connected, and ask for the term and exit fee in writing before you sign.

What we like

  • No fee per guest on any plan, and your tables show on Yelp, Google and Apple Maps.
  • Published prices, with the waitlist and two-way texting on the cheapest plan.
  • An iPad comes with every plan.

What to watch

  • The floor plan, guest profiles, card holds and POS integration start with Plus, at $349 a month.
  • Basic caps bookings at 500 guests a month.
  • The term and any early termination fee are set in each purchase order, not published.
  • No deposits or prepaid experiences, and phone support is not around the clock.

How the score breaks down

RTC Score6.3out of 10

Methodology v1.0.0

Data completeness89%

We could verify 89% of the scoring data

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

Score by criterion

  • 12-month cost (reference restaurant)Weight 22%Strongest8.5 out of 10

    $1,908 over 12 months

  • Table managementWeight 8%4.0 out of 10
  • WaitlistWeight 7%Strongest10.0 out of 10
  • POS systems it connects toWeight 7%Weakest1.4 out of 10
  • Published pricingWeight 5%Strongest10.0 out of 10
  • Where guests can bookWeight 5%10.0 out of 10
  • Guest profilesWeight 5%4.0 out of 10
  • Deposits and prepaymentsWeight 5%0.0 out of 10
  • Card guarantee and no-show feeWeight 5%4.0 out of 10
  • POS integration in the planWeight 5%4.0 out of 10
  • Initial termWeight 5%No data
  • 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%10.0 out of 10
  • Email campaigns to your guestsWeight 3%No data
  • Early termination feeWeight 3%No data
  • Live support hours a weekWeight 3%4.9 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$159/moSource: Yelp (opens in a new tab)Basic plan billed monthly ($129 a month billed annually). Plus is $349 a month ($279 billed annually); Enterprise is priced by quote.
Per guest from the provider's network$0Source: Yelp (opens in a new tab)No charge per guest who books through Yelp.
Per guest from your own website$0Source: Yelp (opens in a new tab)
Published pricingPublishedSource: Yelp (opens in a new tab)
Bookings includedCapped (the cap fits about 200 bookings a month)Source: Yelp (opens in a new tab)Basic allows up to 500 booked guests a month; Plus and Enterprise have no cap.
Free planNoSource: Yelp (opens in a new tab)
Setup feeNot publishedSource: Yelp (opens in a new tab)The pricing page does not mention a setup fee.
Platform fee on prepaymentsN/ASource: Yelp (opens in a new tab)Yelp Guest Manager does not sell prepaid experiences.
Other fees and add-onsYelp Kiosk (guest check-in) is a $99 a month add-on and the Guest Experience Survey $129 a month. Every plan comes with an iPad that you return when you leave (or buy, if Yelp offers it). Card charges for no-show fees go through Stripe and its processing fees.Source: Yelp (opens in a new tab)
Reservations and guests
Data pointValue
Where guests can bookYour website, Google, Instagram or Facebook, The provider's diner app, Partner apps and sitesSource: Yelp (opens in a new tab)Every plan books on Yelp, Google Search and Apple Maps and adds booking links for Facebook, Instagram and TikTok; the agreement describes the Yelp widget for your own website, and the product page adds ChatGPT.
Diners from the provider's own appYes, it has its own diner appSource: Yelp (opens in a new tab)
Guest profilesIn a higher planSource: Yelp (opens in a new tab)Guest profiles, the guestbook and guest email capture start with Plus ($349 a month).
Texting with guestsIn the reference planSource: Yelp (opens in a new tab)Two-way texting is checked on every plan.
Email campaigns to your guestsUnconfirmedSource: Yelp (opens in a new tab)The plan table lists guest email capture on Plus, but no email campaigns to your guests.
Tables and waitlist
Data pointValue
Table managementIn a higher planSource: Yelp (opens in a new tab)Basic manages reservations and guaranteed seating areas; the customizable floor plan starts with Plus.
WaitlistIn the reference planSource: Yelp (opens in a new tab)
Deposits and no-shows
Data pointValue
Deposits and prepaymentsNot offeredSource: Yelp (opens in a new tab)The plan table lists credit card holds, not deposits or prepayments, and the agreement limits card holds to your cancellation policy.
Card guarantee and no-show feeIn a higher planSource: Yelp (opens in a new tab)Credit card holds start with Plus; you can charge a no-show fee only if your cancellation policy states it.
POS integration
Data pointValue
POS systems it connects toToast, OthersSource: Yelp (opens in a new tab)Yelp's integration page lists Toast, NCR Aloha, Oracle Micros, Squirrel, Dinerware and Xpient. Square, Clover, Shift4 POS, Lightspeed, SpotOn and Heartland were not found.
POS integration in the planIn a higher planSource: Yelp (opens in a new tab)POS integration starts with Plus.
Contract and exit
Data pointValue
Initial termQuote onlySource: Yelp (opens in a new tab)The term is set in each purchase order. If the order sets none, the agreement runs until you end it with 30 days' notice.
Automatic renewal1 monthSource: Yelp (opens in a new tab)
Notice to avoid renewal30 daysSource: Yelp (opens in a new tab)Subject to any early termination fee in your purchase order.
Early termination feeQuote onlySource: Yelp (opens in a new tab)An early termination fee applies only if your purchase order sets one, and Yelp does not publish the amount.
Early termination clauseQuote onlySource: Yelp (opens in a new tab)The fee applies only if your purchase order sets one and you cancel Guest Manager before the end of the term; Yelp does not publish the amount (agreement, section 9.6).
Right to raise pricesFees are fixed for any committed term in your purchase order. Without one, Yelp may change its fees at its discretion 40 days after emailing you, and you may end the service before the new price takes effect (agreement, section 6.1).Source: Yelp (opens in a new tab)
Your guest data when you leaveUnconfirmedSource: Yelp (opens in a new tab)The agreement does not say how you get your guest data when you leave.
Support
Data pointValue
Support 24/7NoSource: Yelp (opens in a new tab)
Live support hours a week83Source: Yelp (opens in a new tab)Phone support 13 hours on weekdays and 9 hours on weekend days (Pacific time).
Language
Data pointValue
Restaurant app in SpanishUnconfirmedSource: Yelp (opens in a new tab)We didn't find a page where Yelp documents the Guest Manager iPad app or dashboard in Spanish.
Booking page and messages in SpanishUnconfirmedSource: Yelp (opens in a new tab)We didn't find a page where Yelp documents the booking page or guest messages in Spanish; the Kiosk page says guests can check in in their preferred language without naming Spanish.
Help center in SpanishNoSource: Yelp (opens in a new tab)Asking the restaurant help center for Spanish (es_US) returns the English version.
Website in Spanish for the USNoSource: Yelp (opens in a new tab)The Yelp for Restaurants site is in English and has no Spanish version.

More about Yelp Guest Manager

How we score