Commission-free reservation platform for restaurants
Many reservation platforms charge a commission for every customer who books through them. It is worth calculating how much this adds up to over the course of a year.
A significant portion of online reservation platforms for restaurants operates on a commission model—a fee charged for every booking made through the system, regardless of whether the customer is new or a regular at the restaurant. By the end of a year, this accumulated cost can far exceed what might appear to be a small fee per individual reservation.
What this model costs in practice
If a restaurant receives, for example, a few hundred reservations per month through a platform with commissions, the total amount paid to the platform over the year can easily exceed the cost of a tool with a fixed-price model—even if the commission seems small per booking.
An alternative with predictable pricing
WhatSMS does not charge a commission per reservation—the cost is a fixed monthly fee, depending on the chosen plan, regardless of how many bookings are managed within the contracted capacity. This means that a month with more reservations does not generate an unforeseen additional cost.
The free plan as a starting point
The Free plan is permanent, requires no credit card, and has a capacity for 300 contacts—sufficient for a small restaurant to test the complete reservation system before any investment.
What the restaurant keeps
Unlike third-party reservation platforms, where the restaurant does not own the direct relationship with the customer, WhatSMS keeps all communication directly on the company's channel and number, with a full history of each customer—without relying on an intermediary platform to access your own data.
How to decide
Total cost transparency
Without hidden commissions, the restaurant knows exactly how much it will pay every month, regardless of whether it has a particularly good or slow month in terms of reservations—which facilitates financial planning compared to a variable and unpredictable cost.
Comparing during peak periods
The impact of a commission model is most visible precisely during peak months, when the volume of reservations—and therefore the total amount of commissions paid—is highest.
Overall, a commission-free model returns to the restaurant full control over the margin of each reservation, without relying on third parties to decide how much of that value is retained.
It is worth comparing the actual cost of your current platform, including commissions accumulated over a year, with the fixed price of a commission-free alternative. You can create a free account and perform this comparison with real data.
Frequently asked questions
Does WhatSMS charge any commission per reservation?
No. The cost is a fixed monthly fee based on the chosen plan, regardless of how many reservations are managed within the contracted capacity.
What is included in the free plan?
The Free plan is permanent, requires no credit card, and includes capacity for 300 contacts—sufficient for a small restaurant to test the full reservation system.
What happens if I exceed the limits of the free plan?
You can upgrade to a paid plan with more capacity at any time; the cost remains a fixed monthly fee, with no commission per completed reservation.
Do I keep the communication history with my customers?
Yes. Unlike third-party reservation platforms, WhatSMS keeps all communication directly on the company's channel and number, with a full history for each customer.
Is it worth switching if I already use a platform with commission?
It depends on your reservation volume: the higher the number of monthly bookings, the greater the accumulated difference tends to be between a commission model and a fixed cost over a year.