A booking widget or a request form?
These solve different problems. A booking provider can show the availability configured in its own system and manage reservations under its own rules. A request form gathers a preferred date, time and party size for your team to confirm. A form should never tell a guest that a table is booked when nobody has checked availability.
If your team already uses a reservation platform, keeping it usually makes more sense than introducing another diary. We first check the public booking link or embed your account provides, what happens on a phone, and where the final confirmation comes from.
| Approach | Guest experience | What your team manages |
|---|---|---|
| Booking link | A clear button opens the provider’s booking page. | Availability, policies and reservations in the provider’s account. |
| Embedded widget | The provider’s booking experience appears within your website. | The same provider account; available styling and features depend on the provider. |
| Request form | Guests ask for a table and are told to wait for confirmation. | Checking the diary, replying and confirming the request manually. |
Working with an existing booking provider
Tell us which system you use and send its public reservation link or the official widget instructions. OpenTable and ResDiary, for example, publish resources for adding their booking experience to a restaurant website. The exact options depend on your account and plan; we check compatibility before agreeing the build.
We can assess other providers in the same way. A supported link or standard embed is different from a custom API connection, a payment workflow or a bespoke table-management system. Those more involved requirements need a separate scope and quote.
What a considered booking journey includes
We keep the surrounding page calm and useful. Guests should be able to check the menu, read the opening hours and understand how to reserve without searching through several unrelated screens. The provider remains responsible for the features and confirmations it supplies.
- A visible booking button from the main navigation and relevant menu pages.
- A useful route for guests checking availability on a phone.
- Clear information about the restaurant location and the type of booking being made.
- A distinction between a confirmed reservation and a request awaiting a reply.
- A contact alternative for larger parties, unusual requirements or a provider outage.
What is included, and what costs extra?
The £500 build includes a website of up to five pages, one menu of up to 60 items and one supported booking integration or request form, alongside the other package features. Hosting and care cost £35 per month. The first-year base total is £920 before domain costs, provider fees and any applicable VAT confirmed in your quote.
Provider subscriptions, per-booking charges where applicable, deposits, payment processing and SMS charges are not covered by the website price. Custom integrations and online ordering are quoted separately. If you only need an integration added to an existing website, tell us about the platform: that is a separate piece of work, rather than the full website package.
Before we connect it
We agree which restaurant account and location the booking route should use, whether it opens within the page or on the provider’s site, and who is responsible for reservation settings. You should keep ownership of the provider account and control of the restaurant’s booking policies.
Before launch, we check that the correct restaurant opens, the page works at mobile widths and the wording matches the actual confirmation process. A live reservation or deposit test is only carried out under an agreed testing arrangement, so it does not accidentally reserve a real table or take a payment.
Tell us how you take bookings today
An existing provider, a paper diary, phone calls or a restaurant that does not accept reservations: each needs a different route for guests. Share your current website and booking setup, and we will confirm what fits the package before you commit.
A website for your restaurant
Start with a conversation.
Share your restaurant, current website and plans. We will confirm the scope and booking setup, with the full cost agreed before work begins.
Discuss your booking setup
Or email hello@firstsitting.agency.