Zenchef publishes its prices: €129, €169 or €249 a month depending on the plan, and no commission per cover. TheFork does not publish the price of its plans: its pricing page lists a €400 setup fee, then a commission calculated as a percentage of your average bill, for every guest TheFork brings you. These figures come from the official pages of both platforms, checked on 18 October 2026, and the links are below so you can check for yourself.
If you run a restaurant, brasserie or café in Brussels, here is what each model really costs, what it brings you, and what a booking site of your own changes.
Zenchef pricing: how much does it cost in 2026?
Zenchef works on a subscription. Its plans page lists three, all with no commission on covers:
- Reserve, €129 a month: the booking module on your site and on Google, the Zenchef app and guest reviews.
- Manage, €169 a month: adds the floor plan, the waiting list and booking from Instagram and Facebook.
- Grow, €249 a month: adds email campaigns and tools for several venues.
Several things are paid on top. Add-ons first: a branded booking site at €29 a month, automatic text messages at €49 a month, the "AI Concierge" phone assistant at €99 a month. Then payment fees, when you ask for a deposit or prepayment: on the Reserve plan, Zenchef lists 4% plus €0.50 per Bancontact payment and 6% per credit card, rates that drop on the higher plans.
A simple example with the listed prices: the Manage plan with automatic text messages comes to €218 a month, or €2,616 a year, before payment fees. Two points to get in writing before signing: Zenchef's FAQ mentions a minimum one year commitment while also offering a monthly plan you can cancel, and the three free months offer runs until 31 October 2026.
TheFork commission: what you pay per guest brought in
TheFork does not earn its living from the subscription but from the commission. Its pricing page sets the model out in three lines:
- Booking from TheFork, Tripadvisor or another partner: a commission calculated as a percentage of your average bill per guest brought in.
- Booking from your website, Instagram or Facebook: included, no commission.
- Setup fee: €400.
The percentage is published nowhere: each plan (Visibility, Performance, Enterprise) leads to a "request pricing" button. You will find per-cover amounts online, but none of them comes from TheFork, so we do not repeat them. The only reliable figure is the one in your contract.
The detail that matters: the commission follows the channel, not the guest. A regular who books through the TheFork app counts as a booking from TheFork, even if they already came to you. Another point: card guarantees, prepayment and text reconfirmation, your weapons against empty tables, are not included in the basic Visibility plan.
What the platform brings you, and what it keeps
The two models do not sell the same thing. TheFork makes you visible to its users and partners, such as Tripadvisor and the Michelin Guide: it is a shop window that brings guests who did not know you, and you pay for it per booking. Zenchef first sells a management tool, with a booking app on top, and you pay for it every month, whether the room is full or not.
In both cases, the booking goes through someone else's tool. Both platforms say your guest data belongs to you and that you can export it: a good point, to be confirmed in the contract, along with the export format.
Your own site with booking built in
The third way: guests book on your site, in your name, on your own domain. No commission per cover, no middleman between you and your guests.
That is what we do at Pixel Noir with Studio. Building the site is billed at launch, on a quote, then the subscription starts at €49 a month with online booking and a deposit at booking. The assistant that answers your guests' questions, day and night, comes with the Intelligence plan at €109 a month. Automatic text reminders are in the Pro plan, from €159 a month. You change your hours, your menu and your announcements from your phone.
Let us be honest about the limit: a site of your own does not bring you TheFork's users. Guests find it through your Google profile, your social media, word of mouth and local search, which we set up by default. It suits a restaurant that already has its regulars and wants to stop paying to receive them.
Which one to choose?
- TheFork: you are opening, or you are in a busy area, and you need guests who do not know you yet. Get the commission percentage in writing before signing.
- Zenchef: you want a real floor tool (table plan, waiting list) with no commission, and the monthly price does not scare you.
- Your own site: your guests already find you on Google or come back on their own, and you want every booking to happen on your side.
Nothing stops you from combining them. Many restaurants keep TheFork for discovery and put their own booking link on their Google profile, on Instagram and on a QR code in the room, so regulars book direct. Since TheFork charges no commission on bookings from your website, its own pricing grid allows for this mix.
To go further, read Restaurant website in Brussels and Online table booking for Brussels restaurants. Want to compare with your own figures? Let us talk, by email or at Le Metropole in Jette.