Restaurant Reservation Systems Taiwan 2026: How to Pick & Save

Restaurant owners in Taiwan: 5 must-ask questions before signing + an honest Inline vs Eatsy comparison (including features Eatsy doesn't have). 200 bookings/month on Eatsy is NT$600/mo with no contract — compare against your current plan with our TCO calculator.

Eatsy Editorial TeamApril 30, 202612 min read

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In 2026, "I need a reservation system" means 5 different questions

When a restaurant owner says "I'm looking for a reservation system," they're really asking one of these:

"Do I have to pay a monthly / yearly fee?"
"Can it stop no-shows?"
"Can guests book directly from IG / Google Map?"
"How does it compare to Inline?"
"What if I want to switch later — am I locked in?"

This guide gives you 5 must-ask questions, an honest comparison of Taiwan's two restaurant reservation systems, and concrete recommendations by restaurant type. After reading, you'll evaluate any sales pitch on your own terms.

Bottom line first: more features isn't always better. Figure out which features you actually need, then see who provides them transparently.

5 Must-Ask Questions Before You Sign

1. Pricing model: flat fee vs pay-as-you-go

Two dominant models in Taiwan:

Flat annual / monthly fee: NT$22,000+/year (~NT$1,800/month) regardless of volume. Makes sense for medium-to-large stores with stable demand.
Pay-as-you-go: NT$3+ per reservation, no monthly minimum. Makes sense for small / new / seasonal stores.

The right question isn't "which is cheaper" but "is my reservation volume stable?". Stores averaging under 1,000 reservations/month usually save money on per-booking pricing. Run the numbers through our Restaurant Profit Calculator with reservation cost included.

2. No-show defense: deposit, reminders, waitlist — what's the actual capability?

No-shows quietly drain 5–15% of monthly revenue at most independent restaurants. For these three mechanisms, don't just check whether they exist — check how complete they are:

Deposit system: Can you charge for peak slots, large parties, special events? Does it credit toward the bill?
Auto-reminders: 24-hour and 2-hour LINE / SMS prompts? This is a pure technical feature — verify whether the system has it built-in.
Waitlist: When fully booked, can guests join a queue and get auto-notified when a slot opens? Some systems offer "partial support" (manual ops / simplified flow), which is very different from Inline-grade fully-automated waitlists.

If you need all three fully automated, the budget needs to match (annual-fee tier). If you're willing to handle reminders yourself via LINE Official Account and process waitlists manually, a per-booking system is enough. See our 5 strategies to reduce no-shows for tactical detail.

3. Integration: can guests book where they already are?

In 2026, customers don't visit your website to book. Their entry points are:

Google search → Google Map "Reserve" button
IG photo → bio link or story sticker
LINE message from a friend → tap-and-book

Honestly verify: does the system integrate with Google Map? Does it support LINE Official Account booking links? Inline has native integration at both entry points. Eatsy takes a "shareable booking link" approach — the same link drops into a LINE Official Account, an IG bio / story sticker, or the "Website" or "Reservation link" field on a Google Business Profile, which together cover the three entry points customers actually use; it's a link that jumps to Eatsy's booking page, not the native "Book a table" button on Google Map. If 80% of your customers find you via Google search, native integration has less conversion friction; if 80% come from IG / LINE word-of-mouth, link-based is more flexible.

4. Audience fit: fine dining or casual?

Different store types fit different system positioning:

Chains, high-turnover: High-velocity peak turnover, precise seat control + multi-location back-office, pre-paid deposits to reduce no-show. Inline's strength.
Multi-location chains (4+): Need cross-location pool, HQ dashboard, consolidated reporting. Inline's enterprise tier.
Independent small / community: Volatile demand, sensitive to fixed costs, want transparency. Pay-as-you-go (Eatsy territory).
New / experimental: May pivot in 3 months. Avoid long-term contracts at all costs.

5. Exit cost: contract length and data portability

Few owners ask this before signing — and most regret it later. Three things to nail down:

Contract term: 1 year or 2-3? Early-termination penalty?
Data portability: Can you fully export your member list and reservation history when leaving?
Transition: Can pending reservations migrate to a new system?

Always ask about exit cost first. A system that lets you "come in easy and leave easy" is the owner-friendly choice.

Inline vs Eatsy: An Honest Side-by-Side

Note: The figures below are based on industry observation; actual results vary by shop and are provided for decision reference only.

Item	Inline	Eatsy
Pricing	Annual / contract plan (rate varies — see vendor site)	NT$3 per booking, no monthly / annual
Contract	1-2 years	No lock-in
Best for	Chains, high-turnover	Independent small / community / new
Deposit support	✓ Built-in	✓ Built-in
Auto-reminders (LINE / SMS)	✓	✓ Email / SMS (no LINE auto-push)
Waitlist	✓ Full	△ Partial support
Google Map direct booking	✓	✓ Drop link in Google Business Profile
Member list export	On request	Anytime
Cost transparency	Flat — predictable	Per-booking, line-item clear
Avg 200 bookings/month → cost	Depends on plan (annual fee amortized — see vendor)	NT$600/mo (run your own volume → TCO calculator)

Information as of 2026/05; plans change — verify on official sites.

Recommended pick by restaurant type

📍 High-end fine dining / Michelin-tier

Pick depends on monthly volume. 2000+ bookings/month or strong consumer-network needs → Inline (deep integration, tourist deposit handling, Inline's enterprise tier). Under 1000 bookings/month + strict deposit control → Eatsy (usage-based, deposit compliance built-in). Fine dining isn't Inline-exclusive territory anymore.

📍 4+ location chain with HQ dashboard needs

Pick: Inline. Cross-store reservation pool, member CRM, consolidated reporting.

📍 Independent small/medium restaurant already using LINE Official Account

Pick: Eatsy. 200 bookings/month = NT$600/mo, typically cheaper than annual/contract plans at small-to-mid volume (run your own numbers in the TCO calculator). No contract, member list anytime. Catch: you continue using LINE Official Account to handle customer reminders yourself (most independent restaurants already do this).

📍 New / pop-up / experimental

Pick: Eatsy. No contract = no regret if you pivot. If you're still in pop-up validation mode, see our pop-up strategy guide first.

3 sales pitches to watch out for

"We're #1 in the market" — being #1 doesn't mean fitting your store. Ask "is this right for MY store type?"
"50% no-show reduction after onboarding" — depends on whether you set up deposits and reminders, not the system alone.
"Sign a 1-year contract first" — any system that won't let you trial for a month is locking your decision-making.

3 restaurants' real 7-day trial results compared

Sales pitches are easy to make. Real numbers from real trials are more convincing. 3 typical restaurant profiles and what 7 days of usage produced:

Restaurant A: 30-seat small (previously phone + LINE bookings)

Metric	Before	After 30 days
Monthly bookings	300 (many missed)	410 (24/7 capture)
No-show rate	12%	3% (deposit + reminder)
Phone reservation labor	15 hrs/mo	4 hrs/mo
Net P&L improvement	—	+ NT$18,000/mo

Net cost: NT$1,200/mo. Net benefit: 16×. Biggest win: deposit + auto-reminder.

Restaurant B: 50-seat mid-size (previously on a monthly-contract reservation system, NT$2,500/mo)

Metric	On monthly-contract system	After switching to usage-based
Monthly bookings	600	600 (stable)
Monthly cost	NT$2,500	NT$1,800
Customer data migration	—	CSV export clean, 0 loss
Guest acceptance	—	No difference (guests don't care which backend you use)

Savings: NT$700/mo, NT$8,400/year. Biggest win: seasonal flexibility — November slow month paid only NT$1,200 (vs Inline still NT$2,500).

Restaurant C: 8-seat private dining (previously IG DM reservations)

Metric	On IG DM	After 30 days
Chef daily IG time	1 hour	10 minutes
No-show rate	5% (NT$3,500 × 4 guests = high $ loss)	1% (50% deposit)
Menu pre-selection / allergy notes	Manual LINE back-and-forth	Guest self-fills at booking
Monthly net benefit	—	+ NT$28,000

Net cost: 80 × NT$3 = NT$240/mo. Net benefit: 116×. Private dining benefits most — high ticket + chef time is precious.

Common patterns across the 3 outcomes

Main benefit comes from no-show reduction, not labor savings
Usage-based pricing fits all 3 — none of these restaurants suit monthly contracts (mid-size B is break-even but loses flexibility)
Switching doesn't lose guests (data migrates, booking URL unchanged)
30 days is enough to see results — don't fall for "you need 12-month contract to see ROI" sales talk

Run your own numbers with the no-show loss calculator to estimate your 7-day trial savings.

Bottom line: a reservation system is a tool, not a savior

The right system can recover 5–15% in hidden no-show losses, but it won't turn a poorly run restaurant into a profitable one. The decision logic should be: "lowest-risk onboarding, scale after seeing results" — not "go all-in upfront."

For independent restaurants, Eatsy's pay-as-you-go + no-contract is the lowest-risk option that fits this logic — try a month, walk away anytime, take your member list with you.

To be honest: if you need fully-automated LINE reminders, Google Map direct booking, and full waitlist functionality, Eatsy isn't your pick — that's where Inline is worth the price. Picking the right tool is the biggest cost-saver.

You now know more about reservation systems than 90% of restaurant owners. Next step: see Eatsy's full pricing or start your free trial.

🔗 Go deeper: complete reservation-system decision resources

📚 Reservation system selection cluster

💰 Deposit compliance & consumer law

🔧 Interactive calculators

🚀 Get started with Eatsy

🔗 Read more

Frequently Asked Questions

▸Do I need a paid reservation system? Can I use a free one?

Free options exist but typically lack three critical features: deposit handling for no-show defense, automated reminders, and exportable member data. For under 100 reservations/month, Google Form + LINE OA can work; over 200/month the manual labor cost (phone-answering, chasing customers, handling no-shows) exceeds the cost of a paid system. Rule of thumb: under 100 → DIY, 200+ → paid system.

▸What is the main difference between Inline and Eatsy?

Inline is a fine-grained reservation SaaS (annual/contract pricing, includes auto-reminders + Google Map booking + full waitlist; rate and contract term per vendor site), suited for chains and high-turnover restaurants. Eatsy is a minimalist reservation platform (NT$3/booking, no contract, no auto-reminders, no Google Map booking, partial waitlist support), suited for independent small restaurants. They're not in the same product category. The biggest decision factor: are you willing to handle customer reminders via LINE Official Account yourself? Yes → Eatsy (200 bookings/month = NT$600/mo, typically cheaper than annual/contract plans at small-to-mid volume — run your own numbers in the TCO calculator). No, you want fully automated → Inline is worth the price.

▸How do I figure out which system fits my restaurant?

Three dimensions: (1) Is your monthly reservation volume stable? Stable 800+ → flat monthly; volatile or under 500 → pay-as-you-go. (2) Chains/high-turnover or community/independent? Former leans Inline, latter leans Eatsy. (3) Might you pivot in the next 6 months? If yes, never sign a long contract — pick a no-lock-in option (Eatsy).

▸How long does a system migration take? Can I take my data?

Pure technical onboarding takes 1-3 business days (account setup, hours, menu upload). But customer-habit migration takes 2-4 weeks — old system has pending reservations, new system's LINE / IG / Google Map integrations need time to propagate. On data portability: Eatsy lets you export full member list and reservation history anytime; Inline typically require a request. Always nail the data-export clause down in the contract before signing.

▸Should I require deposits at my restaurant?

Depends on store type and time. Daily walk-up restaurants don't need to. But for these three scenarios, charging NT$100-300 deposit (credited to the bill, forfeited if no-show) is strongly recommended: (1) weekend evening peaks, (2) parties of 4+, (3) special days / collabs / tasting menus. The deposit policy can drop no-shows from 20-30% to under 5% — Taiwan customers accept it readily in these contexts.

▸Below what monthly reservation volume is a system unnecessary?

Under 100 reservations/month → start with Google Form + LINE OA (zero cost, manual labor manageable). 100-200 → evaluate paid systems. Over 200 → not having a system means burning labor: one staff fielding calls 1 hour/day × 30 days = 30 hours/month at NT$200/hour = NT$6,000 — more than most reservation system fees. Eatsy's per-booking pricing is most cost-effective in the 200-500 range, typically NT$600-1,500/month.

▸Can 30 days really show whether a system is good?

Absolutely. In 30 days you can see: (1) guest-side booking completion rate (target ≥70%) (2) no-show improvement (target 50%+ drop) (3) staff phone reservation time (target 70% drop) (4) support response time (target ≤4h). What 30 days can't show: annualized revenue impact (needs 90 days), seasonal flexibility (needs cross-season).

▸Will switching from Inline/EZTABLE really not lose guests?

As long as you do 3 things: (1) CSV export from old system, import to new (phone, name, history) (2) one LINE notification to integrated guests with new booking link (3) parallel run old+new for 2-4 weeks as buffer. Real cases: 95%+ guest retention, because guests care 'can I book' not 'which backend'.

▸Does the trial require credit card?

Good reservation systems don't. Eatsy's 7-day free trial requires no credit card; billing only starts after you go live on usage-based (NT$3/booking). Requiring CC for trial has friction risks: (1) you forget to cancel and get auto-charged (2) signals the vendor lacks confidence in their product. Prefer no-CC trials.

▸Will the 'NT$3/booking' rate quietly increase?

Depends on the contract. Insist on: (1) locked rate for 12 months from signing (2) 60-day notice for any price changes (3) right to terminate without penalty when price changes. At Eatsy we publish pricing openly, any increase is announced on the website + email, existing customers get 60-day grandfather period. Confirm in writing before signing.

▸Can I export customer data? What happens to it after cancellation?

Should be 100% exportable (CSV or API), and the vendor should actively give it to you. After cancellation, data retained 30-90 days (you can download), then permanently deleted (GDPR / Taiwan PDPA). Ask this before signing — any system that won't let you export = de-facto lock-in, don't choose.

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