Online bookings and visibility

With ResDiary, customers can book through your website, Facebook, Instagram, Google, and DesignMyNight. A customisable booking widget is designed to enhance your brand, and users get access to DishCult, ResDiary’s restaurant discovery platform.

One clever feature is their cross-selling capability. If you've got multiple locations and one's fully booked, the system can suggest your other venues to keep that booking within your group. They've also got ResPhone as a paid add-on (£35pm), an automated phone system that allows diners to book via phone when you're closed or too busy to man the phones.

At Tabology, the bookings system is built directly into your EPOS. You can take bookings from your website, social media, Google Search and Google Maps. The flexible booking configuration lets you set up different booking types for various times of day, specific types of offerings, or special seasonal events. You have full control over which booking types are automatically confirmed or require approval, and which ones require deposits, pre-auths and pre-orders.

Last-minute bookings and walk-ins

ResDiary handles walk-ins with their W8List™ system, which balances waiting customers with seated diners, manages cancellations, and helps you fill tables when guests leave early. Adding walk-ins is straightforward, helping you optimise your seating throughout every service.

With Tabology, you can add walk-ins in seconds using the bookings grid or table plan on the EPOS, making the table unavailable for online booking. New booking alerts pop up directly on your till, letting front-of-house staff accept or reject them and manage tables without switching systems. With reservations managed in the easy-to-use EPOS, it’s simpler to record walk-ins and avoid double-booking disasters.

No-shows and cancellations

ResDiary lets you securely store credit card details and impose no-show fees, take deposits, or collect full payment upfront through Stripe. They send automated reminders via email or SMS (though SMS needs a separate Silverstreet subscription).

We also recommend a robust cancellation policy, taking deposits or pre-authorised card details to minimise late cancellations and no-shows, and you can set this up in seconds in the Tabology Back Office. The reminder system includes both email and SMS (with Twilio add-on), and cancellation links in confirmation messages let guests cancel easily if plans change, freeing up tables for new bookings. When cancellations happen, your EPOS gets an immediate alert so your team can update availability instantly. Recording no-shows is quick and easy on the EPOS, keeping your data accurate and allowing you to track guests who repeatedly cancel or no-show.

Pre-orders and upselling

ResDiary offers pre-order integration as a paid add-on (£35pm), and you can build upsells and events directly into your booking widget. However, because ResDiary is not fully integrated into your EPOS, you need to manually rebuild your pre-order menu within ResDiary’s system. You also need to manually duplicate any changes across your EPOS and pre-order menus, as they will not automatically sync – a task that could be time-consuming.

With Tabology, everything is in one system, which streamlines the process and gives you more control. You build your menu once, and any items you make available for pre-order automatically sync to that menu, along with any future changes you make to menu items and prices.

Your guests can place pre-orders while booking, which secures revenue upfront and improves their experience. You can choose which EPOS products are available for pre-order and configure upsells for different booking types. Your staff and kitchen can see upcoming pre-orders on the EPOS or kitchen screens, and when you mark a booking as arrived, the system automatically generates pre-order tickets and adjusts stock.

Data, analytics, and customer loyalty

ResDiary captures customer data during reservations and offers comprehensive analytics for deep-diving into booking trends. They offer CRM and marketing as a paid add-on (£10pm), enabling richer customer profiles and targeted campaigns. They state that you own and control all your customer data. You can create promotions, sell vouchers, and manage events directly in the system. They also integrate with guest Wi-Fi solutions to expand your customer database.

The Tabology system also gathers customer details and stores booking data such as preferences, visit frequency and spend patterns in the inbuilt CRM – you, as the operator, own this data. You can then use it to create tailored loyalty schemes and promotions using in-built loyalty functions, and push segmented customer lists to Mailchimp. The system tracks purchase history so you can send tailored offers. You get in-depth reporting on average booking spend and how bookings contribute to total sales.

EPOS integration and operational efficiency

ResDiary partners with over 70 hospitality systems, including various EPOS solutions. They use "smart rules" to automate booking flow for specific times and group sizes, plus yield management to control bookings per time slot. It's available as a web app and mobile apps for iOS and Android.

At Tabology, we go beyond integration – your booking system is built directly into your EPOS. Each day’s bookings display on your rota, and also feed into its AI forecasting tool to help you optimise your staffing levels. Your staff can see bookings on the till and table plan without needing separate devices or logins. Since it's all one system, you only set up tables, covers, areas, and floor plans once, and menu changes automatically sync to your pre-order menu, so there’s no need to duplicate the work. Deposits are automatically applied as credit when you open a tab, ensuring proper accounting in your end-of-night reports.

Staff can manage everything – accepting requests, allocating tables, marking no-shows – right from the POS (or handheld Mini EPOS) without logging into separate systems. Sales data links directly to bookings for valuable insights.

Our system also integrates with other platforms for key operations, including payment processors, accounting software, food delivery platforms and DesignMyNight.

Customer support

ResDiary provides a Customer Hub, where users can submit support tickets via email. There is also a Knowledge Base and a Forum where users can request features and share tips and tricks.

At Tabology, you get a dedicated Telegram channel, manned 8am-midnight, 365 days a year. Average first response time is under 2 minutes, meaning any issues are acknowledged and resolved very quickly. Customers can also get in touch via phone or email. We also have an extensive Knowledge Base and a Feature Request board where customers can suggest improvements and new features. All customers receive thorough training and onboarding from our experts, with unlimited support.

What customers say

ResDiary gets 2.5 out of 5 on Trustpilot – a mixed bag with 48% giving 5 stars but 49% rating it  1-star. This suggests experiences vary significantly, with praise for its depth of features but concerns around performance, support, and contracts. 

Tabology scores 4.9 out of 5 on Trustpilot, with praise for its ease of use, depth of functionality, integration level, customer support, and responsiveness to user requests. It’s worth noting that these reviews cover the whole system, not just bookings.

Pricing and contracts

ResDiary does not publish the prices of their monthly packages, but tech comparison site G2 says they charge a monthly subscription starting at £89 for 150 reservations and limited features, up to £245 for unlimited bookings, plus setup fees. They typically require a 12-month contract with a 90-day notice period.

They do publish add-on fees for specific features such as online ordering (£35p/m), gift vouchers (£35p/m) and SMS (£10p/m plus Silverstreet subscription).

They operate on 0% commission – you keep all booking revenue, whether customers book through your website, social media, Google, or DesignMyNight. However, their pricing page states that deposits and online payments incur a 1.2% processing surcharge.

At Tabology, we also charge 0% commission on all bookings. The Pro package (required for the booking system) is a £59 flat monthly fee and includes 1 x EPOS device, with no setup fees. You’re never tied into a contract – you can pay monthly and cancel anytime. You can upgrade, downgrade, or add/remove EPOS licences instantly through your back office, and you get unlimited bookings in your plan.

Which booking system is right for your venue?

While both systems have their merits and standout features, the right system depends on your specific requirements.

ResDiary could benefit multi-site groups wanting to cross-sell closely located venues in their group, busy restaurants that mostly deal with walk-ins and would benefit from the W8 List, or restaurants whose customers often reserve by phone.

Tabology is good for pubs and restaurants of all sizes looking to streamline operations and maximise value by replacing separate tech platforms with a single, integrated system. It’s ideal for venues looking to save money with lower monthly tech fees and flexible contracts, without sacrificing functionality. It also works well for venues with a variety of offerings and customer types, who need a flexible system.

While ResDiary offer a free demo, they do not offer a free trial. However, at Tabology, we offer a no-obligation demo with our experts, as well as a 14-day free trial so you can experience how much easier venue management can be when everything works together.

Get in touch today and discover a simpler way to manage your bookings.

If you’d like to compare our booking system to some ResDiary alternatives, see our blog comparing 7 restaurant booking systems.