Favouritetable

Favouritetable is a restaurant operations platform for cafés, pubs, bars and restaurants that want reservations alongside ordering and guest-marketing tools. It is most compelling for venues ready to pay for a broader toolkit; the free plan’s 30-booking cap and exclusivity conditions make it a narrow starting point.

Overview

Reservations from a venue’s website, Google listing or social profiles feed into a live diary, with availability updated in real time. Subscription plans offer unlimited bookings without commission, which gives venues a predictable software cost rather than a per-reservation charge.

Beyond bookings, Favouritetable covers table planning, payments, menu pre-orders, takeaway, collection, delivery and contactless order-and-pay at the table. That breadth can bring front-of-house tasks together, but plan choice matters: the £69 entry tier is far more limited than the higher tiers.

Key features

Reservations and service

The booking diary is supported by table management, a visual floor plan, capacity optimization, guest management and reporting. A waiting list, deposits or prepayment and automated reminders are also supported. These tools are useful for venues balancing covers and table turnover, but table management and the floor plan appear in FT Pro rather than the cheaper FT LITE plan.

Ordering covers menu pre-orders, takeaway, collection, delivery and contactless order-and-pay. FT Online Ordering includes menu pre-ordering, collection and delivery management, capacity management, payments, inventory management, customer communications and promotions, and reports. It is a more suitable fit than FT LITE for an operator whose priority is handling orders as well as reservations.

Guest engagement and integrations

Marketing capabilities include CRM, customer segmentation, email and SMS campaigns, re-targeting and guest review management. FT Ultimo specifically adds email, SMS and WhatsApp marketing, CRM and EPOS integrations. Integrations and partners include TISSL, Lightspeed, Stripe, Mailchimp, SquareMeal, Deliverect and Reserve with Google, among others; software partners can connect through Favouritetable’s API or their own.

Favouritetable says customers own their guest data and can export it, and its pricing page includes a GDPR compliance opt-in. UK-based support is offered by phone, email and online chat, alongside documentation and training; the support line is available 24/7.

Pricing

FT Free costs £ Free for life* and includes up to 30 online bookings per month, a web-based reservations diary and onboarding, with no contract. The trade-off is substantial: Favouritetable must be the sole and exclusive booking provider, website integration is required, and other terms apply. It is a low-risk way to try the diary only if those conditions fit the venue.

FT LITE costs £69 per month, excluding VAT. It allows one user and unlimited commission-free bookings, and is aimed at smaller cafés, coffee shops, bars and small restaurants. The single-user limit and absence of the table-management features found in FT Pro make it an entry option for simpler booking operations, not a full service-management package.

FT Online Ordering costs £99 per month, excluding VAT. Its ordering, capacity, inventory, payment and reporting tools make it the clearest fit for venues that need to coordinate collection and delivery as well as reservations. FT Pro costs £129 per month, excluding VAT, and adds unlimited users, multi-site support, table management, a visual floor plan and capacity optimization. Despite its medium-size single-site positioning, the plan also supports multiple sites.

FT Ultimo costs £199 per month, excluding VAT, with unlimited users, a waiting list, pre-ordering, email, SMS and WhatsApp marketing, CRM and EPOS integrations. It is intended for large single-site restaurants or small groups that can use its broader marketing and integration set. FT Flex has custom pricing on a pay-as-you-go basis, with no monthly fee and unlimited bookings from just £2* per cover; it includes a web-based reservations diary and onboarding, and is contract-free subject to terms. It may suit venues avoiding a monthly commitment, but per-cover charges mean the cost will vary with bookings.

Platforms

Favouritetable supports Android, iOS and web, and says it works on any web-enabled device, including smartphones, tablets, laptops and desktops.

Who it's for

The product is designed for cafés, coffee shops, bars, pubs, restaurants, groups and hotels. FT Free may suit a very small venue with fewer than 30 online bookings per month that accepts the exclusive-provider and website-integration requirements. Small operators needing only a one-user booking system can consider FT LITE; venues needing ordering, table planning or marketing should compare the higher tiers against the specific workflows they need.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Subscription plans combine unlimited commission-free bookings with options for ordering, table management and marketing, so venues can select a broader operating setup rather than pay per booking.
• Pros: Booking availability updates in real time across website, Google and social channels, while deposits, reminders and a waiting list support reservation management.
• Pros: UK-based phone, email and chat support, training, and a 24/7 free support line give operators several routes to help.
• Cons: FT Free is capped at 30 online bookings monthly and requires Favouritetable to be the exclusive booking provider plus website integration.
• Cons: FT LITE is limited to one user, and its £69 per month price excludes VAT; table management and visual floor planning require FT Pro at £129 per month, also excluding VAT.
• Cons: The broader ordering and marketing capabilities are split across higher-cost plans, so a venue seeking several functions may need to budget well above the entry price.

Alternatives

Restaurant Reservation Software is the broader category to explore when comparing reservation products.

Choose Anolla if a free basic online table-reservation plan and the option to activate paid features as needed better suit your starting point; it also offers a free trial.

Resos is another freemium option, with a Basic plan covering 350 bookings per month and paid add-ons offered free for 30 days before separate charges begin.

Consider simpleERB if a free trial capped at 250 covers, with no credit card or commitment, is a better fit for evaluating a reservation system.

TabTake Reservations may suit venues prioritizing orders: its free Direct tier allows up to 150 orders per month at one location, but reservations are not included.

MyResApp offers a free plan for the first 5,000 qualifying restaurants, with its standard $189 per month pricing waived under that initiative.

Tableo is worth considering if a three-user plan with unlimited bookings and website, Google, Facebook and Instagram channels fits the venue’s needs.

Resy is a paid alternative with reservation and table management, advanced customization and event ticketing in its Essential plan.

OpenTable GuestCenter may be relevant to US venues comparing a paid reservation platform; its Basic plan is US-only, costs $149 per month, and has a 30-day free period before network booking fees apply.

Verdict

Favouritetable is a strong choice for restaurants and hospitality groups that want commission-free bookings to sit alongside ordering, table operations or guest marketing in one platform. Choose a tier based on the actual users and workflows required: the free plan is restrictive, FT LITE is one-user only, and prices from £69 per month exclude VAT. Venues wanting a simpler reservation-only setup or unwilling to accept those costs and conditions should compare alternatives.