The problem
Taking bookings by phone and message during service means missed calls, interrupted staff and empty tables when guests don't turn up. If a 40-cover bistro takes 280 bookings a month and each takes 5 minutes of phone or message time, that's 1,400 minutes, about 23 hours a month, much of it in the middle of service.
What the AI does
resOS is commission-free reservation software for restaurants, cafés, bars and pubs. Its site says it takes bookings from your website and social media, gives you one table management system for each service, and sends automatic confirmations and reminders that ask guests to confirm. Guests can chat with you through their booking. Letting guests book from your Google Business profile (Reserve with Google) is a separate add-on at €7.99 (about £7) a month, which isn't included in the cost here. Deposits, prepayments and no-show fees need its Online payments add-on, and SMS messages are charged per text while email is free. The site doesn't say when reminders go, so check the settings. Any allergy or dietary note on a booking is a message for your manager, who speaks to the guest and checks your own allergen records; the software never answers allergy questions.
A worked example
A 40-cover bistro in Harrogate, run by the owner with two front-of-house staff, takes about 280 bookings a month (about 65 a week) by phone, Instagram messages and email. It puts a booking link on its website and Instagram.
Before
5 minutes per booking by phone or message: 280 x 5 = 1,400 minutes, about 23 hours a month
After
If 60% (168) book online and need 0.5 minutes to check, and 112 still book by phone at 5 minutes: 84 + 560 = 644 minutes, about 10.7 hours a month
What it's worth
About 12.6 hours a month saved (1,400 minus 644 = 756 minutes), worth around £189 if staff time is worth £15 an hour. The 60% online share is an assumption. Basic is €45 (about £39) a month for up to 350 bookings; add Online payments at €11.99 (about £10) if you take deposits, and about 100 SMS reminders at €0.10 each is €10 (about £9). Reserve with Google is an optional extra €7.99 (about £7) a month and isn't in the cost range; with it the top of the range is about £65. Fewer no-shows would be extra and aren't counted.
How to set it up
- Start on the free plan (25 bookings a month, no card) to enter your opening hours, tables and sitting lengths, and move to Basic before you pass 25 bookings.
- Set sitting lengths by party size from how long tables really take, and test a few bookings yourself.
- Put the booking link on your website and Instagram bio. If you want guests to book from your Google Business profile, add the Reserve with Google add-on (€7.99, about £7, a month).
- Turn on confirmations and reminders, read them as a guest would, and check the settings for when they go and whether guests are asked to confirm.
- If you want deposits for big parties, add the Online payments add-on and check the card processing fees before switching it on.
- Decide that every allergy or dietary note on a booking goes to the manager, who speaks to the guest and checks your allergen records before service.
What goes wrong
- The free plan stops at 25 bookings a month, so a working restaurant needs Basic (350 a month) or Plus (750 a month, €85 or about £73).
- Deposits and no-show fees need the Online payments add-on, and SMS reminders cost €0.10 each. Check card fees on the add-on, which the pricing page doesn't give.
- Guest names, phone numbers and emails are personal data under UK GDPR. Use them for the booking only, and add guests to marketing lists only with their consent (PECR).
- A note saying 'nut allergy' in a booking is information from the guest, not a check. Software and AI must not tell guests what is safe to eat; a trained person confirms from your records.