What does a restaurant booking system cost? A UK guide for independents
Every charge to ask about, from monthly fees and per-cover charges to texts, card fees and contracts, with a worked example you can redo using your own numbers and the quotes you receive.
Home › Booking system costs
By TableTango · Last checked 31 October 2026
The short answer
A booking system costs its monthly fee, plus anything charged per booking or per cover (a cover is one diner), per text message and per card payment, plus any set-up fee and the terms of the contract. With TableTango that comes to £29.99 per venue a month, with no per-booking or per-cover commission and no contract. Guest texts are optional and run on prepaid SMS credit (booking texts start switched on for new restaurants, and you can switch them off any time), and card payments carry Stripe's own processing fees.
The charges to look for, and what to ask
Monthly subscription
Most systems charge a monthly or annual fee per venue; some use tiers that unlock features or raise a limit on covers.
Ask: Is the price per venue or per account? Monthly, or annual only? Does the quote include VAT? What would move us onto a higher tier?
Per-cover or per-booking fees
Some providers charge for each diner or booking, on top of a subscription or instead of one, so the bill rises in your busiest months.
Ask: Which bookings are charged: online only, or phone bookings and walk-ins too? Are no-shows and cancellations charged? Is there a monthly cap?
Commission on marketplace bookings
Marketplaces with a consumer app often charge differently for diners who find you through the app. That can pay its way if the app brings guests you would not otherwise reach.
Ask: What is charged for app bookings compared with bookings from my own website? Can I see where each booking came from, and export those guests?
Text messages
Every text costs the provider money, so texts are usually sold as credits or bundles, or capped by an allowance.
Ask: What does a text cost once any allowance runs out? Does a long message count as more than one? Will you top up automatically and charge my card? Can confirmations go by email instead?
Card processing for no-show fees
If you charge no-show fees, the card processor takes a fee; check whether the booking system adds any charge of its own on top.
Ask: Who is the merchant: my business or yours? Do you take a cut on top of the processor's fee? Who handles refunds and disputes?
Set-up, onboarding and hardware
Ask: Is there a set-up or training fee? Do I need to buy a tablet or other hardware? Is importing my guest list charged?
Contract length and cancellation
Ask: Is there a minimum term, and does it renew automatically? How much notice do I give? Can I take my guest list and booking history with me, and is that charged?
Add-ons
Ask: Are the website booking box, a Google booking link, integrations, extra staff logins or devices, and events priced separately?
How TableTango charges
- One plan: £29.99 per venue, per month. TableTango is not currently VAT-registered, so no VAT is currently charged and £29.99 is the current total subscription price. Any price rise, or VAT being charged, comes with at least 30 days' notice, and you can cancel penalty-free before it takes effect.
- The first 30 days are free, counted from when your venue goes live and starts taking real bookings. No card to start.
- No per-booking or per-cover commission, ever, and no feature ladder.
- In the plan: your booking page with AI chat and a form, the live book and floor plan, smart table assignment, guest profiles with no-show history tags, email confirmations and day-before reminders, waitlist auto-fill, events, after-visit feedback requests, booking links and QR posters.
- Booking links, posters and events: booking links for your website, Google Business Profile and Instagram, QR posters and events are in the plan. TableTango runs alongside your till and does not connect to it.
- Guest texts are optional and use prepaid SMS credit. New restaurants receive 400 one-off SMS credits at venue creation, with booking texts switched on by default (switch off any time in Texts & credit). Confirmations try email first; a confirmation text is only tried if the email isn't accepted for sending, guest texts are on, credit is available and the guest has an eligible mobile. After that, you buy prepaid top-ups when you choose, as one-off card purchases through Stripe; current prices are on your Texts & credit page and in the owner demo. Purchased credit doesn't expire, and top-ups are non-refundable. One credit is one message segment, so a long message, or one with emoji, can use more. We never top up automatically: if credit runs out we never buy more for you, and where it is appropriate for the message, we try it by email instead.
- No-show Shield is included at no extra cost and switched on on request once your venue is live: ask us, then connect your own Stripe account and set your policy. You are the merchant: the fee is yours, less Stripe's own processing fee, and TableTango takes no commission. Stripe's fees, refunds and disputes sit with the restaurant.
- Guest marketing through your own Mailchimp: TableTango's part is included and switched on on request. Mailchimp's own pricing applies: as of 31 October 2026, its no-cost tier covers up to 250 contacts (your existing and unsubscribed contacts count) and 500 emails a month. Beyond that, or if you are already on a paid Mailchimp plan, Mailchimp bills you directly. Our email marketing calendar covers what to send and when.
- Set-up: a guided checklist you follow yourself. It runs in a web browser on a phone, tablet or computer you already have, there is nothing to buy from us, and guests have nothing to download. If you are moving from another system, we can assess an authorised guest-list export and help with supported contact imports; existing bookings must be brought across separately.
- Your data: export your full guest book at any time, and ask us for your complete booking history, with no TableTango fee.
- Contract: none, and no minimum term. Cancel from the billing portal or by email; the subscription stops from the next billing date, with no partial-month refunds, and you keep access for the period you have paid for.
Worked example: a restaurant with 600 booked covers a month
Illustrative only. These are not figures from any real venue. Swap in your own numbers and the quotes you receive.
Assumptions (ours, not measured from any venue): 600 booked covers at an average of 2.4 guests per booking = 250 bookings; one reminder text per booking at one SMS credit each = 250 credits. Reminder texts usually fit in one credit, but a long venue name or an emoji can make one use two. Texts can also go out for a confirmation when the email is not accepted, for waitlist offers and, if you choose text, for after-visit feedback requests. Check the credits shown under "Where your credit went" (last 30 days) on your Texts & credit page after your first month and swap in your real number.
(a) Flat monthly fee, no per-cover charge (TableTango's current plan)
| Item | Calculation | Monthly cost |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | One venue | £29.99 |
| Per-cover fees | 600 × £0 | £0.00 |
| Texts | 250 credits at your current top-up price | £T |
| Total | £29.99 + £T |
£T is what 250 credits cost at the prepaid top-up prices on your Texts & credit page (you can see them in the owner demo too). We leave it as a letter because top-up prices can change.
Before texts, that is about 5p per booked cover (£29.99 ÷ 600); if you never buy credit, it stays at £29.99 a month. At 250 credits a month, the 400 one-off SMS credits given at venue creation last about seven weeks (400 ÷ 250 = 1.6 months), so your first top-up would fall in month two. A full year is £359.88 in subscription (12 × £29.99) plus twelve months of £T. Your first year costs less, because the first 30 days are free from go-live and the one-off credits cover your first 400 credits of texts. In a busier month the subscription stays the same; only text use rises.
(b) A per-cover model, as a formula
Monthly cost = £S (subscription) + (chargeable covers × £X per-cover rate) + £T (texts) + card and add-on fees + (one-off set-up, training and hardware ÷ the months you expect to stay)
At 600 chargeable covers: £S + (600 × £X) + £T + fees + set-up ÷ months
- Each 1p of per-cover fee adds £6 a month at 600 covers, or £72 a year.
- If phone bookings and walk-ins aren't charged, use the smaller number of covers.
- Compare it with your own figure from (a), then repeat for your busiest month.
Fill in for each quote
Quote A
| Quote A | Quiet month | Busy month | Year 1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subscription | |||
| Per-cover/booking | |||
| Texts | |||
| Card fees | |||
| Set-up ÷ months | |||
| Total |
Quote B
| Quote B | Quiet month | Busy month | Year 1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subscription | |||
| Per-cover/booking | |||
| Texts | |||
| Card fees | |||
| Set-up ÷ months | |||
| Total |
Before you sign
- Get a total for a busy month and a quiet month, not just the headline fee.
- Ask which covers or bookings are charged, including phone, walk-ins, no-shows and cancellations.
- Check whether the quote includes VAT.
- Get set-up, training, hardware and data-import costs in writing.
- Check the minimum term, notice period and automatic renewal.
- Find out what a text costs after any allowance, and whether top-ups are automatic.
- Ask who the merchant is for card payments, and whether the provider adds a cut.
- Confirm you can export your guest list and booking history, and at what cost.
Frequently asked questions
Is a per-cover fee or a flat monthly fee cheaper?
It depends on your volume and where your bookings come from. A per-cover charge rises with every diner; a flat fee does not. Multiply your chargeable covers by the per-cover rate, add the subscription, texts and any set-up cost spread over the months you expect to stay, and compare totals.
How much does TableTango cost?
£29.99 per venue per month, with no per-booking or per-cover commission and no contract. The first 30 days are free from go-live. TableTango is not currently VAT-registered, so no VAT is charged. Optional guest texts use prepaid SMS credit, and card payments carry Stripe's processing fees.
Do guest texts cost extra with TableTango?
Email confirmations and day-before reminders are in the plan. Guest texts are optional and use prepaid SMS credit: new restaurants receive 400 one-off SMS credits at venue creation, with booking texts switched on by default (switch off any time). After that, texts use prepaid top-ups you choose to buy; current prices are on your Texts & credit page and in the owner demo. We never top up automatically; if credit runs out, we try eligible messages by email instead where that is appropriate.
Does TableTango take a cut of no-show fees?
No. No-show Shield runs through your own Stripe account, so the fee is yours, less Stripe's own processing fee. It is included at no extra cost and switched on on request.
Is there a contract or cancellation fee?
No. There is no contract and no minimum term. Cancel any time, and you keep access for the period you have already paid for.
See it for yourself
Try the owner demo to see the booking page, floor plan and Texts & credit page, or see what the one plan includes. Questions? Email hello@tabletango.co.uk. Comparing providers? Our UK booking systems comparison links to each provider's own pricing page.
Sources: TableTango pricing and terms of service; text top-up prices are on the Texts & credit page in the owner demo; all checked 31 October 2026. Card processing fees are set by Stripe: https://stripe.com/gb/pricing. Mailchimp's limits are set by Mailchimp: https://mailchimp.com/pricing/.
One plan, no per-cover fees.
£29.99 per venue a month, no commission and no contract. Your first 30 days are free from go-live, with no card to start.
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