Reservations without commission.
In the hospitality industry, part of your margin goes to platforms that sell your own returning guests to you.
A catering website with its own reservation system starts at €1,795 for the site plus from €950 for the booking module. You pay once instead of commission per cover. With a few hundred reservations per month, this is usually recouped within a year - with low volumes it is not, and in that case we do not recommend it.
WHAT YOU GET
Your own reservations, your own guests
A reservation system on your own site means that a guest who already knows you books directly with you instead of through a platform that charges a commission.
Equally important: the guest data remains yours. With a platform, they belong to the platform, and you notice that as soon as you want to communicate something yourself.
- Committee on returning guests? — Those are guests you already had.
- Menu as PDF? — Unreadable on a phone, and untraceable in Google.
- Opening hours different everywhere? — Google, your site and the door should say the same thing.
- Make a reservation on your own site — no commission per cover setting.
- Confirmation and reminder — the cheapest measure against no-shows.
- Menu as real page — readable on mobile and findable in Google.
- Opening hours in one place — also in your Google Business Profile.
- Guest details of you — for your own communication.
- Capacity and buffer times — so your kitchen can handle it.
THE calculus
When your own becomes cheaper
Calculate your annual payment: number of reservations via the platform times the commission times twelve. Compare that to a one-off construction price from €950 for the module.
Be honest about what a platform brings you. It brings guests who didn't know you before, and that's real value. Most catering establishments therefore end up doing both.
- Count your payment per year — reservations times commission times twelve.
- Put that next to the construction price — often recouped within a year.
- Consider visibility — a platform brings new guests.
- Both are also possible — platform for new, native for recurring.
- At low volumes — the platform usually remains more sensible.
WHEN NOT
When we advise against this
With a small number of reservations per month, your own system does not pay for itself. Then you pay more one-off than you paid in commission in a year, and that is not a good exchange.
And if you mainly have walking guests without reservations, you do not need a booking module, but good findability in Google Maps. That is a different and much cheaper route.
- Few reservations — the payment is then lower than the construction.
- Especially runners — then invest in your Google Business Profile.
- You are still building fame — a platform then brings guests that you miss.
- Well: many returning guests — that's where the profit is.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
More about catering websites
Should I cancel my platform?
Not necessarily, and we usually advise against it. Use the platform for new guests and your own system for returning guests, where the commission counts most. That is almost always the wisest solution.
Can it be linked to my cash register system?
This is often the case with modern cash register systems with an API. We test this in advance, so that you do not pay for research that results in a no.
How do I prevent no-shows?
They already significantly reduce confirmation and reminders by email. They further reduce the down payment but require clear cancellation rules: what is appropriate depends on your business.
Can I update my menu myself?
Yes, with a management environment. A menu that changes weekly should not go through your builder.
What does it cost in total?
The site from €1,795 and the booking module from €950. In addition, hosting from €19 per month. After a conversation, we will give a fixed price for your situation.
CONTINUE READING
Of course, continue reading about this subject.
Less remittance per guest?
Tell us how many reservations you have per month. We charge for when own becomes cheaper.