Tock vs OpenTable: Which is better for your restaurant’s Squarespace website?
So you have a restaurant: good job to you. No doubt you know it’s not easy running a restaurant business, but relying on a weak reservation system, or not using one altogether, can be costing you money and reputation. Choosing the right reservation system however, is crucial for your customer experience and business efficiency. Two popular options that you can add to your Squarespace website are Tock and OpenTable, both with unique features to consider. Lets dive into the essentials to help you decide which one is best for your restaurant website.
Tock
Tock has been described as ‘innovative’ and ‘flexible’. It operates by asking customers to buy a ‘ticket’ or pay a deposit towards a table, which counts as your reservation. The purpose of this is to reduce the number of no-shows at your establishment: if people have to pay beforehand, they’re more likely to show up for their booking.
What features does it have?
Unique reservation types: Tock allows it’s users to offer not just traditional reservations but also events, prepaid experiences and even take-away options. Think menus with wine pairings, prebook only events with influencers for example, or seasonal taster menus. This flexibility is great for restaurant businesses that occasionally or regularly hold larger events and want to keep things organised.
Customisable booking pages: Within Tock, it’s possible to create a highly customised booking experience that matches the aesthetic of your brand, and your restaurant’s Squarespace website. You can add an easily-customisable floor plan too, reducing the wait time of guests when they arrive.
Pre-dining surveys: This can be helpful in ascertaining if customers have dietary requirements and encouraging them to add on certain items to their reservation. For example, a customer would add a wine pairing to their booking, helping you increase your revenue!
Lower fees: This one will be music to your ears - Tock typically charges slightly lower fees when compared with OpenTable, making it a more cost-effective choice a lot of restaurants in terms of budget.
Summary of Tock
As it offers multiple unique reservation types too, Tock is well-suited to a high-end, upmarket or fine-dining restaurant that typically have frequent guests. For casual eateries, guests may not want to pay a deposit before dining. Tock also offers you the ability to hold additional events (aside from your regular reservation system) that you can sell tickets to, all inside the Tock app. This could be great for wineries, food shows or other hospitality-related events.
OpenTable
OpenTable is very widely recognised and distinctly user-friendly. This is likely down to the fact it is older, therefore has had more time to refine its system and build it’s reputation. OpenTable uses a similar reservation system to Tock, and lets you gather diner information enabling you to provide better service upon arrival.
Let’s have a look at it’s features.
Established brand: OpenTable is a pretty well-known and trusted name in the hospitality industry. It’s reputation means customers will associate your restaurant with credibility and trustworthiness.
Extensive eatery network: Within OpenTable, the extensive catalog of restaurants and eateries can be a huge help in driving traffic towards your restaurant. You’re being discovered by more than just people walking past your establishment!
Post-reservation survey: Guests using OpenTable can be asked to complete a survey shortly after their reservation. This is a very helpful tool in improving your customer experience, not only in hindsight but in real time.
Staff area allocation: Unlike Tock, OpenTable enables yo to allocate your waiters and waitresses to specific sections of your floor plan. This helps you stay in the know and ultimately enables your servers to provide a better service.
Robust features: OpenTable offers additional features like table management, guest database and marketing tools, all of which are designed to improve your restaurant’s efficiency and customer satisfaction. These features are particularly good if your restaurant has frequent diners and/or has an upmarket, high-end atmosphere.
Summary of OpenTable
OpenTable’s central focus is streamlining restaurant’s reservations. It is very easy and convenient for customers to make bookings through both the OpenTable app or the widget you embed in your Squarespace website. If a customer is already on your restaurant’s site, they don’t even have to leave to book with you. It’s worth mentioning that OpenTable does, however, charge a monthly fee, and a small cover fee for each reservation top of that. They also have a facility where you can pay to appear higher on the search results, something you may want to take advantage of, if for example, you’re a new establishment.
So with that in mind, which one should you choose?
Ultimately, the choice depends on your business’ budget, needs for flexibility and your goals.
For High-End Establishments: If you’re a more high-end establishment or if you have frequent visitors, Tock might be the better option as it can be a valuable assistant in improving your customer experience. Imagine how impressed your guests would be if, for example, your servers mentioned or referred to a special request they made on their last visit. Tock is also more cost-effective in the long run and can be customised to suit your brands aesthetic.
For Casual Eateries: OpenTable would perhaps be a smarter choice for more casual bars, eateries, coffee shops or bakeries where a deposit is not appropriate beforehand, it IS robust enough for establishments of all kinds. OpenTable would definitely be a smart choice for newer hospitality businesses because of their in-house marketing tools like paying to appear higher in search results and because of their larger client base.
The good news is: regardless of which platform you choose, both Tock and OpenTable integrate well with Squarespace websites. Both will provide you with a far more seamless user experience for not just your customers, but you as a restaurant owner too.
Credit: https://www.perfectvenue.com/post/tock-vs-opentable
Do you need help creating a strong, attractive website for your restaurant or eatery?
At Moze Creative, we specialise in creating powerful websites tailored to you and your needs. Book a discovery call to learn how we can help you.
Or, head over to our other articles where we can help you integrate OpenTable or Tock to your website.
