Restaurant Reservation & Table Management Market (U.S., 2020–2025) #

The U.S. market for full-service and casual restaurant reservation and table management platforms has become increasingly competitive from 2020 to 2025. By mid-2024, roughly 19% of sit-down restaurants in the U.S. were using an online reservation or waitlist system – up from only 13% in 2022. This growth has come despite an overall decline in the number of restaurants post-pandemic, as operators turned to technology to improve efficiency and manage pent-up diner demand. A handful of major platforms dominate this space – notably OpenTable, Yelp Guest Manager, Resy, Tock, SevenRooms, Toast (Toast Tables), and Wisely (now part of Olo) – accounting for over 95% of U.S. restaurants using online reservation software. The remaining dozens of smaller providers make up only about 5% of the market.

Market share of major online reservation/waitlist platforms in the U.S. by restaurant count (July 2024). OpenTable remains the leader with ~46%, while Yelp’s platform surged to ~14% share after 2022. New entrant Toast already captured ~5% in its first year. (Source: Ekaterina Dyus’s LinkedIn analysis)

To compare scale, the table below summarizes the approximate U.S. footprint of each platform (number of restaurant partners and market share), as of 2024:

Note: Market share is measured as the percentage of U.S. restaurants using an online reservation/waitlist system that are on each platform (mid-2024).

Below is a deep-dive into each major platform, covering their market presence, strengths, weaknesses, geographic strongholds, and notable trends from 2020 through 2025:

OpenTable #

Market Share & Scale: OpenTable is the longstanding leader in online restaurant reservations. As of early 2024, it served over 55,000 restaurants globally, including an estimated ~28k in the U.S. (around 46% of U.S. restaurants using reservation software). Despite new competition, OpenTable never lost its top spot in total users – in 2020 it still had roughly 60,000 restaurants vs. 20,000 on Resy globally. Over 2022–2024 its share dipped slightly (from ~51% to 46%) as rivals grew, but OpenTable remains the default choice for many establishments.

Strengths:

• Massive Diner Network: OpenTable’s biggest asset is its huge user base and marketplace visibility. It connects millions of diners to restaurants, claiming to seat over 1 billion people annually (as of 2022). Restaurants on OpenTable gain exposure via its popular consumer app/website, plus integration into Google search/maps and other travel sites, driving high volumes of reservations.
• Feature-Rich & Improved Tech: Founded in 1998, OpenTable has decades of product development. Under CEO Debby Soo (since 2020), it modernized significantly – adding waitlist/notify features (to alert diners of openings) and an “Icons” program to highlight top restaurants. It also upgraded its back-end (moving past the old on-premise terminal system to a cloud-based platform) and improved integrations, allowing restaurant groups to share guest data across locations.
• Flexible Pricing & Incentives: Historically costly, OpenTable introduced new pricing plans to better align with competitors by 2021–2022. It shifted from a strict per-cover fee model to tiered plans (Basic, Core, Pro at ~$149/$299/$499 monthly) with lower or no per-diner fees. Moreover, OpenTable has not hesitated to woo marquee restaurants with financial incentives. In 2023 it partnered with Visa to offer cash bonuses to restaurants for switching and to hold tables for premium cardholders. This followed American Express’s similar strategy with Resy (see Resy section).
• Broad Integrations: As part of Booking Holdings, OpenTable benefits from integration with travel platforms (Booking.com, Kayak, etc.) and supports POS connectivity, API integrations, and omnichannel booking (website widgets, social media links, etc.). It covers everything from fine dining to casual eateries, making it a one-stop system for various restaurant types.

Weaknesses:

• High Cost (Historically): OpenTable long charged restaurants a $249+ monthly fee plus ~$1 per diner seated via OpenTable’s site. Many operators found the per-cover fees “exorbitant”. Although pricing is now more flexible, cost is still a consideration, especially for smaller restaurants that might prefer flat-fee or lower-cost solutions.
• Data Ownership & Marketing: Because OpenTable intermediates the booking process, restaurants historically had limited direct access to customer contact info and data for marketing. Some felt OpenTable “owned” the customer relationship. This has improved (restaurants now get guest email consent via OpenTable), but competitors like SevenRooms pride themselves on giving full control of guest data.
• Perception and Innovation Lag: By the late 2010s, OpenTable developed a reputation as “a dinosaur” with “antiquated technology” and lackluster support. It was seen as uncool or stale compared to newer apps. Some hot restaurants dropped OpenTable around 2015–2019 for more modern platforms. While OpenTable has since revamped its tech and service, it is still fighting to shake the image that it’s old-school. In contrast, Resy built cachet as the trendy alternative during that period.
• Competition for Trendy Spots: Many buzzworthy new restaurants (especially in NYC, LA) initially avoid OpenTable, opting for Resy or Tock to bolster a “cool” brand image. OpenTable has had to combat this with its new features and outreach, but it still surprises observers when a hyped new spot chooses OpenTable. In certain scenes (e.g. Brooklyn), OpenTable lost ground to Resy in early 2020s.

Geographic Presence: OpenTable has nationwide penetration. It maintains the #1 market share in 13 of the top 15 U.S. cities for dining. Its network is strong across major metros like New York (Manhattan), where it’s tied for first, and dominant in most others (Chicago, Los Angeles, etc.). Even in food-centric cities where competitors surged (e.g. San Francisco, New Orleans), OpenTable has retained a large install base of classic, established restaurants. That said, it did lose some share in trendsetting locales – for example, in Brooklyn, NY, Resy now leads with ~53% of online-booking restaurants, and OpenTable’s share in San Diego fell ~12 percentage points as others (notably Yelp) gained. Overall, OpenTable’s presence is broadest of all platforms – from big cities to smaller markets – thanks to its long tenure and strong brand among a wide range of diners.

Trends (2020–2025): OpenTable was hit hard in 2020 by pandemic lockdowns, as in-person dining plummeted. (At one point in spring 2020, OpenTable’s data showed U.S. reservations down ~100% year-over-year.) In response, OpenTable temporarily waived fees and added features for COVID safety, like tagging restaurants’ vaccine or distancing policies. As dining recovered in 2021–2022, OpenTable saw reservations rebound and even exceed pre-pandemic levels in many regions. During this period, however, many restaurants re-evaluated their tech stack, and OpenTable lost some clients to lower-cost or more agile competitors. This prompted OpenTable’s leadership to launch a “full-on charm offensive” by 2022–2023 – rolling out the new pricing tiers, improving the product, and actively recruiting back high-profile venues. By 2023–2024, this strategy showed success: a number of acclaimed restaurants (e.g. Estela, Altro Paradiso, Win Son in New York) switched from Resy back to OpenTable. OpenTable also attracted newly opened hotspots that might “normally be assumed to be on Resy” – indicating a regained competitiveness. Additionally, OpenTable partnered with Visa in 2024 to mimic Amex’s Resy perk, paying certain restaurants to reserve tables for Visa Infinite cardholders. All these moves suggest OpenTable has been “clawing back its status” among trendsetters by 2025, while still serving as the workhorse platform for thousands of mainstream restaurants. With American Express now owning two major rivals (Resy and Tock), OpenTable’s parent company (Booking Holdings) is likely to continue investing in OpenTable to defend its lead in the coming years.

Resy #

Market Share & Scale: Resy emerged in 2014 as an upstart competitor to OpenTable, and by 2019 it had established itself as the second-largest U.S. reservation platform. American Express acquired Resy in 2019, fueling further growth. As of early 2023, Resy listed around 16,000 restaurants globally – making it the largest privately-held reservations service in the U.S. – with the vast majority of those restaurants in the United States. By mid-2024 Resy’s U.S. footprint was roughly 7,000–8,000 restaurants (about 12% share of the U.S. online reservations market). This share actually dipped from ~16% in 2022 because, although Resy continued to add restaurants, rivals like Yelp and Toast grew faster. In absolute terms Resy’s network has grown – for example, in New York City plus Brooklyn it grew 11% in 1.5 years to 1,637 restaurants by 2024. But relative market share fell slightly as the total pool of tech-adopting restaurants expanded. Resy remains a strong #2 or #3 player in many markets and is especially prominent in the high-end dining segment.

Strengths:

• “Cool” Brand & Diner Loyalty: Resy made its name by aligning with trendsetting restaurants. It targeted “the hottest newcomers” and offered a modern tool that came with a certain cachet. In the mid-2010s, being on Resy signaled a restaurant was hip or exclusive – “very important in downtown New York that you were on Resy,” as one hospitality group co-owner noted. This cultivated an avid user base of foodies who now often say “I’ll make a Resy” as a generic term for booking a table. The platform’s cultural capital is a major asset, especially in cities like NYC and LA where dining trends start. American Express has enhanced this image by integrating Resy with Amex’s dining perks (e.g. “Global Dining Access” for Platinum/Centurion cardholders, who get priority reservations at select Resy restaurants). This exclusivity further endears Resy to high-spending diners and the restaurants that covet them.
• Flat Pricing & Restaurant-Friendly Model: Unlike OpenTable’s per-cover charges, Resy has generally used a flat monthly SaaS fee model, which many restaurants prefer for cost certainty. (At one point Resy’s fee was about $189/month vs. OpenTable’s $249+cover fees.) Resy does not charge diners to book in normal cases (its initial model of selling reservations for a fee was quickly phased out). Restaurants also keep control of their reservation inventory – Resy’s system is web-based and accessible on iPads, a leap forward from OpenTable’s old single-terminal system. Overall, Resy positioned itself as “a modern, easy-to-use tool for managing reservation demand,” built by people who understood restaurants’ needs.
• Feature Set & Events: Resy introduced popular features like “Notify” (allowing waitlisted guests to get notified of openings) which was widely praised and later emulated by OpenTable. It also leverages its Amex backing to run special events and promotions – for example, Resy has organized food festivals, chef collaboration dinners, and exclusive tasting events for members. This event-driven marketing raises Resy’s profile and provides added value to restaurant partners (who get exposure through Resy’s content and media partnerships).
• Focused Partnerships: Resy integrates with platforms that matter to its core users. It has an API and POS integrations (e.g. it can integrate with Toast POS and others for table status). It also partners with Instagram (allowing “Reserve” buttons on restaurant IG profiles) and was an early partner with Google’s Reserve program, so that restaurants on Resy can be booked directly via Google Search/Maps (a vital channel). Resy’s ownership by Amex also gives it access to Amex’s marketing machine and affluent customer base.

Weaknesses:

• Smaller Network (Discovery): Resy’s diner network, while passionate, is smaller than OpenTable’s general audience. Restaurants on Resy may get fewer total eyeballs from casual diners or tourists. One restaurant owner observed that Yelp has more name recognition among out-of-town visitors than Resy. Thus, a restaurant that relies on tourist traffic might not benefit from Resy as much as from Yelp or OpenTable. Resy’s user base skews toward in-the-know urban diners, which can be a limitation for broad exposure.
• Perceived Slowdown Post-Amex: After American Express acquired Resy, some industry folks feel the platform’s pace of innovation slowed. There are complaints that “Resy’s product has gotten unbelievably bad since Amex acquired it…no innovation, getting glitchier”, according to one prominent restaurant group owner. A restaurant IT executive likewise noted a “clear line in the sand” after the Amex deal where feature development seemed to halt. While Amex brought financial stability and reach, it may have shifted Resy’s focus away from scrappy innovation toward integrating cardholder perks. Resy also had a couple of high-profile outages/glitches in recent years which drew the ire of restaurants (e.g. an outage in September 2021 that disrupted NYC reservations). These issues give competitors an opening to claim superior reliability or support.
• Limited Outside U.S.: Resy is very U.S.-centric. Its international presence is relatively small (it has some footprint in cities like London, and Amex has extended some Resy features abroad, but it’s not nearly as global as OpenTable or SevenRooms). This matters if a restaurant group needs a multi-country solution or if international travelers expect the same app (OpenTable and TheFork dominate Europe, for instance).
• Less Suitable for Very Large Enterprises: While many independent and small-group restaurants love Resy, some very large chains or hotels might find it lacking certain enterprise features or prefer a platform like SevenRooms (for advanced CRM) or Wisely (for integration with loyalty apps). Resy’s sweet spot is independent restaurants and small groups; it’s less commonly used by, say, large casual dining chains or resort casinos.

Geographic Strongholds: Resy’s influence is heaviest in major urban dining centers, especially New York City. In New York, Resy competes head-to-head with OpenTable – they “share the leading position” in Manhattan and Resy leads in Brooklyn with 53% share. This reflects how many of NYC’s buzziest restaurants are Resy clients. Resy is also strong in Los Angeles (172 restaurants in LA city by 2024, +20% since 2022) and Miami (where it grew 39% to 78 restaurants by 2024). Other pockets of strength include San Francisco Bay Area, Washington D.C., Chicago, Austin, and New Orleans – essentially, food-savvy cities and trendy dining scenes. That said, Resy has broadened its base since the pandemic: it now lists more neighborhood restaurants and even some bars that never took reservations pre-2020. This indicates Resy’s expansion from purely high-end spots to more casual local venues. Still, its brand is most resonant in the big coastal metros. Resy has relatively fewer clients in smaller cities or less trend-driven markets, where OpenTable or Yelp might dominate. Notably, Brooklyn is a showcase market for Resy (many new-wave restaurants there choose Resy first), and NYC at large is often considered the most competitive reservation market – one which Resy has largely “won” in terms of cultural mindshare.

Trends (2020–2025): Resy faced both challenges and opportunities during the pandemic. On one hand, the surge in demand for reservations (even at bars and casual spots) post-2020 played to Resy’s strengths. With diners now required to book ahead at many places due to capacity limits, Resy became an even more essential app for urban diners. The term “Resy culture” took off in NYC, with people obsessively refreshing for slots and even engaging in reservation “drops” and trading, akin to ticket scalping. This intense usage elevated Resy’s profile. American Express leaned in – in 2021–2022 Amex offered some Resy restaurants subsidies or marketing support in exchange for making tables available to Amex cardholders. This pay-for-access model solidified Resy’s hold on many exclusive venues (cardholders knew Resy is where to go for hard-to-get tables). However, from 2022 onward, Resy also experienced stiffer competition. Yelp’s integration with Google in 2023 lured some mid-tier restaurants away, and OpenTable’s revitalization in 2023 saw several prominent restaurants defect back. By mid-2024, Resy had not grown its share in most top cities, even though its total restaurant count rose slightly. This plateau is part of why Amex decided to acquire Tock in 2024 – to increase its combined market share and capabilities. Going into 2025, Resy is set to be more closely aligned with Tock (both under Amex). This could mean integration of Tock’s pre-paid features into Resy, or a merging of restaurant networks, which may strengthen Resy’s value proposition against OpenTable. The expectation is that Resy will continue focusing on premium and “cool” restaurants, while leveraging Tock’s tech for new features. Resy’s trajectory from 2020 to 2025 is one of fast rise and slight leveling off – it went from insurgent to established second-place, and now faces the task of innovating again (with Tock’s help) to fend off a resurgent OpenTable and a suddenly formidable Yelp.

Tock #

Market Share & Scale: Tock was founded in 2014 by Nick Kokonas (of Alinea Group) with a very different approach to reservations. By early 2024, Tock had around 7,000 restaurants and other venues globally; roughly half are traditional restaurants, and the rest are wineries, pop-ups, events, etc.. In the U.S., Tock’s restaurant count in 2024 is estimated at ~4,000–4,500 (about 7% share of restaurants using reservation tech). This represented a slight decline in share from ~10% in 2022. In fact, in some markets Tock lost restaurants (for example, its count in Chicago dropped 17% over two years as some venues returned to OpenTable). Tock’s growth slowed by 2023, possibly because it focused on other verticals (wineries, events) and because competitors responded to its model. In 2021, Tock was acquired by Squarespace, and then American Express acquired Tock in mid-2024 for $400 million. With the Amex deal, Tock is now a sister platform to Resy, which together give Amex a larger combined portfolio of restaurants.

Strengths:

• Pre-Paid Bookings & Yield Management: Tock’s signature innovation was to introduce ticketed reservations and dynamic pricing to dining. Restaurants can charge diners up-front for a meal or tasting menu, or require a deposit for a reservation. They can also offer variable pricing – for instance, off-peak times or bar seats at lower prices, or special menu experiences at higher prices. This system gives restaurants more control and revenue security (reducing no-shows and helping cash flow). For diners, it creates a more event-like booking (you pay in advance as you would for a show or ticket). High-end restaurants with prix-fixe or tasting menus embraced this; e.g., the only way to get a table at Alinea in Chicago or French Laundry in Napa at one point was via Tock, paying a deposit or full menu price upfront. This more control for restaurants was a key differentiator that forced change in the industry.
• Specialized for Fine Dining & Experiences: Tock became the go-to platform for “destination” restaurants and wineries. It has features for multi-course tasting menus, wine tastings, chef’s table events, prepaid classes, etc., that standard reservation systems didn’t offer. Big spenders are very familiar with Tock, since many Michelin-starred and James Beard-winning restaurants adopted it. By 2020, Tock was powering reservations not only for upscale restaurants but also for wine tasting rooms (Napa, Sonoma, etc.), brewery tours, pop-up dinners, and even museum cafes for special events. This diversification means Tock isn’t limited to traditional dining – it’s a broader hospitality booking system. About 24% of Tock’s clients are wineries and a significant portion are special event venues. This gives Tock a unique niche and revenue streams beyond just restaurants.
• Pandemic Pivot – Tock to Go: When COVID-19 hit, Tock quickly launched “Tock to Go” in 2020. This allowed restaurants to sell takeout meals, meal kits, and pantry items in a pre-order, prepaid model (essentially turning the reservation system into an e-commerce platform). This innovation helped many upscale restaurants survive lockdowns by offering take-home versions of their menus with time-slot pickups. It also saved restaurants high commission fees that they would have paid to third-party delivery apps. Tock to Go garnered goodwill and kept Tock’s client restaurants engaged through the pandemic.
• Guest Data & CRM: While not as explicitly CRM-focused as SevenRooms, Tock still provides restaurants with ownership of customer info and the ability to manage relationships. Every guest who books can be logged with notes, preferences, and order history (especially if they’ve purchased experiences or taken add-ons via the Tock system). Restaurants can thus identify repeat VIPs or tailor offerings. And since payment is often done upfront, Tock captures valuable spending data per guest.

Weaknesses:

• Limited Consumer Traffic: Tock was designed from a restaurant-operations viewpoint more than as a consumer destination. It does have a website and app for diners, but the average diner is far less likely to search on Tock compared to OpenTable or Yelp. Tock relies on restaurants to drive diners to their Tock booking page (often via the restaurant’s own website or email list). While this is fine for famous venues (which customers seek out), it means Tock isn’t as useful for discovery of ordinary restaurants. If a mid-level bistro is on Tock, a casual diner might not think to check Tock for availability, potentially limiting new customer acquisition.
• Not Ideal for Casual Dining: Tock’s system excels for planned, high-value reservations but is arguably overkill or too rigid for casual, everyday restaurants. Many mid-range restaurants prefer a simpler free reservation or walk-in management system. Tock’s focus on prepayments might deter restaurants that fear scaring off customers with deposits, and it may deter some customers who aren’t used to putting down a credit card to book a table at a casual eatery. Tock does support normal (non-prepaid) reservations as well, but its brand is so tied to prepaid experiences that some eateries perceive it as not meant for them.
• Slower Growth & Market Share Loss: By 2022–2023, Tock’s expansion in the restaurant sector slowed. In Chicago (Tock’s home turf), it actually lost ground as some restaurants migrated back to OpenTable’s now-improved platform. The LinkedIn market analysis found Tock’s U.S. restaurant count declined ~17% in two years in its top market (Chicago). Meanwhile, its overall market share fell from about 10% to 7%. This suggests Tock was not winning a lot of new “average” restaurants and perhaps even losing some who tried it and decided to switch to competitors for more diner exposure.
• Ownership Changes & Integration Challenges: Tock’s acquisition by Squarespace in 2021 and then by Amex in 2024 could create uncertainty. While Squarespace ownership offered potential website integration, it’s unclear if that was fully realized before the Amex sale. Now under Amex, there’s likely an intent to integrate Tock with Resy or at least align their strategies. In the interim, restaurants might face confusion or have to deal with transition issues (new contracts, combined sales teams, etc.). Additionally, if Amex eventually merges Tock into Resy or vice versa, some distinct features could change. For now, Tock and Resy are separate, which might be temporarily redundant for Amex (two sales/support organizations) – but restaurants still have to choose one or the other interface.

Geographic Presence: Tock’s restaurant clients have been concentrated in specific regions and segments. Chicago was Tock’s flagship city (being founded there); at peak it had well over 300 Chicago restaurants (311 as of mid-2024) including many of the city’s top fine-dining venues. Other strong markets for Tock include Northern California wine country – e.g. Napa Valley (110 businesses on Tock) and Paso Robles (101 on Tock) – thanks to wineries and tasting rooms. Los Angeles and New York also have a share of high-end restaurants on Tock (especially those doing ticketed events or pop-ups). However, Tock’s penetration in New York City is much smaller than Resy/OT; it tends to be select venues like Eleven Madison Park’s ticketed events, etc., rather than broad adoption. Las Vegas has some presence too (as high-end restaurants there might use Tock for special events or chef’s tables, though many use SevenRooms via the casino resorts). In general, Tock’s “strongholds” are the fine-dining hubs and wine regions. Outside of those, it hasn’t been widely adopted by average casual restaurants. The Midwest saw some mid-tier restaurants use Tock, but a number switched out. Tock also expanded globally – it has clients in Canada, Europe, Australia – but its global presence (7k venues total) is modest relative to OpenTable or TheFork in those markets. Now under Amex, Tock’s geographic reach may be leveraged to complement Resy (which lacks presence in say, wineries or certain international cities).

Trends (2020–2025): Tock’s trajectory was strongly influenced by the pandemic and subsequent industry shakeups. 2020 was initially dire for reservations, but Tock’s introduction of takeout orders (Tock to Go) was a lifeline for the company and its clients. Fine dining restaurants that switched to selling gourmet meal kits found Tock’s pre-pay system ideal. As dining reopened, Tock capitalized on restaurants requiring deposits or credit cards to secure bookings (a practice that became more common post-pandemic to discourage no-shows). From 2020 to 2022, many restaurateurs became more comfortable with concepts like charging cancellation fees or prepayments – a cultural shift noted across the industry. This played to Tock’s strengths and likely expanded its acceptance. However, by late 2022 into 2023, competitive pressures increased. OpenTable mimicked some of Tock’s features (e.g. letting restaurants sell special experiences on its platform, albeit not as extensively). Resy’s parent Amex saw value in Tock’s model, ultimately deciding to purchase Tock in 2024. The acquisition news in mid-2024 positioned Tock as a key piece of Amex’s strategy to “control even more of your restaurant reservations” (as Fortune quipped). In the short term, this likely means Tock and Resy will align their offerings: Amex’s press release noted plans to “offer restaurants tools for personalized hospitality, enable pre-paid experiences like tasting menus, and provide convenient ways for customers to pay the bill” by combining Tock’s tech with Amex’s network. We might see, for example, Tock’s prepaid capabilities integrated into Resy for upscale clients, or a unified Amex-affiliated reservation platform. By 2025, Tock remains a relatively small but influential player. Its presence at the top end of the market forced the industry to evolve. If Amex successfully merges Tock’s strengths with Resy’s, the combined entity could pose a bigger threat to OpenTable going forward, especially in premium dining.

Yelp Guest Manager (Yelp Reservations & Waitlist) #

Market Share & Scale: Yelp Guest Manager is Yelp’s reservation and table management system, which encompasses Yelp Reservations (acquired via SeatMe in 2013) and Yelp Waitlist (acquired via Nowait in 2017). It provides a full backend for restaurants to handle online bookings and waitlist queues. Historically, Yelp’s reservation product had a modest footprint (only a few thousand restaurants) – but this changed dramatically in 2023. By July 2024, 8,823 U.S. restaurants were using Yelp Guest Manager for reservations and/or waitlisting. Of these, ~4,399 were taking reservations on Yelp (many also using the waitlist feature), and ~7,463 were using the online waitlist (some overlap using both). In terms of market share, Yelp’s platform jumped to roughly 14% of U.S. reservation-enabled restaurants in 2024, up from only ~3% in 2022. In fact, Yelp saw 553% growth in its reservations business from 2022 to 2024 – the fastest growth of any platform during that period. This surge catapulted Yelp from a minor player to a major contender behind OpenTable.

Strengths:

• Built-In Consumer Traffic (Yelp Ecosystem): Yelp’s biggest advantage is its massive user base for restaurant discovery. Millions of people use the Yelp app/website to find restaurants and read reviews. By integrating a “Reserve a Table” or “Join Waitlist” button directly on restaurant listing pages, Yelp makes it extremely convenient for consumers to book. This one-stop shop appeals especially to diners who make decisions based on Yelp ratings and then want to immediately secure a spot. For many casual dining restaurants, Yelp brings in more new diners than specialized reservation apps, simply because of its ubiquity. Tourists often default to Yelp when searching for places to eat, so having reservations on Yelp captures those visitors. In short, Yelp acts as both the discovery engine and the booking engine, reducing friction for users.
• Waitlist Management for Casual Dining: Yelp’s acquisition of Nowait enabled it to offer a robust virtual waitlist system, which has been a hit with busy casual restaurants that don’t take traditional reservations. Yelp Waitlist allows guests to see current wait times and join the queue remotely via the Yelp app (or get on the list with a host in-person and receive SMS updates). This is ideal for popular brunch spots, barbecue joints, etc., that operate on first-come-first-served basis but want to avoid crowded lobbies. The integration of waitlist and reservation in one platform (Yelp Guest Manager) means a restaurant can manage both walk-ins and bookings seamlessly. Many mid-range restaurants use Yelp primarily for the waitlist but may also accept a few reservations – the system handles both.
• Lower Cost and Simplicity: Yelp offers its Guest Manager tools at a competitive flat subscription (often notably cheaper than OpenTable’s traditional fees). There is no per-cover charge for reservations made through Yelp. According to some restaurateurs, Yelp’s pricing undercuts others while providing all core functions (table management, POS integration, two-way texting with guests, analytics, etc.). For independent restaurants watching costs, this is attractive. Also, since many are already familiar with Yelp’s business portal (for managing their page and reviews), adding the reservations/waitlist feature is relatively simple. Yelp emphasizes that with one system you get “all your guest management in one” – an appealing pitch to busy operators.
• Recent Google Integration: A crucial development was Yelp’s partnership with Google Reserve in May 2023. Historically, Yelp had avoided integrating with Google (due to competitive tensions), meaning restaurants using Yelp’s system did not show a “Reserve” button on Google search results – a disadvantage. In 2023 Yelp finally partnered with Google to allow its clients’ availability to appear in Google Search and Maps. The result was explosive growth: once Yelp-powered restaurants could be booked directly via Google, restaurants saw huge value and many signed up for Yelp’s system. This change contributed to Yelp’s 553% growth over two years. Now, a restaurant using Yelp Guest Manager gets both the Yelp and Google channels feeding into one system – a very strong distribution combo (arguably second only to OpenTable’s reach).
• Improving Perception & Use by Higher-end Restaurants: Yelp is traditionally associated with casual dining, but there’s evidence of broader adoption. As of 2024, about 11% of Yelp’s reservation clients were in the $$$ or $$$$ price tiers on Yelp (up from almost none before). Some fairly upscale restaurants have chosen Yelp’s system for its cost and convenience benefits. Nearly half of the Yelp GM restaurants in 2024 were in major metros (e.g. 39 in NYC, 20 in San Francisco, 19 in LA, etc.). This indicates that even some higher-end urban restaurants now see Yelp as a viable reservation platform, not just a casual chain solution. As Yelp continues to improve its toolset, its reputation is shifting from “just a reviews site” to a serious technology provider for restaurant operations.

Weaknesses:

• Brand Perception Among Restaurateurs: Despite improvements, Yelp’s relationship with restaurants has historically been fraught. Many restaurateurs harbor resentment toward Yelp because of negative reviews, aggressive advertising sales tactics, or the belief that Yelp’s algorithms treat them unfairly. Convincing a fine-dining restaurateur to use “Yelp Reservations” can be a harder sell than Resy or SevenRooms, simply due to the Yelp name. Some high-end establishments prefer not to be too closely tied to Yelp’s consumer-facing brand. This stigma is fading as Yelp’s platform matures, but it still exists.
• Not Focused on Elite Features: Yelp’s system is strong on fundamentals but doesn’t offer the deep guest profiling or bespoke features that, say, SevenRooms does for VIPs, or the prepayment features of Tock. It’s somewhat a “lowest common denominator” solution – very useful for broad hospitality needs, but if a restaurant’s concept requires specialized capabilities (e.g., selling tickets, advanced yield management, complex taggable guest preferences), Yelp might not have these at the same level. In short, Yelp is more utilitarian; extremely fine-tuned service models might outgrow it.
• Lower “Cool Factor”: In the hierarchy of hipness, Yelp is not where trendy restaurateurs brag about being featured. You won’t hear “we’re a Yelp-exclusive restaurant” in the same way one might hear pride in being on Resy. Some chefs/owners might worry that aligning with Yelp could cheapen their image (even if in reality it doesn’t affect diners). This is more an image issue than a functional one, but it can influence decisions in the competitive high-end segment.
• Previously Limited Reach (now addressed): Prior to 2023, Yelp’s lack of Google integration was a notable weakness. Restaurants on Yelp Reservations only got bookings via Yelp itself (or the restaurant’s own site via widget). This put them at a disadvantage versus those on OpenTable/Resy who appeared on Google’s “reserve” buttons. Now that this is resolved, that weakness is gone, but it’s worth noting that Yelp’s surge in share is recent – it will need to maintain momentum and prove it can handle the increased volume and diverse clientele. Additionally, Yelp is primarily U.S.-focused; it doesn’t bring international tourist traffic via a global app like OpenTable might.

Geographic Presence: Yelp is inherently strong on the West Coast (where Yelp usage among consumers is highest) and in Texas. According to mid-2024 data, Yelp Guest Manager’s largest markets by absolute number of restaurant clients were New York City (272 restaurants), San Francisco (235), Los Angeles (186), San Diego (163), and Las Vegas (122). It also has a solid base in Texas with Houston (96), San Antonio (69), and Dallas (43) using Yelp’s system. These numbers reflect that Yelp has made inroads even in big coastal cities, though its share there still trails OpenTable/Resy. Where Yelp really shines is breadth: it has a presence in many secondary cities and suburban areas where perhaps none of the other platforms have bothered to sell. For example, casual restaurants in smaller markets (mid-sized cities in the Midwest, Southeast, etc.) might use Yelp’s waitlist, whereas Resy or Tock have no salespeople targeting those areas. Because Yelp’s platform is an extension of an existing product, it managed to spread with relatively low friction wherever Yelp has a foothold. In terms of share, by 2024 Yelp had climbed to 25% share in some cities (San Diego was mentioned as a place where Yelp went from 7% to 25% market share in two years). It generally gained across all top 15 cities from 2022 to 2024. So while the absolute count is still highest in big metros, the penetration (percentage of restaurants) can be significant in cities where alternatives were slower to expand. Yelp’s heritage is U.S.-only, so internationally it’s not a factor (outside a bit in Canada). Within the U.S., it’s fair to say Yelp now has a truly nationwide presence among restaurants that take reservations or at least manage waits – spanning high-end urban eateries to chain restaurants in strip malls.

Trends (2020–2025): Yelp’s journey in this market has been a slow burn turned rapid ascent. In 2020, Yelp’s reservation and waitlist tools were relatively niche offerings. The pandemic initially hurt Yelp as fewer people dined out, but it also prompted restaurants to adopt tech like waitlist paging to avoid lobby crowds. Yelp Waitlist was a good fit for socially distanced operations, so some restaurants added it during COVID. In the recovery phase (2021–2022), Yelp revamped its Guest Manager interface and started more actively marketing it as an alternative to OpenTable. A notable trend was casual restaurants that never took reservations pre-pandemic starting to accept limited reservations or call-ahead seating, which made them consider platforms like Yelp that could do both reservations and waitlisting. The big turning point was 2023: by partnering with Google, Yelp unlocked a huge new booking channel. This immediately made Yelp a more attractive platform for restaurants – they could get bookings from Yelp’s app, Yelp’s site, their own site, and Google all in one system. The growth metrics show many restaurants signed up once this feature launched (Yelp’s restaurant count grew ~37% just from 2022 to mid-2024, with most of that likely in the latter part). Yelp also benefitted from Toast’s entry in that both are taking a bite out of the long tail market (many restaurants that were un-digitized or using pen-and-paper are now adopting these newer, cost-effective solutions instead of jumping to OpenTable). By 2025, Yelp is a firmly established option for restaurant reservations management – something that might have surprised observers a few years ago. We see Yelp continuing to push into more full-service restaurants, possibly by adding more features (for instance, better CRM capabilities or integrations with POS systems like Toast, Square, etc.). Yelp’s challenge ahead will be maintaining its appeal to both mom-and-pop casual spots and higher-end places, without alienating either segment. Given the momentum from 2023–24, Yelp is poised to remain a strong competitor, leveraging its consumer reach to gain even more restaurant partners in the U.S.

SevenRooms #

Market Share & Scale: SevenRooms is a reservation, seating, and guest management platform founded in 2011, known for its focus on data and CRM. It operates globally and has a comparatively smaller share of the U.S. market in terms of venue count – about 3–4% of U.S. reservation-taking restaurants (roughly 2,000 venues in the U.S. as of 2024). SevenRooms reports serving 10,000+ restaurants worldwide (early 2024), but notably only ~21% of its customers are U.S.-based. This means SevenRooms has leaned heavily into international expansion. In markets like Australia and the U.K., SevenRooms has a large presence (2,108 restaurants in Australia and 1,966 in the UK by 2024). In the U.S., SevenRooms tends to power groups in specific verticals like hotel restaurants, nightlife, and upscale dining. It grew about 30% in U.S. venue count from 2022 to 2024, even as its U.S. market share remained niche. SevenRooms is less about quantity of restaurants and more about depth of relationship with its clients (some use it across dozens of properties).

Strengths:

• Advanced Guest Data & CRM: SevenRooms’s core strength is enabling restaurants to collect and leverage guest data. The platform integrates reservation info with other touchpoints (like point-of-sale spending, visit frequency, food preferences, etc.) to build rich guest profiles. Restaurants can see, for example, how much a particular customer tends to spend on wine, or their dietary preferences, across all visits. This data focus helps venues deliver personalized hospitality – remembering birthdays, offering a VIP their favorite table, or tailoring marketing campaigns to high spenders. Essentially, SevenRooms is a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system built into a reservation system. This appeals to restaurants and hospitality groups that value long-term guest loyalty and high-touch service (think luxury hotels, fine dining groups, nightclub VIP services).
• Enterprise & Chain Capabilities: SevenRooms has been adopted by many large corporate hospitality groups and upscale chains. For example, it’s used by MGM Resorts in Vegas, by Union Square Hospitality Group in NYC (alongside Resy), and by international hotel chains. It offers enterprise features like custom reporting, multi-property management, and API integration with hotel booking systems or casino player management systems. Because it doesn’t run its own consumer booking marketplace, SevenRooms can white-label its interface for a brand. This means a hotel’s reservation page can look native while powered by SevenRooms. The system’s ability to handle complex operations (beyond a single restaurant unit) sets it apart from simpler competitors.
• No Consumer Middleman – Restaurant Owns the Channel: SevenRooms operates behind the scenes. Reservations are typically made via the restaurant’s own website or via channels like Google. Unlike OpenTable or Resy, SevenRooms does not promote other restaurants to your guests or own a diner-facing app that could divert them. For restaurants, this is a strategic benefit: they maintain control over the customer journey. Diners might not even know SevenRooms is the tech – they just see the restaurant’s branding. Some restaurateurs prefer this “white-label” approach to avoid being part of a third-party’s ecosystem and to ensure customers view the experience as directly with the restaurant.
• Global Footprint and Diverse Use Cases: SevenRooms has aggressively expanded internationally, which is useful for global hospitality brands. It’s in over 250 cities and 100+ countries. Additionally, it caters not only to restaurants but also to nightclubs, lounges, hotel pool cabanas, and other reservable experiences. For example, a Vegas nightclub can use SevenRooms to manage table/bottle service reservations and track those VIP guests across sister venues. This flexibility in use cases means SevenRooms can be a one-stop system for a hospitality group’s various outlets (restaurant by day, club by night, etc.). It also integrates with loyalty programs and marketing tools, functioning as part of a broader guest engagement platform.

Weaknesses:

• Limited Consumer Discovery: SevenRooms is not a consumer brand. It does not have a public app where diners browse and discover new restaurants. While it integrates with Google Reserve and can connect to platforms like Instagram, it lacks its own diner network. Therefore, it doesn’t drive new customers to a venue; it’s purely a tool to manage guests who come via other channels. For restaurants that need help filling seats through a marketplace, SevenRooms alone isn’t sufficient. Many venues that use SevenRooms will also maintain a presence on OpenTable or Resy to get those network effects (sometimes listing only a subset of tables on those platforms to reach their users). This means SevenRooms often coexists with other systems, which can be complex.
• Higher Cost & Complexity: SevenRooms is generally aimed at premium clients and is priced accordingly. It typically charges a significant monthly fee (often customized contracts, possibly ranging from $300 to $500+ per month depending on features and size) and focuses on value-add rather than being the cheapest option. For a small independent restaurant, this might be out of budget, especially if they don’t utilize all the CRM features. The system’s depth can also mean more training and setup are required to fully benefit. It’s a sophisticated tool, but that can be overkill for a simple mom-and-pop eatery that just needs a basic reservation book. Thus, SevenRooms tends to cater to the upper end of the market and isn’t widely adopted by small venues.
• Not Focused on Smaller Markets: SevenRooms has concentrated on major cities and global hubs (New York, Las Vegas, London, Sydney, etc.). Its sales and support may not prioritize small city restaurants or singular independent bistros. In those scenarios, a restaurant might find it easier to go with a company that caters to them. SevenRooms’s marketing speaks more to groups and high-end operators, which could alienate smaller potential users.
• Competition from POS-based CRM: As POS companies like Toast and Square expand into reservations and guest management, SevenRooms faces competition on its CRM turf. For instance, Toast’s platform can link reservations to checks closed, providing similar spend data per guest (though arguably not as advanced in analytics as SevenRooms yet). If restaurants can get “good enough” guest insights from an all-in-one system (POS + reservations), some might opt for that simplicity over SevenRooms. The landscape for data-driven guest management is heating up.

Geographic Presence: In the U.S., SevenRooms has key concentrations in cities tied to hospitality brands. Las Vegas is one – SevenRooms had at least 218 restaurants/venues in Las Vegas by 2024, likely including many within casinos and luxury hotels. New York City is another, with 155 restaurants using SevenRooms as of 2024 (up 12% from two years prior) – these include some upscale Manhattan restaurants and rooftop bars, and interestingly some are running SevenRooms alongside a consumer platform. Miami is noted with 95 SevenRooms venues (slight growth), aligning with the nightlife and high-end dining scene there. Other U.S. cities with notable SevenRooms usage likely include Los Angeles (celebrity restaurants and clubs), Washington D.C. (upscale steakhouses and power dining spots), and Chicago (though Chicago’s fine dining leaned Tock/Resy, some hospitality groups may use SevenRooms). Internationally, SevenRooms has a large footprint in Asia-Pacific and Europe. For example, it’s heavily used in Australia (2,100+ venues) and the UK (nearly 2,000) – markets where OpenTable and others have a presence but SevenRooms pitched its data-centric approach to high-end groups. In the Middle East (Dubai, etc.), many luxury hotels and restaurants use SevenRooms as well. Thus, SevenRooms’s “geographic presence” is less about dominating any one city’s count, and more about being inside many five-star hotels, celebrity chef restaurants, and nightlife venues across the globe. In sum, if you go to a high-end hotel restaurant in New York, London, or Singapore, there’s a decent chance the reservation is managed by SevenRooms behind the scenes.

Trends (2020–2025): SevenRooms actually saw opportunity amid the pandemic as restaurants leaned on customer data to bring diners back. In 2020, when dining was restricted, SevenRooms provided tools for automated marketing (like messaging guests about re-opening or special offers to entice them back). It also supported contact tracing and vaccine requirement tracking as needed, leveraging its guest database capabilities. From 2021 onward, as restaurants faced staffing shortages, automation of VIP recognition and marketing became valuable – SevenRooms pushed these angles (e.g., using data to identify top customers and invite them in on slower nights). The company attracted significant investment, including a notable funding round with Amazon’s Alexa Fund in 2020, highlighting interest in tech-forward dining solutions. Through 2022–2023, SevenRooms doubled down on global expansion, nearly doubling its overall customer count in two years (94% growth) by entering new markets and signing enterprise deals (like a partnership with Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, etc.). In the U.S., SevenRooms’ growth was steady but modest in absolute numbers. It picked up some clients that grew disillusioned with Resy or OpenTable – for instance, some restaurant groups that wanted more control switched to SevenRooms and perhaps supplemented with “Reserve with Google” for discovery. By 2024, SevenRooms also started to face competition from newcomer tools and POS platforms invading the guest management space. The acquisition of Wisely by Olo and launch of Toast’s reservation product both encroach on territory SevenRooms plays in (data-driven, POS-integrated experiences). SevenRooms’ response is likely to emphasize its hospitality focus – it’s not a POS or review site, it’s purpose-built by hospitality insiders (it even has notable chef investors like Thomas Keller and José Andrés). Looking toward 2025, SevenRooms is solidifying its niche: it won’t try to win by sheer volume of restaurants, but rather by locking in long-term contracts with clients that value a premium solution. As the industry moves towards more personalized dining experiences (e.g., recognizing loyal guests, offering targeted perks), SevenRooms is well positioned. It just has to continue demonstrating that value to justify its cost. We can expect SevenRooms to integrate more with hotel systems and even other consumer tech (imagine Alexa voice reservations or concierge systems feeding into SevenRooms). It might also expand into other segments like stadiums or theme parks for VIP guest management. Overall, SevenRooms from 2020 to 2025 has grown from a quiet back-end player to a known (if somewhat elite) option that has influenced the market to care about guest data.

Toast Tables (Toast Guest/Waitlist) #

Market Share & Scale: Toast, a leading restaurant POS provider, entered the reservations arena in 2023 with a product called Toast Tables (sometimes just referred to as Toast’s reservations and waitlist system). Despite being the newest entrant on this list, Toast leveraged its enormous POS customer base to scale up quickly. Launched in April 2023, by July 2024 Toast had 3,035 restaurants using its reservations/waitlist platform. In just over a year, Toast captured about 5% of the U.S. online reservations market. What’s striking is that 68% of Toast’s reservations clients were previously not using any digital reservation system (these were restaurants new to online booking). The remainder mostly came from switches: about 14% had switched from OpenTable and 8% from Resy or Tock combined. This shows Toast largely expanded the pie by bringing on board restaurants (often more casual or smaller ones) that until then hadn’t adopted a platform. Toast’s overall POS customer count is huge (60,000+ restaurants in the U.S.), so the runway for Toast Tables to grow further is significant as it rolls out to more of those clients.

Strengths:

• Seamless Integration with POS: Toast’s reservation system is integrated into the same ecosystem that a restaurant uses for orders, payments, and table management. This one-stop solution is very attractive to operators. For example, when a party checks in from a reservation, that can flow directly into the POS seating chart; servers know it’s a reservation vs. walk-in, and eventually the check can be tied to that reservation profile. Similarly, guest data from reservations (like a guest’s name and any notes) can be linked to their bill, allowing restaurants to see spend per visit automatically. This integration of front-of-house and back-of-house data was something only high-end setups did previously – Toast is bringing it to the masses. It simplifies tech stack (one vendor, one support line) and increases operational efficiency (no double-entry between a separate booking system and the POS).
• Huge Existing Customer Base: Toast had an “in” with thousands of restaurants that already use Toast POS or Toast’s online ordering. Selling Toast Tables to them is easier than a cold pitch from an outside vendor. It often just requires a software update or enabling a module. Because these restaurants trust Toast as a company, they are willing to try its new features. The quick sign-up of 3k restaurants shows Toast’s distribution power – it can convert even tech-wary restaurants because they’re already using Toast hardware and software daily. Many of the 68% “new to reservations” restaurants that Toast signed likely never would have joined OpenTable or Resy due to cost or complexity, but with Toast offering a built-in option, they hopped on board. This ability to onboard newcomers expands the market.
• Lower Cost & Simple Pricing: Toast’s pricing for the reservations add-on is reported to be relatively low (possibly even free in some POS bundles or a nominal monthly fee). Toast’s strategy is to increase ARPU (average revenue per unit) by layering services, but each service is competitively priced since they make money on payments processing too. A restaurant might evaluate Toast’s all-in-one and find it cheaper than paying separate vendors for POS, online ordering, and reservations. Also, no per-cover fees – it’s typically a flat model. For a small restaurant, Toast Tables could be far more economical than OpenTable.
• Flexibility & Control: Because Toast’s system is primarily for the restaurant’s own use (managing their own reservations/waitlist), restaurants maintain control of the guest relationship. Toast doesn’t have a public marketplace where diners shop around (though it may list participating restaurants on a Toast discover page, the effect is minimal compared to OT/Resy apps). Restaurants drive bookings via their website, Google (Toast integrates with Google Reserve as well), or phone. So like SevenRooms, it’s a more white-label approach focusing on the toolset rather than sending diners to a third-party app. This appeals to venues that want to avoid paying for “marketing” from OpenTable or dealing with review-centric platforms like Yelp.
• Unpredictable Competition (Geographic Agility): An interesting observation from early rollout is that Toast did not focus only on the usual big cities first. Its initial customers were sprinkled across many cities: e.g. ~29 in Seattle, 29 in Chicago, 28 Atlanta, 27 Houston, 26 Phoenix, 25 Denver, 22 DC, 20 San Diego, etc. – and lots of smaller markets with a handful each. This indicates Toast’s approach is somewhat demand-driven: their sales or support teams likely upgraded any interested POS client regardless of city. This made it harder for competitors to predict where Toast would “strike” next, unlike a typical city-by-city expansion. The result: Toast quickly built a national footprint. For Toast POS users in secondary markets (where reps from Resy or OT might never visit), having a new feature available was a welcome service. This decentralized growth is a strength because it can quietly erode competitors’ bases in various locations without a concentrated battle in one metro.

Weaknesses:

• No Native Diner Network: Toast does not (yet) have a consumer-facing reservations portal with widespread usage. There is no “Toast” app that foodies use to discover restaurants (Toast does have a consumer app for paying at restaurants and a directory of Toast locations, but it’s not mainstream for finding reservations). This means Toast’s clients rely on their own marketing and third-party channels like Google to get reservations. Restaurants that want to attract new diners who are browsing a popular app might still list on OpenTable or Resy in addition to using Toast in-house. Toast’s value prop is more about operational efficiency than filling seats via a marketplace. This limits its appeal for restaurants that prioritize marketing reach.
• Newness & Feature Maturity: Toast Tables is a very new product (as of 2023/24). It likely still lags established players in certain features or polish. There might be feature gaps – e.g., perhaps fewer customization options for complex seating configurations, or not as robust analytics yet. Early adopter feedback is positive on integration, but there could be bugs or missing pieces that only time will iron out. For example, some users might want integrations Toast hasn’t built yet (like sending reservation data to a CRM or email system). Competitors will emphasize that Toast’s product is version 1.0 and can’t match the decades of refinement behind OpenTable, etc. Large restaurants or those with unique needs might hesitate to trust a brand-new system for mission-critical reservations (though they might come around as the product matures).
• POS Lock-in: Toast’s reservation system is primarily an add-on for Toast POS customers. If a restaurant does not use Toast POS, adopting Toast Tables would likely require switching POS to Toast – a big undertaking. This effectively limits Toast’s addressable market to its own POS user base (and those willing to switch POS). Not all restaurants want to use Toast POS, especially some high-end ones that prefer Micros or Aloha, or small ones on Square. So Toast Tables might not gain much traction outside the Toast POS ecosystem. This also means if a restaurant is unhappy with Toast POS, they lose reservations too if they drop it. Conversely, someone happy with another reservation system but considering Toast POS might find Toast’s requirement a dealbreaker if they can’t integrate their preferred reservations. (As of now, if you use Toast POS and want OpenTable or Resy for reservations, you can still do that – Toast hasn’t barred it, but the selling point of integration is lost.)
• Limited Upscale Credibility (for now): Toast’s brand is strongest among small-to-mid casual restaurants and fast casual. It’s less penetrated in fine dining (though not absent – some fine restaurants do use Toast POS). Thus, its reservation system will initially skew towards the same segment: neighborhood eateries, casual chains, etc. Fine dining or famous chef-driven restaurants might be skeptical of Toast as a high-end reservations solution – they might perceive it as not tailored for their white-tablecloth needs (even if that’s not necessarily true). Toast will need case studies of some high-end clients using Tables successfully to overcome this bias. Until then, it may have a slower uptake in the trendy/upscale scene.

Geographic Presence: As noted, Toast Tables in its first year spread across a wide range of cities rather than concentrating only on NYC or SF. Early adoption numbers were similar in many large cities (~20-30 restaurants in each of a dozen cities by mid-2024). This suggests Toast’s presence is fairly distributed nationally, mirroring where Toast POS is popular (Toast has a strong presence in metro areas and suburbs across all regions, especially in casual dining and independent restaurants). We can infer that Toast’s reservation system is being used by, say, a brewery in Denver, a diner in Phoenix, a bistro in Atlanta, etc. rather than primarily by the fine dining cluster in Manhattan. Over time, as more Toast POS users enable the feature, we could see hundreds of Toast Table users in every state. Toast’s strength will be outside the urban elite centers at first – capturing the thousands of restaurants in small cities or outside downtown cores that the likes of Resy didn’t aggressively pursue. For example, a 10-location regional Italian chain in the Midwest on Toast POS might convert all their stores to Toast’s reservation system, giving Toast a chunk of market share in that region even if no one in NYC has heard of it. That said, Toast did land some users in major cities too, just not the hyped venues. It’s also worth noting that because Toast ties into Google, any restaurant on Toast Tables is accessible via Google search reservations, giving them broad visibility despite Toast’s own app being under the radar.

Trends (2020–2025): Toast’s move into reservations is part of a larger convergence of restaurant tech in the 2020s. During the pandemic, restaurants adopted all kinds of digital tools (online ordering, QR code menus, contactless payments). Toast, which provides POS and many of those tools, saw an opportunity to complete the guest journey by adding reservations/waitlist – especially since in the pandemic aftermath, more restaurants required reservations or organized waitlists to manage customer flow. Toast likely developed or quietly piloted its reservations feature around 2022 and launched in full in 2023. The timing was good: restaurants were emerging from COVID looking to streamline operations and cut costs. Toast pitched them: “You can cancel your expensive reservation system and use ours, integrated with the POS you already pay for.” Many took that offer in 2023, and we saw immediate impact on competitors – by 2024, some share shift from OpenTable and Resy to Toast (Toast captured about 400 restaurants from OpenTable and 238 from Resy/Tock by mid-2024). Going into 2025, Toast will continue to refine the product. We might see more chain restaurants adopting Toast Tables (especially if they already standardized on Toast POS). Also, integration with loyalty programs (Toast has a loyalty module) could allow things like recognizing a loyalty member when they reserve. Toast might also pursue partnerships: for example, linking with Yelp or TripAdvisor to funnel reservations into Toast restaurants (since Toast doesn’t have its own consumer app presence, partnering with an aggregator could help – however, given Yelp is a competitor with its own system, perhaps Google integration will suffice). One risk in trends: If the economy tightens, some restaurants might drop reservation systems to save money (especially if they didn’t see much uptake). But since Toast’s is relatively low-cost and improves efficiency, it’s likely to be retained. In fact, Toast can use its extensive usage data to prove ROI (e.g., showing that managing a waitlist digitally turned more tables per night). In summary, from 2020 to 2025 Toast went from not being in this segment at all to capturing a meaningful slice by simply turning on a feature for its customers. This underscores a trend of vertical integration in restaurant tech – POS companies (Toast, SpotOn, Square) are bundling reservations, while reservation companies (OpenTable, Resy) have had to add features like payments and experiences. For restaurants, this competition is generally positive, as it provides more choices and often better pricing.

Other Notable Platforms and Competitors #

Besides the major players above, a few other platforms deserve mention for their roles in the U.S. market between 2020 and 2025:

• Wisely (Olo Guest Manager): Wisely was an independent guest management platform (offering reservations, waitlisting, and CRM) that was acquired by Olo in late 2021. Pre-acquisition, Wisely gained traction especially with multi-unit restaurants and regional chains. It aimed to help brands unify data from reservations, online orders, and loyalty – aligning with Olo’s digital ordering expertise. In 2022, Wisely had an estimated ~5% of the U.S. market, but by 2024 its share slipped to ~7% (from ~12% two years prior) as Toast and Yelp rose. Still, Wisely counts some notable clients (e.g., Texas Roadhouse was reported to use Wisely for waitlisting, and other casual dining brands). Now as part of Olo’s platform, it’s often sold to enterprise restaurant groups looking for an integrated waitlist/reservation with their ordering and loyalty programs. Wisely’s presence is largely in the U.S. (Olo’s market), and while it’s not widely publicized in media, it was one of the top 5-6 systems by restaurant count in 2022. Its growth has been modest under Olo, as Olo focuses on big chain deals. One advantage is Olo can bundle reservations/waitlist into contracts with brands already using Olo for delivery or loyalty. Wisely’s story highlights the blending of reservation management with broader customer engagement tools post-2020.
• SpotOn Reserve: SpotOn, another restaurant tech company (POS and payments provider), entered the reservation space by acquiring SeatNinja in 2020. SeatNinja was a smaller reservation and waitlist software. Rebranded as SpotOn Reserve, it similarly offered an integrated solution to SpotOn POS clients. SpotOn aimed at small-to-mid size restaurants, especially in markets like the Midwest and West Coast where SpotOn POS has clients. While SpotOn Reserve did not show up as a major share in nationwide analyses (likely lumped in the “Other 5%”), it likely has a few hundred restaurants using it. The pattern is similar to Toast: POS vendors adding reservation capabilities to round out their offering. For example, some independent pizzerias or taverns that use SpotOn POS might use Reserve for a simple waitlist/booking interface. SpotOn’s reach is much smaller than Toast’s, but in cities like Chicago or regions like California where SpotOn has a presence, it’s a competitor worth noting.
• HostMe, TableAgent, etc. (Long Tail Solutions): There are numerous other providers that serve small fractions of the market. HostMe is a cloud-based reservation and waitlist system that some independent restaurants use for its low cost and ease of use (and has a presence in the U.S. and internationally). TableAgent is a free reservation system (commission-free, open source) that appealed to some restaurants during the pandemic when budgets were tight – a handful of restaurants left OpenTable to try free solutions like TableAgent or Eat App (a global provider out of Dubai that offers a freemium model). These haven’t achieved large scale but collectively they account for a few percent of the market. Eveve is another niche player (a company that in the early 2010s made news by signing up many restaurants in Minneapolis and a few other cities as a cheaper alternative). Eveve’s U.S. presence is limited but it still powers some restaurants’ booking widgets. Quandoo, TheFork, OpenTable (international variants): International services didn’t make big inroads in the U.S. TheFork (TripAdvisor’s reservation platform) mostly operates in Europe, and Quandoo, a German-based platform, had minimal U.S. footprint. One cross-border note: ResDiary (a UK-based system) powers some hotel restaurant bookings in the U.S., but again, tiny share. Essentially, the U.S. market is distinct and domestic platforms dominated in 2020–2025, with international ones focusing on their home regions.
• Google “Reserve a Table” (Aggregator): While not a platform itself, Google’s Reserve with Google interface became a critical channel during this period. It allows users to book a table directly from Google Search or Maps results, but it always relies on an underlying partner (like OpenTable, Resy, Yelp, SevenRooms, Toast, etc.). Google added more partners over time – by 2023 it was working with most major reservation systems. Google doesn’t provide the backend; however, its prominent placement of the “Find a Table” button changed the dynamics of how platforms compete. It reduced the importance of having a popular consumer app, since even a smaller platform could get exposure via Google. This helped newer entrants like Toast or platforms like SevenRooms (which could plug into Google and get reservations without building their own diner app). So, Google effectively leveled part of the playing field and made integration with Google Reserve a must-have feature for any serious platform by 2025. Those that lagged (like Yelp, which eventually joined) were spurred to do so or risk clients demanding it.

Market Trends & Conclusion #

Consolidation and Partnerships: A major trend from 2020 to 2025 is consolidation in the reservation tech space. American Express’s acquisitions of Resy (2019) and Tock (2024) mean one company now owns two significant platforms – suggesting a strategy to combine their strengths (Resy’s user base with Tock’s unique features). Similarly, tech companies in adjacent domains moved in: Olo acquired Wisely (2021), Squarespace briefly owned Tock (2021–24), and POS firms like Toast and SpotOn built or bought their own systems. We also saw partnerships like the crucial Yelp-Google tie-up (2023) and OpenTable’s partnership with Visa (2023). The landscape is thus defined by a few ecosystems: Booking Holdings (OpenTable), Amex (Resy/Tock), Yelp, Toast, and Olo/others – each trying to offer a compelling suite of services to restaurants. This consolidation is in response to restaurants’ demand for more value and lower costs.

Pandemic Aftermath and Diners’ Behavior: The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically changed diner behavior and restaurant operations. Coming out of 2020, far more restaurants required or strongly encouraged reservations (even casual places, to manage capacity). Diners also got used to planning ahead – by 2022, people were booking tables further in advance and for more occasions than pre-pandemic. This created a “reservation culture” boom. It also gave rise to the problem of no-shows and last-minute cancellations on these apps, which some restaurants countered with fees or prepaid tickets (boosting platforms like Tock, and leading OpenTable and Resy to add deposit/fee options). Another phenomenon was the advent of reservation waitlist apps and reselling – with high demand, apps like AppointmentTrader emerged where people pay for hard-to-get reservations. While not a direct part of the reservation system market, it underscores how coveted certain reservation slots became, and systems like Resy responded with features like “Notify” and controlled releases of tables.

Technology Convergence: Restaurants in 2025 are using more integrated technology than ever. Reservation systems are no longer siloed; they tie into POS, online ordering, loyalty, and reviews. For instance, if a restaurant uses an all-in-one like Toast or an integrated set like Olo + Wisely, they can see a 360-degree view of their guest: the reservation, what they ordered, and whether they left a review (Yelp’s system even shows if a guest wrote a Yelp review). This convergence means the market is now as much about guest management as about the act of reserving a table. Platforms differentiate by what they do beyond the booking: OpenTable offers broader marketing exposure, Resy/Tock offer brand alignment and unique booking experiences, Yelp offers an all-in-one with reviews/waitlist, SevenRooms offers deep CRM, Toast offers operational unity, etc.

Market Share Shifts: From 2020 to 2025, OpenTable’s dominance was chipped away at the edges but not toppled. OpenTable went from a majority share to a strong plurality (around mid-40s% share). Resy grew rapidly until about 2021, then leveled and even lost a bit of share by 2024 (falling a few points). Yelp saw the most growth in share, rising to the #2/#3 range by count of restaurants. Tock had influence beyond its size but remained under 10% and refocused on niche areas. SevenRooms steadily grew but mostly outside the U.S., keeping a small U.S. share. Toast emerged suddenly to claim a slice, validating that many restaurants were untapped. The net effect is that by 2025, the market is more fragmented than it was in 2019 when OpenTable was closer to a true monopoly. Restaurants have multiple viable choices, and many even use two systems in parallel (one for in-house management, another for marketing). The competitive pressure has driven improvements across the board – for example, OpenTable becoming more flexible and innovative, Resy/Amex pushing perks, Yelp expanding features, etc., which ultimately benefits restaurants and diners.

Bottom line: The U.S. restaurant reservation and table management market
in 2020–2025 underwent rapid evolution spurred by the pandemic, new
entrants, and shifting diner expectations. What was once an OpenTable-vs-all
market is now a vibrant five-horse race where operators must juggle cost,
control, and exposure when choosing tech—an ever more nuanced decision in
2025 and beyond.