Softwr

Restaurants · head to head

OpenTable vs PAR Brink POS

OpenTable logo

OpenTable

Restaurants

Restaurant reservation and management platform

From
$39/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
PAR Brink POS logo

PAR Brink POS

Restaurants

Cloud point of sale for enterprise quick service chains and their franchisees

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: OpenTable openTable for Restaurants charges a subscription fee on top of per-cover network fees: Basic is $149/month with covers free for the first 30 days then $1.50 per network cover, Core is $299/month at $1 per network cover, and Pro is $499/month also at $1 per network cover, so cost scales with both plan tier and diner volume rather than a flat seat price (archived plans page, 5 November 2025); PAR Brink POS the suite was assembled by acquisition, so loyalty, ordering, back office and POS still carry separate data models and administration consoles rather than one unified system.
  • They diverge on capability: OpenTable covers Online reservations, PAR Brink POS covers Enterprise menu and price control.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which OpenTable and PAR Brink POS actually diverge.

Attributes where OpenTable and PAR Brink POS differ
AttributeOpenTablePAR Brink POS
Starting price$39/monthOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidWeb, Android, Windows
Founded1998Unknown

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Restaurants).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in OpenTable

  • Online reservations
  • Table management
  • Guest profiles
  • Waitlist
  • Marketing tools
  • Reviews
  • Toast
  • Square

Only in PAR Brink POS

  • Enterprise menu and price control
  • Drive through and speed of service
  • Open integration interfaces
  • Loyalty through Punchh
  • Back office through Data Central
  • Hardware range

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

OpenTable

  • Point of Salenot PAR Brink POS
  • Order Managementnot PAR Brink POS
  • Inventory Controlnot PAR Brink POS
  • Staff Schedulingnot PAR Brink POS

PAR Brink POS

  • A franchisor standardising the point of sale across hundreds of franchised locationsnot OpenTable
  • A quick service brand where drive through timing and speed of service reporting drive operationsnot OpenTable
  • A chain that wants POS, loyalty and back office contracted through a single vendornot OpenTable
  • A brand needing documented interfaces so its own developers can build ordering and delivery integrationsnot OpenTable

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

OpenTable

  • OpenTable for Restaurants charges a subscription fee on top of per-cover network fees: Basic is $149/month with covers free for the first 30 days then $1.50 per network cover, Core is $299/month at $1 per network cover, and Pro is $499/month also at $1 per network cover, so cost scales with both plan tier and diner volume rather than a flat seat price (archived plans page, 5 November 2025)
  • On the Basic plan, reservations booked through the restaurant's own website are not free: they cost $0.25 per cover or a $49/month flat fee, a charge that is waived only on the higher Core and Pro tiers (archived plans page, 5 November 2025)

PAR Brink POS

  • The suite was assembled by acquisition, so loyalty, ordering, back office and POS still carry separate data models and administration consoles rather than one unified system.
  • Pricing and contracting assume estate scale, which leaves an individual franchisee paying enterprise rates without enterprise negotiating leverage.
  • Hardware and implementation are separate line items that typically exceed the first year of software subscription at a new site.
  • Roll outs are project managed over months, so a brand needing a system live at a site opening in a few weeks will struggle.
  • PAR is a listed company under margin pressure and has raised prices as it consolidates its acquisitions, which makes renewal costs harder to forecast across a long franchise agreement.

Pricing, plan by plan

OpenTable

$39/month
  • Basic$39/month
    • Reservations
    • Table management
  • Core$249/month
    • Guest profiles
    • Marketing
  • Pro$449/month
    • Full features
    • Premium support

PAR Brink POS

On request
  • Brink POS$undefined/year
    • Priced per site per month under a franchisor or corporate agreement
    • Terminals, kitchen displays and drive through hardware quoted separately
    • Implementation and roll out delivered as a project

Which should you pick?

Choose OpenTable if

  • You need online reservations.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want table management.
OpenTable review

Choose PAR Brink POS if

  • You need enterprise menu and price control.
  • You work on Web, Android, Windows.
  • You also want drive through and speed of service.
PAR Brink POS review

Questions people ask

Is OpenTable or PAR Brink POS better?
Neither clearly leads. OpenTable starts at $39/month and PAR Brink POS at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, OpenTable or PAR Brink POS?
OpenTable starts at $39/month and PAR Brink POS at On request.
Does OpenTable or PAR Brink POS run on more platforms?
OpenTable runs on Web, Ios, Android. PAR Brink POS runs on Web, Android, Windows.
What is OpenTable best used for?
OpenTable is most often used for point of sale, order management, inventory control, staff scheduling. Of those, point of sale and order management are not what PAR Brink POS is typically brought in for.
What can OpenTable do that PAR Brink POS cannot?
OpenTable covers Online reservations, Table management, Guest profiles, Waitlist. PAR Brink POS covers Enterprise menu and price control, Drive through and speed of service, Open integration interfaces, Loyalty through Punchh.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

OpenTable: How much does OpenTable restaurant solutions cost?

OpenTable does not publish specific pricing rates or plan tiers on its website. Restaurants must contact the sales team to receive custom pricing quotes based on their individual needs.

Source
PAR Brink POS: Who chooses Brink, the franchisor or the franchisee?

Almost always the franchisor, as an estate standard. The franchisee implements and pays for it.

OpenTable: Is there a free trial for OpenTable?

OpenTable's website does not specify free trial availability. Interested restaurants are directed to request a demo or contact the sales team directly for information about trial options and custom pricing.

Source
PAR Brink POS: Does PAR supply loyalty as well as POS?

Yes, through Punchh, which PAR acquired. It is licensed separately from the POS.

PAR Brink POS: Is it suitable for an independent restaurant?

Not really. The value is in central control across many sites, which an independent does not need and still pays for.

PAR Brink POS: Does it work offline?

Terminals continue to operate through network interruptions, which matters in drive through environments where a stall is measured in seconds.

Share

Related pages

More on OpenTable

More on PAR Brink POS

Keep looking

Other head to heads