Your own booking page vs a marketplace booking app
Two ways for guests to book a table online, compared fairly for restaurant owners in Dubai and the UAE.
The short answer
On your own booking page, the guest books directly with your restaurant, through a link on your website, Google profile and Instagram. On a marketplace app, the guest books inside an app that lists many restaurants. A marketplace can bring you guests who have never heard of you. Your own page keeps the guest, the brand and the data with you. Many restaurants use both, with their own page as the main one.
Side by side
| Own booking page | Marketplace app | |
|---|---|---|
| Who the guest books with | Your restaurant | The app, on your behalf |
| Guest contact details | Yours to keep and export | Depends on the app's terms |
| What else the guest sees | Only your restaurant | Other restaurants, offers and rankings |
| New guests who don't know you | Only through your own Google, social and ads | Yes, from the app's own users |
| How you pay | A monthly fee for the system | Often a fee per booking or per guest, sometimes plus a monthly fee |
| Your brand | Your name, photos and menu | The app's design, next to other listings |
| Where bookings came from | Every ad, creator post and link can be tracked | Usually shown as the app |
Terms differ from app to app, so check the contract for guest data, fees and no-shows before you sign.
When a marketplace app makes sense
A marketplace is a shop window. It helps most when few people know your name yet: a new opening, a restaurant in a hotel or tourist area, or quiet nights you want to fill. You pay for that reach, usually per guest, and the guest's first relationship is with the app.
When your own booking page matters most
Your regulars, the guests who follow you on Instagram and the people who search your name on Google already chose you. When they book on your own page, there is no fee per guest, no list of other restaurants beside you, and their visit builds your own guest profile. If you spend on ads or creators, your own page is also where you can see which campaign brought which booking.
Using both
Many restaurants list on an app for discovery and send everyone else to their own page. These keep it working:
- Put your own booking link everywhere you control: website, Google profile, Instagram bio and WhatsApp replies
- Keep every booking in one place, so the floorplan is right whichever way the guest booked
- Check each month how many guests came from the app and what they cost you
- Make sure guests from any channel end up in your own guest list, with their consent
Questions to ask a marketplace app
- Who can contact the guest after the visit, you or the app?
- Can I export my guests, with contact details and visit history?
- What does each booking or guest cost, and what about no-shows and cancellations?
- Does my listing show other restaurants next to mine?
- If I leave, what happens to the guests who found me through the app?
Where Kolshi fits
Kolshi Table is a restaurant reservation system that gives you your own booking page, built on your real tables. Every booking builds a guest profile that belongs to you, and every link gets its own tracking. Your team can also enter a booking taken anywhere else, so the floorplan stays complete. For a wider checklist, read how to choose a restaurant reservation system.
Common questions
Do marketplace booking apps own my guests?
It depends on each app's terms. Read who may contact the guest after the visit and whether you can export the guest's details before you sign.
Can I add my own booking page to Google and Instagram?
Yes. Your booking page has its own link. Add it to your Google profile, your Instagram bio, your website and your WhatsApp replies.
Should a new restaurant use a marketplace app?
It can help while few people know your name. Send everyone who already knows you to your own page from the start, so your guest list grows with you.