Your reservation software works. Guests book, tables are full. Yet you pay commission every month on online reservations, or you are tied to a platform that shares your guest data with competitors in the same area.
More and more restaurants choose their own reservation widget on their website: fixed monthly fee, no percentage per cover, full control. Restotailor costs €65 per month all-in and we help with switching. In this article you learn when that switch makes sense and how to approach it.
Two models: commission vs. fixed fee
With commission platforms you often pay per online reservation or per cover, sometimes on top of a monthly fee. With your own widget you pay a fixed subscription. Whether you get thirty or a hundred reservations per month: software cost stays the same. Transaction fees on deposits or gift cards go to your payment provider, not as commission to your reservation software. More figures in our article on costs of reservations and deposits.
Signs you are ready for a switch
Your monthly invoice rises with busy weekends. Guests book via an intermediary page that does not feel like your restaurant. Your CRM is fragmented: some guests are in the platform, others only in Excel. You want deposits, arrangements or gift cards without extra modules or high commission. Recognise that? Then switching is not a luxury, but a strategic choice.
Calculating what you pay now
Take your last busy month. Add commission on reservations, any platform fee and what you pay for separate tools (waitlist, gift cards, analytics). Compare with €65 all-in at Restotailor, with no commission on reservations or gift cards. For many venues with regularly full weekends the difference is quickly noticeable. Not every venue is the same: a quiet lunch restaurant with little online volume has different priorities than a popular bistro on Saturday.
Your guest data and your brand
With your own widget guests come directly to your site. Their details land in your CRM, not spread across external platforms. You decide emails, deposit rules and branding. That makes targeted newsletters and loyalty easier. Also read where guests book: visibility via Google and social remains important, but the booking itself does not have to go through a commission channel.
How a switch works
With Restotailor you start with a switch consultation. We discuss your current setup, what you want to keep and how we migrate guests and reservations. You get a free trial month to test in parallel. Afterwards we help with importing, setting up your table plan, placing the widget and preparing your team. No double work without a plan, but also no big bang on a busy Friday without guidance.
Testing in parallel without stress
Put the new widget live on your site while your old system stays open briefly for existing links. Send new campaigns to your own booking page. Check confirmation emails, deposit flow and analytics after a week. Only when everything is right do you switch off the old platform. That way you avoid missed reservations during the transition.
Conclusion
Switching is not a step for every venue on day one, but for many restaurants commission on their own website traffic becomes too expensive over time. Your own widget with a fixed fee gives predictable costs, full guest data and all tools in one place. Restotailor helps with migration and a free trial month. Plan a switch consultation, calculate your current costs and test calmly in parallel. You keep control over your reservations and your brand.