Every time a guest books your restaurant through a booking portal, you pay for them. Not once per booking: once per person. A table of six is six fees. And when that guest loves your food and comes back, you pay again.
That's why so many restaurants are moving their bookings to their own link and paying a flat monthly fee instead. Here's what per-cover fees really cost, and how Recipetor lets you take unlimited bookings for one fixed price, from €29 a month.
How booking portals charge restaurants
Most portals combine two things: a monthly subscription and a cover fee, a charge for every diner who books through their app or website. For example, OpenTable's published US plans add $1 to $1.50 per diner on top of the monthly plan, and its last published UK rate card charged £2 per seated diner from its network.
The problem isn't the price of one cover. It's how the fee behaves:
- You pay for your regulars too. A guest who has been coming for years costs the same as a new one if they book through the portal.
- The busier you are, the more you pay. A great review or a full summer pushes your bill up.
- You can't forecast it. Your cost depends on how guests decide to book, not on you.
- The guest data sits with the portal. You serve the guest; the platform keeps the relationship.
What it adds up to: a worked example
Take a restaurant that gets 300 diners a month through a portal at €2 per cover:
| Per month | Per year | |
|---|---|---|
| Per-cover fees (300 × €2) | €600 | €7,200 |
| Recipetor Beginner, flat fee | €29 + VAT | €348 + VAT |
With Recipetor, 30 diners or 3,000 cost exactly the same, because there's no fee per cover. Run it with your own numbers: diners from the portal each month × fee per diner × 12. That's what your bookings really cost you.
Example for illustration: actual fees depend on each portal and your contract.
Recipetor: your own booking page, one flat fee
Recipetor gives your restaurant its own booking page, with your logo and colours. You put the link on Google, Instagram and your website, and every booking that comes through it costs you nothing extra.
- Unlimited bookings, €0 per cover, from €29 a month + VAT. Month to month, no lock-in.
- Online and phone bookings in one panel: list, calendar and table view, so you never sell the same table twice.
- Services and covers per service: when a sitting is full, your page stops taking bookings for it on its own.
- Live table plan: assign each booking to a table and see the whole floor at a glance.
- Email confirmation for every guest, and WhatsApp confirmations from your own number on the Expert plan.
- Your guest data stays yours.
Need a digital menu too? The Intermediate plan (€49/month) adds a QR menu with allergens on every dish, updated the moment you change a price. All plans are on our pricing page.
Try Recipetor free for 21 days, no card needed →
Switch in one afternoon
- Ask for your free trial. We send your login the same working day. No card.
- Set up your restaurant: services, areas, table plan and your booking page. If you'd rather not do it yourself, we set it up with you.
- Share your link on your Google Business Profile, Instagram and website, and start taking commission-free bookings that day.
You don't have to leave a portal overnight. Many restaurants keep it as one more channel while they move their regulars to their own link, so every repeat guest stops costing them a fee. Bookings that come from the portal you simply add to the same Recipetor panel, so you run one floor.
Where to put your booking link first
- Google Business Profile: add it as your booking link. It's where most locals look you up.
- Instagram: in your profile links and in your stories, right when guests decide where to eat.
- Your website: a "Book a table" button at the top, easy to tap on a phone.
- The bill and the menu: "Book your next visit at…" turns regulars into direct bookings.
Every booking through those channels is one you don't pay a portal for. Start your free trial and get your link today.
FAQ about restaurant booking fees
What is a cover fee?
A cover is one diner. A cover fee is what a booking portal charges the restaurant for each diner who books through it, so a booking for six people is charged six times.
How much do booking portals charge per cover?
It depends on the portal and your contract. As an example, OpenTable's published US plans charge $1 to $1.50 per diner from its network on top of a monthly fee, and its last published UK rate card charged £2 per seated diner.
Is there a restaurant booking system without cover fees?
Yes. Recipetor charges one flat monthly fee, from €29 + VAT, with unlimited bookings and no fee per cover or per booking. You can try it free for 21 days, no card needed.
Can I keep using a booking portal with Recipetor?
Yes. You can keep the portal as an extra channel and add those bookings to your Recipetor panel, while your own link brings in commission-free bookings from Google, Instagram and your website.
