Sidedoor

Sidedoor pairs guest bookings with tools for venue operations, marketing and reporting. It suits venues that want to manage reservations and guest engagement together, as well as guests using participating venues. The main trade-off is a split between a free guest membership and venue plans that climb to £499 per month for the broadest operating toolkit.

Overview

Guests can browse participating venues, request guest-list entry, reserve tables and check in with QR codes; operators get a separate platform for reservations, guest lists, ticketed events and gift vouchers. Email marketing, analytics and business intelligence extend it beyond bookings, though operators should match the plan to the capabilities they actually need.

Sidedoor is presented for guests, venues, promoters and partners. Native Android and iOS apps for venue staff work offline, useful when staff need to keep working through a connectivity interruption. Developers can use REST API documentation and tokens to build on the platform.

Key features

Bookings and guest membership

The free guest membership includes guest-list bookings, priority queue skips at participating venues, reward points and five free keys. Premium and Premium Plus are annual memberships with different benefits: Premium adds higher-priority access, members-only events, 1.5× reward points and 50 free keys, while Premium Plus offers super-exclusive venue access, higher platform reputation, 2× reward points and 500 free keys. The app remains free if a member cancels, so paid membership is a choice for guests seeking those added benefits rather than a prerequisite for using the app.

Venue operations and marketing

The plan ladder adds capabilities as costs rise. Starter covers one venue with reservations, vouchers, events, guest lists and the Sidedoor members community sales channel. Pro adds till and rota integration, analytics, basic business intelligence, an Aimy AI assistant, automations, reviews, API access and defined message allowances. Max adds advanced BI and forecasting, an advanced Aimy assistant, larger message allowances and managed support. That progression gives operators a clear route from core booking tools to analytics and automation, but advanced reporting and the larger allowances require a substantial monthly commitment.

Campaigns support multiple channels, audience segmentation and automation, and the platform includes a loyalty program, POS integration and review requests. Connected services include Alliance iPOS, Google Business, Stripe and an open API; Square and Epos Now are coming soon. Role-based permissions by venue and module, administrative audit logs and lock-screen protection help manage access on shared devices. Hosting and databases are encrypted, passwords are hashed, optional two-factor authentication is available, and Stripe processes card payments without Sidedoor storing full card numbers or CVV codes.

Sidedoor aims to respond to enquiries within one business day, with weekday support hours from 10am to 5pm. Max's managed support may matter to high-volume operators who need a more supported relationship.

Pricing

Guest and venue pricing serve different needs. The free guest membership costs nothing, billed Forever, and includes guest-list bookings, priority queue skips at participating venues, reward points and five free keys. Premium costs £149 a year, billed £149/ year; Premium Plus costs £999 a year, billed £999/ year. These are guest memberships, not substitutes for venue management plans.

For venues, Starter costs £99 a month, billed £99/ month, for a single venue with reservations, vouchers, events, guest lists and the members community sales channel. It is the entry point for a single-venue operator who needs core booking and sales tools, but it does not include the analytics and business intelligence named on higher tiers.

Pro costs £299 a month, billed £299/ month. It includes everything in Starter plus till and rota integration, analytics, basic business intelligence, Aimy AI assistant, 10,000 emails and push, 500 texts, automations, reviews and API access. It fits operators ready to pay more for marketing and reporting capacity. Max costs £499 a month, billed £499/ month, and includes everything in Pro plus advanced BI and forecasting, advanced Aimy AI assistant, 20,000 emails and push, 1,000 texts and managed support. The added capacity is aimed at higher-volume groups; operators who do not need forecasting, larger quotas or managed support may find Pro the more proportionate choice.

Platforms

Sidedoor supports Android, iOS, web and API. Native Android and iOS apps are specified for venue staff and support offline operation; the API offers a documented route for developers. This combination suits operators with mobile staff and technical teams, though the listed platforms alone do not establish which individual features are available on each.

Who it's for

Sidedoor is a good fit for venues that want guest bookings alongside events, vouchers and marketing, with Starter suited to a single venue and Pro or Max to operators needing progressively more reporting, automation or message capacity. Its free guest membership also gives visitors a no-cost way to use bookings and rewards. It is less compelling for an operator seeking only a narrow booking function or one unwilling to pay a monthly fee for venue tools.

Pros and cons

• Pro: Guest bookings, venue operations and marketing tools sit in one platform, so operators can connect reservations with campaigns and loyalty.
• Pro: Offline-capable native staff apps and granular venue/module permissions address practical needs for mobile teams and shared devices.
• Pro: A free guest membership offers bookings and rewards without requiring a paid membership.
• Con: Meaningful analytics, API access and messaging allowances begin at £299 per month, a steep step up from Starter for smaller operators.
• Con: Some named integrations, Square and Epos Now, are coming soon rather than current connections.

Alternatives

For a broader comparison, see Restaurant Marketing Software. Choose Clover Online Ordering instead if takeout, curbside pickup or dine-in ordering with no setup or subscription fees matters more than Sidedoor's venue-management breadth; delivery fees may apply and Clover requires an unspecified condition. Fleksa Marketing Automation is worth considering when a branded website, online ordering or loyalty and retention programs are the priority, with its Essentials plan at €99 a month and Bundle at €199 a month.

Reelo may suit businesses looking for a free campaign and insights tier or a lower-cost annual growth option: its Forever Free plan costs nothing, and Growth Yearly is ₹3,250 a month. Stampede is another venue-focused option, with one flat price per venue provided after a sales call and a model that charges £0 per cover. Forge, Spendgo and Como are other paid alternatives.

Verdict

Choose Sidedoor if you operate a venue that wants bookings, guest engagement and marketing tools under one roof, and the right plan's monthly cost matches your needs. Its offline staff apps, access controls and progression from single-venue tools to advanced reporting are meaningful strengths. Look elsewhere if you need only basic ordering or bookings, or if the costs of Pro and Max outweigh the value of their added analytics, automation and message capacity.