Carbonara App

Overview

Carbonara provides waitlist and reservation software for restaurants and other hospitality businesses. It brings guest queues, bookings, table planning, and notifications into a service staff can use to coordinate arrivals and seating. Guests may enter the waitlist through staff or scan a QR code, and restaurants can accept reservations through telephone, email, web forms, and online booking forms.

The service is headquartered in Oslo, Norway, and is available on Android, iOS, and the web. Carbonara also integrates with Reserve with Google, allowing restaurants to accept reservations from Google Maps and Search. Online reservations are offered without an additional per-booking fee. For a wider look at the category, see Restaurant Waitlist Software.

Key features

Waitlists, tables, and guest updates

Staff can add customers to a digital queue and send customizable confirmation and ready-by-text messages. A QR code gives customers another way to join a restaurant's waitlist, and this QR waitlist feature is free to use. Table management helps staff plan where waiting and reserved customers will be seated.

Notifications span two-way SMS, two-way WhatsApp, phone calls, and email. Two-way SMS and WhatsApp are charged per usage, so businesses should account for messaging costs separately from their plan. Carbonara also supports online check-in, guest notifications, and multiple guest check-in methods.

Reservations and ordering

Reservations can arrive through several channels, including telephone, email, web forms, and online booking forms. The Reserve with Google integration extends that booking access to Google Maps and Search. Carbonara says online reservations do not incur an extra fee for each booking.

For guests waiting at the restaurant, a drink-ordering flow can send a menu link by text. Customers can place and pay for an order, which is then delivered to the Carbonara app.

Security and optional chatbot

Carbonara says it uses encryption in transit, access controls, role-based permissions, authentication controls, logging, and restrictions that limit production access to people with a need to know. An optional AI chatbot is provided through Botpress. Carbonara says chatbot conversations are not used to train AI models.

Pricing

Carbonara has a free plan and paid plans starting at $9.99/mo, with a 14-day trial. The Free plan is free and includes 50 bookings/month along with all Starter features. The listed paid plans are:

• Starter: $9.99 a month, billed $8.99/year.
• Light: $19.99 a month, billed $17.99/year.
• Advanced: $29.99 a month, billed $26.99/year.
• VIP: $42.99 a month, billed $38.69/year.
• PX: $56.99 a month, billed $51.29/year.
• Enterprise: price not listed; intended for 10+ locations.

Because two-way SMS and WhatsApp are billed per usage, those messaging charges are an additional variable to consider when comparing plans. The reservation deposit and ticketing features are unavailable in Latin America except Mexico and Brazil, South Africa, and Cape Verde.

Platforms

Carbonara is available for Android, iOS, and the web. Its combination of mobile and web access gives hospitality teams options for using the service across supported devices.

Who it's for

Carbonara is aimed at restaurants and other hospitality businesses that need to coordinate reservations, waitlists, seating, and guest communication. It may suit venues that want guests to join a queue by QR code, book through Google Maps or Search, or receive updates through several messaging channels. Its drink-ordering flow is relevant to businesses that want waiting guests to order and pay from a menu link sent by text.

Businesses considering the service should weigh usage-based SMS and WhatsApp charges alongside plan pricing, and check the stated regional limits if reservation deposits or ticketing are important. Carbonara directs support questions to its team at [email protected].

Pros and cons

Pros

• Supports waitlists, reservations, table planning, guest notifications, and online check-in.
• Offers QR-code waitlist entry at no charge and reservations through Reserve with Google.
• States that online reservations do not carry an additional per-booking fee.
• Provides a free plan with 50 bookings/month and a 14-day trial.
• Includes a waitlist drink-ordering flow that sends customer orders to the app.

Cons

• Two-way SMS and WhatsApp messaging are charged per usage.
• Reservation deposit and ticketing features have regional availability exclusions.
• Enterprise pricing is not listed.

Alternatives

Restaurants comparing queue and waitlist products can also consider NextMe, Waitlist Me, Waitwhile, Shokken, TablesReady, digiQueue, EazyQ, and queue1.

Verdict

Carbonara combines restaurant waitlists and reservations with table planning and a broad set of guest notification options. The free QR waitlist entry, Google booking integration, and no additional per-booking fee for online reservations are notable points for businesses assessing how guests will join and book. The free tier has a stated booking limit, messaging has usage-based charges, and some deposit and ticketing functions are unavailable in specified regions. Those details make plan limits, communication costs, and local feature availability important parts of deciding whether Carbonara fits a venue's workflow.