Board game café software

Board game café software vs restaurant booking systems

OpenTable, Resy (which now includes Tock), SevenRooms, DesignMyNight and ResDiary are built for restaurants and bars, and many board game cafés take their bookings through a tool like them. Here is what they do better, what a café with a shelf of games needs on top, and when to keep the tool you have.

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Where restaurant tools are stronger

What restaurant booking systems do better

If one of these matters most to your café, a restaurant tool may suit your bookings better. Below, “all five” means OpenTable, Resy, SevenRooms, DesignMyNight and ResDiary.

Diners who find you

OpenTable and Resy run diner apps, ResDiary has Dish Cult, and DesignMyNight is itself a site where people find and book a night out. SevenRooms brings you bookings from partners such as Google and DoorDash. GameLedger doesn't run a diner app: guests book on your own booking page or website.

Payments built in

All five offer card holds or deposits, some on certain plans, and most sell prepaid events or tickets. Deposits and online payments are available on request.

A connection to your point-of-sale system

All five connect to point-of-sale systems; at some it depends on the plan or is a paid add-on. Resy and SevenRooms both list Toast, Square and Lightspeed. GameLedger isn't a point-of-sale system. Its Square connection is still in testing and isn't open to venues.

Worth knowing before you switch

Deposits and online payments are available on request. GameLedger doesn’t send text messages: confirmations and reminders go to guests by email.

What a board game café needs on top

Board game café software that starts with your shelves

A restaurant books a table for a meal. A board game café also lends out a library, and its groups often stay for hours. GameLedger keeps the tables, the bookings and the games in one place.

Your whole shelf, ready for guests

Bring your library over from a spreadsheet, or search BoardGameGeek for each title. BoardGameGeek fills in player counts, play time and box art.
Take a game away from guests when it's out of service, retired or missing pieces, and it leaves the table app, the games guests can reserve and your public games page.
Guests scan the QR code on their table, with no app and no login, to find a game from the copies free right now or to ask your staff for a hand.

Lengths that suit you, and when each table is next needed

Offer the booking lengths you want, in 15-minute steps up to 8 hours, whether your groups stay all evening or book two-hour sessions.
As a booked group's time runs out, they can ask for 30 more minutes from their table. Staff see whether the table can stay longer before they approve it.
Before you seat a walk-in, a free table on the Floor shows when the next booking needs it, for example Until 8:15 PM, or Rest of night.

Book the table and the game

Guests can reserve the game they're coming for when they book. It's held against the copies you own, so two groups can't both count on your one copy.
Staff get a Games to pull list, so reserved games are set aside before the group arrives.
Two parties can't hold the same table at the same time.

Side by side

Restaurant booking systems and GameLedger, side by side

How restaurant booking systems and GameLedger compare for a board game café
	Restaurant booking systems	GameLedger
Built for	Restaurant booking systemsRestaurants, bars and other hospitality venues.	GameLedgerBoard game cafés: tables, bookings and a shared game library in one place.
Finding new guests	Restaurant booking systemsAll five bring you diners through their own app or site, or through partners such as Google.	GameLedgerNo diner app. Guests book on your own booking page and your website.
Your game library	Restaurant booking systemsNone of the ones we checked keeps a list of your board games.	GameLedgerBring it over from a spreadsheet, or search BoardGameGeek for each title, and take games away from guests when they're out of service or missing pieces.
Reserving a game	Restaurant booking systemsNone of the ones we checked links a board game from your shelf to a booking.	GameLedgerGuests reserve a game with their table, held against the copies you own. Staff get a Games to pull list.
Guests choosing a game	Restaurant booking systemsNone of the ones we checked suggests board games from your shelf to guests.	GameLedgerGuests scan the table's QR code, with no app, and get suggestions from the copies free right now.
How long a group stays	Restaurant booking systemsYou set turn times or booking lengths, often by party size.	GameLedgerOffer lengths in 15-minute steps up to 8 hours. As a booked group's time runs out, they can ask for 30 more minutes from their table.
Deposits and prepayment	Restaurant booking systemsCard holds or deposits at all five, some on certain plans, and several take a fee on prepayments.	GameLedgerDeposits and online payments are available on request.
Point-of-sale connection	Restaurant booking systemsAll five connect to point-of-sale systems; at some it depends on the plan or is a paid add-on.	GameLedgerGameLedger isn't a point-of-sale system. Its Square connection is still in testing and isn't open to venues.
What you pay	Restaurant booking systemsA monthly fee, set by each company. OpenTable's Basic plan adds a fee per cover; Resy, SevenRooms and ResDiary say they don't charge per booking.	GameLedgerFree while we launch. GameLedger doesn't take a commission on your bookings.
Your own website	Restaurant booking systemsOpenTable, SevenRooms, ResDiary and Access Collins Evo, from DesignMyNight's parent company, say on their sites that guests can book from your website.	GameLedgerA Book Now button for WordPress, Squarespace, Wix, Weebly and other website builders.

What this page says about each company comes from its own website, checked on 18 October 2026. Their features and prices change, so check their sites before you decide.

From their own websites

Each one, in brief

OpenTable

Part of Booking Holdings

Restaurant reservation software with its own diner network, plus partner sites such as Google. It offers deposits and card holds, prepaid events, and a point-of-sale connection on its Core plan. Its Basic plan charges a monthly fee plus a fee per cover.

Resy

Includes Tock; backed by American Express

Hospitality reservation software with the Resy app, which since August 2026 also lists Tock's restaurants and wineries. Every plan has card holds; deposits and prepayment come on its two plans powered by Tock, with a fee on prepayments. It connects to point-of-sale systems such as Toast, Square and Lightspeed, and says it charges one monthly fee and no per-cover fees.

SevenRooms

A DoorDash company

Marketing and operations software for restaurants and hospitality. It takes bookings from your website and from partners such as DoorDash Reservations, Deliveroo Reservations and Google. It offers deposits, connects to point-of-sale systems including Toast, Square and Lightspeed, and quotes a monthly subscription; it says it never charges reservation fees.

DesignMyNight

Part of The Access Group

A site where people find and book bars, restaurants and experiences in the UK, Ireland, America and Australia. Venues connect to it through booking software from its parent company, such as Access Collins Evo, which is priced per month per site, takes deposits through Collins Pay, and lets you set a minimum and maximum booking length.

ResDiary

Part of The Access Group

A restaurant booking system used in 60 countries, with its own diner site, Dish Cult, and a DesignMyNight partnership. Deposits and full prepayment are built in, with a processing surcharge, and a point-of-sale connection is a paid add-on. It charges a monthly fee and no commission on bookings.

An honest answer

When to keep your restaurant tool

If most of your guests find you through a diner app, or you want to switch on deposits yourself or link bookings to your point-of-sale system, a restaurant tool may suit your bookings better.

You can keep it and still use GameLedger for your shelf. The library and the table QR codes work with GameLedger's online bookings switched off.

Switching questions

Moving from a restaurant tool

Will my phone bookings and walk-ins still work?

Yes. Staff add phone bookings with New Booking. Seat walk-in on the Dashboard finds a free table, creates the booking and seats the party in one go.

Can guests book from my own website?

Yes. Add a Book Now button to a site built with WordPress, Squarespace, Wix, Weebly or another website builder, or link to your booking page.

Do I have to take deposits?

No. Deposits and online payments are available on request.

Does GameLedger work outside the US?

Bookings follow your venue's time zone, and guests' phone numbers are saved with their country code. Online payments aren't available in every country yet. GameLedger doesn't send text or WhatsApp messages: confirmations and reminders go by email, which works anywhere.

How much does GameLedger cost?

Paid plans haven't launched yet. GameLedger is free while we launch, and we'll give you notice before that changes. GameLedger doesn't take a commission on your bookings.

Is it difficult to upload my current library?

Search a title, pick the match, and BoardGameGeek (BGG) fills in player counts, play time, complexity and box art, plus a how-to-play video when BGG lists one (you can add your own link to any game). Or upload a CSV of titles (we give you a template) and BGG fills in the details in the background, a few seconds per game, so keep the tab open while it works.

Do I need new hardware?

No. GameLedger runs in a web browser on a laptop, tablet or phone, and guests use their own phones at the table.

See it with a shelf like yours

We'll walk you through bookings, the library and the table QR codes, and answer what switching would mean for your café. Free while we launch. GameLedger doesn't take a commission on your bookings.