Switching from commission portals to Onboard – in five steps

Commission portals like TheFork & co. bring in reservations – and take a fixed cut for every guest they refer. At two to seven euros per person that quickly adds up to a four-figure sum per year. But worse than the bill is something else: after the booking, your guests belong to the platform, not to you.

Moving to a commission-free system is easier than most people think. Here's the path.

1. Do the math on what commission costs you

Before you change anything, make the number visible. Take the guests you get via portals each month and multiply by the commission per person. That's exactly what our commission calculator is for – it shows you the yearly total in seconds. With Onboard there's a 0 in that spot: you pay a predictable flat monthly price, never a surcharge per guest.

2. Sharpen your direct channels

The real move starts with guests reaching you directly again:

• Website widget – an embed code on your site, bookings around the clock, in your own look.
• Reserve with Google – reservations straight from Google Search and Maps, without a portal in between.
• ChatGPT & Claude – over the open MCP protocol, AI assistants can book a table with you the moment a slot is free. Enabled per restaurant via OAuth.

Every one of these channels lands in one inbox – together with walk-ins.

3. Bring your guest list with you

Your regulars are your most valuable asset. Export your guest list from the old system and import it into Onboard. From then on the guest CRM recognises returning guests automatically by email and phone – with notes, preferences and visit history the moment a reservation arrives.

4. Give your guests an app of their own

Instead of losing your guests to a marketplace, Onboard gives you your own guest app: discover restaurants, book, add gift cards to Apple Wallet, watch the live reservation in the Dynamic Island. The relationship stays direct – and the next visit is one tap away, not a portal search.

5. Run a week in parallel

You don't have to switch off overnight. Let the portal run for another week while your widget, Google and direct channels are already taking bookings. Once you see reservations landing cleanly in the inbox, cancel the portal – monthly, no drama.

Switching isn't a risk, it's an equation: less commission, more direct guests, one platform instead of five tools.

Onboard sets up in under 15 minutes – flat price, servers in Germany, cancel monthly. Work out your savings in the comparison and get started.