simpleERB

simpleERB is cloud-based restaurant reservation and table management software for front-of-house teams. It handles online bookings, automated email and SMS reminders, guest changes and cancellations, and waitlists. Restaurants can set cover and party-size limits, booking windows, and which tables or areas guests can reserve online. Stripe integration supports card holds, deposits, full prepayments, and no-show fees. Guest records can include preferences, dietary needs, and visit history, with CRM and reporting features. Bookings can arrive through a website widget, Google Search and Maps, Facebook, or Instagram; Epos Now can connect bookings to the till. The system supports multi-user access across unlimited devices and works on PCs, Macs, Windows POS systems, and iPads. Each plan includes 10 SMS messages; additional messages cost £40 per 1,000. Pricing includes a free trial and a free-for-life plan for training restaurants or catering colleges. Paid options include Starter at £21 a month for up to 300 covers and Plus at £47 a month for up to 1,200 covers. Pro is £80 a month for unlimited covers; Small Chain is £202.50 a month, billed annually, for up to five restaurants.

simpleERB combines booking workflows, table controls, and guest records, with plan limits that scale by covers or locations. Compare the included SMS allowance and payment features with your venue’s needs.

It is aimed at independent restaurants and small groups, including cafés, pubs, hotels, and entertainment venues. It may suit teams that need online booking, table controls, and guest records in one system.

simpleERB is a cloud reservation and table-management system for restaurant front-of-house teams. It is best suited to independent venues and small groups that want to manage bookings, guest records and no-show protection in one system. Its cover-based pricing is straightforward to compare, but payment tools and SMS use can add to the bill.

Overview

Bookings can come through a venue’s website widget, Google Search and Maps, Facebook or Instagram. Automated email and SMS reminders, guest changes and cancellations, and waitlists cover the booking process from reservation to arrival. Staff can choose which tables and areas are bookable online, set booking windows and party-size limits, cap covers and rank tables. These controls make simpleERB more useful for venues that need to shape booking demand than for those seeking only a digital diary.

Key features

Payments and guest records

Stripe integration supports card holds, deposits, full prepayments and no-show fees. That gives venues options for securing reservations, but Starter and Plus charge extra for payments and card capture; venues that depend on those tools should compare the added cost with Pro, where they are included. Guest records capture preferences, dietary needs and visit history, with CRM and reporting features. Epos Now can connect bookings to the till.

Access, support and privacy

The cloud service supports PCs, Macs, Windows POS systems and iPads, alongside Android, iOS and web access. Multi-user use across unlimited devices is useful for teams working across a venue, though the plans include one location unless a multi-location plan applies. Phone and email support runs Monday to Friday, 9:00am–5:30pm GMT; an urgent email address is provided for out-of-hours inquiries. The privacy policy says guest data is stored on secure servers and that simpleERB acts as its processor, while cautioning that internet transmission cannot be guaranteed secure.

Pricing

The free trial is free for up to 250 covers, with no credit card or commitment. Hospitality Training College is free for training restaurants or catering colleges, and is free for life. These options suit evaluation or eligible education settings, not a typical operating restaurant seeking an ongoing no-cost plan.

Starter costs £21 a month, billed paid monthly, for up to 300 covers per month and all standard features. Plus costs £47 a month, billed paid monthly, and raises the cap to 1,200 covers. Both make sense for venues with predictable, moderate booking volume, but payments and card capture cost extra. Pro costs £80 a month, billed paid monthly, and removes the cover cap while including payments and card capture; higher-volume venues should weigh that bundled access against the lower plans’ add-on charges.

Small Chain costs £202.50 a month, billed paid annually, for unlimited covers across up to five restaurants and all standard features. It is the clearest fit for a small group needing multiple locations, though its annual billing is a longer commitment than the monthly plans. Every plan includes 10 free SMS messages, then messages cost £40 per 1,000, so venues sending frequent reminders should factor in usage. Subscriptions have no lock-in and may be cancelled at the beginning of the next billing period by contacting support.

Platforms

simpleERB supports Android, iOS and web. Its cloud access also covers PCs, Macs, Windows POS systems and iPads, with multi-user access across unlimited devices.

Who it's for

Independent restaurants and small groups are the product’s stated audience, with cafés, pubs, hotels and entertainment venues also among the settings it serves. It is a stronger fit for operators who need configurable table inventory, guest history or payment protection than for a venue whose main priority is avoiding paid plans or SMS costs.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Booking channels include a venue widget, Google, Facebook and Instagram, giving restaurants several routes to online reservations.
• Pros: Table controls, waitlists, guest records and reporting bring reservation operations and customer context together.
• Pros: Pro includes payment and card-capture features with unlimited covers, while Small Chain supports up to five restaurants.
• Cons: Starter and Plus charge extra for payments and card capture, making their headline monthly prices incomplete for venues that need those tools.
• Cons: The 10 included SMS messages are a small allowance for regular reminders; additional messages cost £40 per 1,000.
• Cons: Small Chain is billed annually, and cancellation takes effect at the beginning of the next billing period through support.

Alternatives

Restaurant Reservation Software is a useful category page for comparing reservation products. Choose Favouritetable instead if a free-for-life plan for up to 30 online bookings per month, with onboarding included, fits a small venue’s needs. Resos offers a Basic plan for 350 bookings per month with core features and paid add-ons; consider it if that booking allowance and add-on model suit your operation. Anolla has a free plan for basic online table reservations, with paid features available as needed. CentralPlanner has a free Starter plan with a 50-reservation cap. Eat App offers a free plan for 100 guests monthly and a Lite plan with unlimited guests and 200 WhatsApp messages. OpenResto is a free alternative. TableCheck is a paid alternative. Tableo offers an annual Organise plan for unlimited bookings, three user accounts and website, Google, Facebook and Instagram channels.

Verdict

Choose simpleERB if your restaurant needs more than a booking diary—especially configurable tables, guest history and a choice of payment safeguards—and its cover limits match your volume. Look elsewhere if you need payment tools at the lowest monthly tier or expect frequent SMS reminders, since both can raise the ongoing cost.