How to Take Restaurant Bookings Online (Operator Guide)

To take restaurant bookings online, you need an online booking system — software that lets guests reserve a table directly from your website or a hosted booking page, then automatically confirms and reminds them. In practice, you sign up for a reservation platform like TableNest, set your table availability and service times, then add a booking widget to your own site (or share a hosted booking link on social media and email). Guests choose a date, time and party size, enter their details, and receive an instant confirmation — no phone call required. You manage every reservation from a single dashboard, and automated SMS reminders cut no-shows. The whole setup takes an afternoon, works around the clock, and captures bookings even when your phone line is busy or your venue is closed.

How does a restaurant take bookings online?

A restaurant takes bookings online by using reservation software that sits between your available tables and the guest making the request. Here is the basic flow from setup to seated guest:

Choose an online booking platform and set your service times, table inventory and party-size limits.
Add the booking tool to your venue — either by embedding a widget on your own website or by sharing a hosted booking page link.
The guest selects a time, enters their contact details, and submits the request.
The system checks live availability and confirms the booking instantly, sending an SMS or email confirmation.
You see the reservation appear in your dashboard, ready for service.

With TableNest, both surfaces are covered: an embeddable widget for your own site and a hosted booking page you can link from Instagram, Facebook or your email signature. To be clear, TableNest does not integrate with "Book on Google" or Reserve with Google — bookings come through your own channels, which keeps the guest relationship (and the data) with you. You can read more about how the platform handles this in our restaurant reservation software overview.

What do you need to start taking online bookings?

You need surprisingly little to start. The essentials are:

A booking platform — the software that manages availability, confirmations and your reservation diary.
A place to put it — either a website where you can embed a widget, or a hosted booking page if you don't have a site.
Your service details — opening hours, sittings, table counts and maximum party sizes.
A way to reach guests — a mobile number and email so the system can send confirmations and reminders.

That's genuinely it. You don't need a developer, and you don't need to rebuild your website. If you already have a site, the TableNest widget drops in with a snippet of code. If you don't, the hosted booking page gives you a shareable link straightaway. Once the diary is live, you can layer on guest history and preferences — the kind of detail a good CRM for restaurants keeps in one place so regulars feel recognised every time they book.

How much does it cost to take bookings online?

TableNest charges a flat monthly fee with no per-cover commission — so a busy Saturday costs you the same as a quiet Tuesday. The plans are:

Starter — $29/mo AUD (US from $19/mo), with 120 SMS included per month in AU (240 in the US).
Business — $49/mo AUD ($34 USD), with 240 SMS included per month in AU (720 in the US), plus deposits, gift cards, and Square POS and Xero integrations.
Pro — $69/mo AUD ($49 USD), with 400 SMS included per month in AU (1,200 in the US).

Deposits unlock at the Business tier and above, which is worth knowing if larger bookings or events are a regular source of no-shows. US SMS is cheaper, which is why the US allowances are larger for the equivalent price. TableNest is positioned as affordable, not free — there is no permanently free tier, but there is a card-captured 30-day free trial so you can set everything up and test it with real bookings before you commit. If cost is your main concern, our affordable booking system page breaks down exactly what you get at each level.

Do you need SMS confirmations and reminders?

Yes — SMS confirmations and reminders are one of the most practical ways to reduce no-shows, and they're included in every TableNest plan. Here's why they matter: an email confirmation is easy to miss, but a text message is almost always read. When a guest books, they receive an instant SMS confirming the details. Before the booking, they get a reminder — a quick prompt that either brings them in on time or gives them the chance to cancel and free the table for someone else.

Cancelling is handled through a link in the message, not a keyword reply — the guest taps the link to cancel, which is clearer than asking people to remember to text "CANCEL". Every plan includes a monthly SMS allowance: 120 on AU Starter, 240 on Business, and 400 on Pro (with larger allowances on the US plans, since SMS costs less there). For most small venues, the included allowance comfortably covers a normal month of confirmations and reminders.

Online booking vs phone bookings: which is better for a small venue?

For most small venues, online booking is the stronger backbone, with the phone kept for exceptions — but the honest answer is that you want both working together. Here's how they compare:

Availability — Online bookings come in 24/7, including when you're closed or mid-service. Phone bookings only work when someone can pick up.
Staff time — Online reservations don't interrupt service. Every phone booking pulls a staff member away from the floor.
Accuracy — Online captures name, number and party size cleanly. Phone bookings rely on handwriting and memory.
Personal touch — The phone still wins for complex requests, large groups and regulars who prefer a chat.

The realistic setup for a small operator is to let online booking handle the volume — the standard tables of two, four and six that make up most of your covers — while your team focuses on the phone calls that genuinely need a human. That way you stop losing after-hours bookings, cut down on double-entry, and keep every reservation in one diary regardless of how it came in.

Ready to start taking bookings online? Set up your diary and test it with real guests on a free 30-day trial at TableNest — flat monthly fee, SMS confirmations and reminders included, and no per-cover commission ever.