TheFork alternatives for restaurants
TheFork finds new diners for you — and charges per cover for it. Goboblo puts the reservation button on your own site and ties the same table to a guest profile with a stamp card, so a reservation can become a return visit — with no commission on your own guests.
- Your own guest profile per reservation
- 0 commission on your own reservations
- Reservations · $29 a month, locked for as long as you're a customer
- Pricing model
- Guest ownership
- No-show cover
- Stamp card
- Membership
- Reach to new diners
Pick what matters most — and get a straight answer
Five needs, five straight answers. One points at TheFork and one says combine — that's how a comparison should work.
- 0 commission on your own reservations: Goboblo — a fixed price instead of a fee per cover on reservations you'd have gotten anyway.
- Own your guest data: Goboblo — every reservation builds your own guest register with history, tags and consent.
- Loyalty that points to YOU: Goboblo — stamp cards and membership on your profile, instead of points that tie the guest to the app.
- Reach new diners: TheFork — a big network where diners already browse is exactly what a marketplace does best.
- Both: combine — TheFork for discovery, Goboblo for your own reservations and the return visits.
Guests who already found you — through your site, your Instagram or a tip — shouldn't cost a fee per head. Goboblo charges $29 a month flat and 0 commission on your own reservations. TheFork charges a share of the average check for every guest it books for you.
On a marketplace, the diner belongs to the network. In Goboblo every reservation lands on a guest register you own — history, tags, allergies, consent and no-shows per guest, with CSV export whenever you want.
TheFork's points (Yums) tie the guest to TheFork's app — full of other restaurants. Goboblo's stamp cards and membership sit on your own guest profile, so the reward brings the guest back to you.
A marketplace does one thing better than a system you own: it shows you to diners who've never heard of you. If discovery is your biggest need, TheFork (or another portal) is the right tool — we say that straight out. The per-cover fee is the price of the reach.
Reach and ownership can be combined: TheFork for discovering new diners, Goboblo for the reservations on your own site, the guest profile and the loyalty. Then you pay the marketplace fee only for the new guests — never for your regulars.
How we weigh it: Goboblo prioritizes that your own reservations are fee-free, that the guest data is yours, and that loyalty points at your restaurant. If reaching new diners matters most, we point at the marketplace.
Every reservation lands on a guest profile you own
On a marketplace, the diner belongs to the network. Goboblo ties the table to a guest register with history, tags, allergies, consent and no-shows per guest — and you export it all as CSV whenever you want.
- Visit history, tags and allergies per guest
- Filters for VIP, consent and no-shows
- Guest data you take with you — no fee per guest
Goboblo sees the guest behind the reservation
Both TheFork and Goboblo send a confirmation and a reminder. Goboblo also counts no-shows per guest profile, lets your team refill late cancellations from the waitlist — and has a card cover you aim at large parties and guests who have no-showed before: nothing charged up front, a fee only if the party no-shows without canceling.
- Automatic confirmation and reminder by email
- No-shows counted per guest profile over time
- Card cover for large parties and repeat no-showers — regulars are spared
A stamp card on your own guest profile
TheFork's points (Yums) tie the guest to TheFork's network. Goboblo puts stamp cards and membership on your own guest profile, so a completed reservation can bring the guest back to you — not to an app full of other restaurants.
- A stamp card that fills with every visit
- Membership on your own guest profile
- Targeted coupons toward quieter shifts
The difference from a marketplace
The same fully booked Friday, two different weeks later. TheFork finds the diner for you, for a commission per cover. Goboblo turns the reservation into the start of a guest relationship you own.
- A commission per cover on reservations through the network
- The diner belongs to the marketplace, not to you
- Loyalty points tie the guest to the app
- Repeat visits are often bought with discounts
- 0 commission on your own reservations
- The reservation lands on a guest profile you own
- A stamp card on your own profile
- Targeted pushes bring back guests you already have
How do the alternatives stack up against TheFork?
Marketplaces charge per guest for reservations through their network. TheFork takes a share of the average check for each guest who books through TheFork, Tripadvisor or its partners; OpenTable charges a fee per cover for guests who book through OpenTable. TheFork doesn't show its plan prices on its website. Goboblo charges 0 on your own reservations — run your volume against Goboblo pricing.
| System | What it is | Commission per cover | Loyalty on your own profile | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goboblo | A system you own · $29/mo (locked) | 0 on your own reservations | Yes — stamp card and membership | Independent restaurants that want the same guests back |
| TheFork | Marketplace (Tripadvisor) | Yes, a share of the average check on guests who book through TheFork | Points tie the guest to TheFork | Reach to new diners on a big network |
| OpenTable | Marketplace (global) | Yes, on guests who book through OpenTable | No | International visibility |
| ResDiary | UK reservation system · price on request | None | No | UK operators who want a fixed fee, reservations only |
Note the Goboblo row: 0 on your own reservations, not just "lower" — and no fee per cover at all, on the guests you book yourself or the new ones we send you. To see TheFork next to the reservation systems, the broad comparison of reservation systems is one click away.
What a marketplace actually costs
What operators ask about TheFork
What is the best alternative to TheFork?
Goboblo is the strongest TheFork alternative for a restaurant that wants to keep its guests. Reservations and the stamp card share one guest profile, and you pay a fixed fee with no commission on your own reservations. TheFork fits better if your main goal is reach to new diners on a marketplace. Goboblo runs on the same reservation software you own, so the guest comes back to you. See the full comparison of reservation systems here.
How is Goboblo different from TheFork?
TheFork is a marketplace (owned by Tripadvisor) where diners discover and book restaurants, and it charges a commission per cover on reservations made through the network. Goboblo is a reservation system you own, where the same guest can be booked back through the stamp card, with no commission on your own reservations.
Does Goboblo take commission like TheFork?
No. Goboblo charges a fixed fee for reservations, $29 a month plus sales tax, and 0 commission on the reservations you make yourself. TheFork charges a share of the average check for each guest who books through TheFork, Tripadvisor or its partners (reservations from your own website are free), and OpenTable charges a fee per cover for guests who book through OpenTable's own site, app or partners. TheFork doesn't show its plan prices on its website. Your $29 price is locked for as long as you're a customer. Run the numbers on your volume against Goboblo pricing, or book a demo and we walk through it together.
Can I run both TheFork and Goboblo?
Yes. Restaurants often want both reach to new diners and their own system for return visits. Use TheFork for discovery and Goboblo for reservations, the guest profile, and loyalty — so you only pay the marketplace fee for new guests, not for your regulars.
Put Goboblo next to TheFork
Book a short demo and we'll show reservations, the guest profile and the stamp card in one concrete restaurant flow — and run the numbers on your volume.