Zenchef
Online reservation platform and floor management for restaurants.
Online reservation taking is easily rebuilt with a form and a shared calendar. Real-time floor management and multi-platform sync (Google, TheFork) take more work to maintain yourself. Note that Zenchef now brings together Formitable (merger announced in 2024) and Resengo (whose site redirects to Zenchef).
What you lose
- Sync with Google and TheFork.
- Proven real-time floor management.
- The vendor's support.
Existing alternatives to Zenchef
- OpenRestoOpen source
Open-source (MIT) table reservation management, self-hostable, multi-restaurant.
- resOSFree
Table reservations with no commission, free plan limited to 25 reservations a month, interface available in French.
- TableMasterSmaller vendor
Restaurant reservation software with no per-cover commission, from €39/month, 14-day trial.
The prompt to build it yourself
Build me an online reservation tool with floor management, for my venue, to replace a subscription. Stack: web app (Next.js or Node/Express) with SQLite, hosted on my small server, usable on phone and computer. No mandatory paid service, no telemetry. Core of the tool: - Online reservation form and shared calendar. - Real-time floor plan, with table status (free, occupied, to clean). - Customer record with history. Requirements: - Reservation form embeddable in my site: date, time, number of covers, contact details, remarks. - Capacity per slot and per service, meal duration by group size, blocked dates, waiting list. - Confirmation and reminder by email, with a cancellation link; no-show tracking. - Customer file with GDPR consent, export and deletion on request; spam protection. - Daily view for service: arrivals, tables, notes. Out of scope: syncing with Google and TheFork and management of third-party platforms. README: installation, SMTP configuration, GDPR reminder, and a reminder that syncing with Google, TheFork or other platforms is out of scope.
Frequently asked questions
- Can Zenchef be replaced by a custom-built tool?
- casevibecode verdict: Partly replaceable. Online reservation taking is easily rebuilt with a form and a shared calendar. Real-time floor management and multi-platform sync (Google, TheFork) take more work to maintain yourself. Note that Zenchef now brings together Formitable (merger announced in 2024) and Resengo (whose site redirects to Zenchef).
- What is Zenchef used for?
- Online reservation platform and floor management for restaurants.
- What alternatives to Zenchef already exist?
- OpenResto (open source), resOS (free), TableMaster (smaller vendor). Options to compare before committing to a custom build.
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