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The HospitalityStack Brief — Issue #2

Software and AI tools for hotels, restaurants and bars, tested against real service. Oct 2026.

Welcome to issue #2. This week: what reservation systems really cost, food safety software, a revenue management primer for independent hotels, and 12 new tools in the directory. Every price was read on a vendor's own pricing page on 15 Oct 2026.

Reservation software: the real cost

• OpenTable: Basic $149/mo, Core $299/mo, Pro $499/mo, plus a fee for every diner who books through OpenTable: $1.50 on Basic after 30 free days, $1 on Core/Pro. Phone bookings and walk-ins are free.
• Resy: Platform $289/mo or Platform 360 $459/mo. No per-guest fees.
• Tock: Essential $289/mo + 3% of prepayments, or Premium $459/mo + 2%.
• SevenRooms: no public price; quote only.

Read the reservation pricing guide →

New: food safety software compared

• FoodDocs: $99, $199 or $299 per site per month ($79, $167 or $250 billed yearly), unlimited users, 14-day free trial.
• Mitti (by SafetyCulture): free for teams of up to 10; Premium $29 per person per month ($24 billed yearly).
• Ladle (ComplianceMate) and SmartSense (formerly Jolt): temperature sensors plus checklists; quote only.

FoodDocs vs SmartSense vs Ladle vs Mitti →

Three new head-to-heads

Side-by-side tables using published prices:

• OpenTable vs Resy: per-guest fees vs one flat monthly fee
• OpenTable vs SevenRooms: diner network vs owning your guest data
• Homebase vs When I Work: priced per location vs per user

For hotels: revenue management and reviews

Revenue management systems (Duetto, IDeaS, Atomize/Mews, Lighthouse) are quote-only, so our guide covers what to ask in the demo and how to run a fair 60–90 day trial. A second guide covers review management for restaurants and hotels, starting with what you can do for free.

Hotel RMS guide →

12 new tools in the directory

Two new categories, Food Safety & HACCP and Hospitality Hiring, plus additions elsewhere:

• Food safety: FoodDocs, SmartSense (formerly Jolt), Ladle (ComplianceMate), Mitti
• Hiring: Workstream, Fountain, Culinary Agents
• Tip management: Kickfin, Gratuity Solutions
• Bar inventory: Backbar (free plan for one location), Sculpture Hospitality
• Hotel guest messaging: Bookboost

Browse Food Safety & HACCP →

One thing to try this week

Pull 90 days of covers from your reservation system and split them by where the booking came from: the reservation network, your website, phone, or walk-in. Then run that mix through OpenTable's and Resy's price lists. Ten minutes, and you'll know whether per-guest fees or a flat fee costs you less.