OpenTable / TheFork alternative

The OpenTable alternative with no per-cover fees and no marketplace cut.

LinkandBook is a restaurant platform with a built-in reservations engine — same floor map, parties, deposits, no-show flags as OpenTable — but you keep the customer relationship, no per-cover fee, and you also get POS, KDS and an AI voice phone agent in the same subscription.

TL;DR — Why restaurants leave OpenTable / TheFork

OpenTable charges roughly $1 per cover for network bookings plus a monthly subscription. TheFork takes €2 per cover in Europe. Both keep the customer relationship (the diner sees their brand). LinkandBook is flat per location with reservations included; bookings come through your own brand and you keep the diner's email and history. Plus POS, KDS, AI voice phone agent and country-specific e-invoicing — everything OpenTable is just one piece of.

The four reasons we hear most.

"Per-cover fees compound"

A 100-cover service via OpenTable costs ~$100 in fees. Over a year that's tens of thousands. LinkandBook is the same flat fee whether you book 10 or 10,000 covers.

"OpenTable owns the diner"

Your customer's email, history and review live on OpenTable's brand. Switch tools and you start over. With LinkandBook, your customer database is yours.

"It's just reservations"

OpenTable doesn't run your POS, kitchen display, delivery or e-invoicing. You still need a separate POS — and a separate phone-answering process. LinkandBook is one platform.

"No multilingual phone help"

Tourists don't always speak the local language. LinkandBook's AI voice agent answers in 30+ languages and books straight into the same reservations table.

LinkandBook vs OpenTable / TheFork.

CapabilityLinkandBookOpenTableTheFork
Pricing modelFlat per locationSub + ~$1/cover networkSub + ~€2/cover
Customer relationshipYours (your brand)Theirs (OpenTable brand)Theirs (TheFork brand)
Floor map & reservations
Deposits + no-show fees✓ Configurable
Touch POS✓ Same platform
Kitchen Display (KDS)
Online ordering / QR menu✓ 4 layouts
Multilingual AI voice phone agent✓ 30+ languages
Country-specific e-invoicing✓ (Greek myDATA, more)
Marketplace exposureB2B partner onlyConsumer marketplaceConsumer marketplace
Direct customer database export✓ Full CSV/JSONLimitedLimited

Comparison reflects public information as of April 2026. OpenTable and TheFork pricing varies by region.

From OpenTable / TheFork to LinkandBook in one week.

1

Export your guest data

Both OpenTable and TheFork let you export your guest list and upcoming reservations as CSV. We import them.

2

Build your floor & deposit policy

Add tables, parties, deposit rules, no-show policy. The reservation engine is similar enough that staff transfer easily.

3

Update your booking link

Replace the OpenTable button on your website / Instagram with your LinkandBook booking link. Run both for a week to catch in-flight bookings.

Restaurants switching from OpenTable ask…

Will I lose the diner reviews on OpenTable?

OpenTable reviews stay on OpenTable — they belong to that platform. We recommend redirecting your top regulars to leave a Google Maps review (which you control), then switching focus to your own customer database.

What about diners who only know OpenTable?

For tourists who specifically search OpenTable, you may lose some discovery traffic — that's the trade-off. Most restaurants find that direct + Google Maps + Instagram drive most bookings anyway, and the per-cover savings outweigh the discovery hit.

Can I run both for a while?

Yes — a parallel run for 1–2 weeks is recommended. Existing OpenTable bookings flow into LinkandBook via a small calendar sync (or you accept them on OpenTable and manually mirror).

Does the deposit / no-show system work the same?

Yes. Configure deposit per service or party size, no-show fee policy, and the platform auto-charges the card on cancellation inside the window. Same protection as OpenTable's GuestCenter.

Can my staff still see all reservations on a kitchen-side screen?

Yes. The reservations dashboard lives in the same admin as the POS. Floor map + party list + waitlist all on one screen, viewable from any tablet at the host stand.

Is there a free trial?

Yes — free to start, no credit card required.