Sidedoor

Sidedoor is a bookings and venue-operations platform for venues that want guest access, reservations and marketing tools under one roof. It suits operators building repeat business through memberships and events; the trade-off is that the fuller operating toolkit carries a substantial monthly cost.

Overview

Sidedoor connects a guest app with tools for venue staff. Guests can browse participating venues, request guest-list entry, reserve tables and check in by QR code. Operators can manage reservations, guest lists, ticketed events and gift vouchers, alongside email marketing, analytics and business intelligence. That breadth may reduce the need to stitch together separate booking and promotional tools, but smaller venues should judge whether they will use enough of the higher-tier functions to justify the price.

The platform also serves promoters and partners. Developers can use its REST API documentation and tokens to build on the platform, a useful option for operators with integration needs beyond the listed connections.

Key features

Bookings, memberships and loyalty

The free guest membership covers guest-list bookings, priority queue skips at participating venues, reward points and five free keys. The annual Premium membership adds higher-priority access, members-only events, 1.5× reward points and 50 free keys; Premium Plus costs more and raises the benefits to two-times reward points and 500 free keys, with super-exclusive venue access and higher platform reputation. These memberships target guests, not venue operators. If a member cancels, the app remains free.

Venue operations and campaigns

Venue tools span reservations, guest lists, events and vouchers, with audience segmentation, automated campaigns and loyalty-program support. Pro adds analytics, basic business intelligence, automations, review tools and quotas of 10,000 emails and push messages plus 500 texts. Max doubles those messaging allowances and adds advanced BI and forecasting, an advanced Aimy AI assistant and managed support. Those quotas make the plans easier to assess for campaign-heavy venues, while the jump to Max is difficult to justify for operators who do not need forecasting or the larger allowances.

Integrations, access and security

Connected services include Alliance iPOS, Google Business and Stripe; Square and Epos Now are marked as coming soon. The REST API offers another route for integrations. Venue staff have native Android and iOS apps that support offline operation. Role- and module-based permissions, administrative audit logs and lock-screen protection help venues control shared-device access. The privacy policy says hosting and databases are encrypted, passwords are hashed, optional two-factor authentication is available, and Stripe handles card payments without Sidedoor storing full card numbers or CVV codes.

Support aims to answer enquiries within one business day, with weekday hours from 10am to 5pm. That is a defined service window, not round-the-clock coverage.

Pricing

The free guest plan is priced at free, billed Forever. It includes guest-list bookings, queue skips at participating venues, reward points and five free keys. It is a meaningful no-cost entry for guests, but it is not a free venue-operations tier.

For venues, Starter costs £99 a month, billed £99/ month. It covers a single venue, reservations, vouchers, events, guest lists and the Sidedoor members community sales channel. It is the clearest fit for a single-location operator that needs core booking and event tools without the analytics, API access or messaging quotas offered higher up.

Pro costs £299 a month, billed £299/ month, and includes everything in Starter plus till and rota integration, analytics, basic business intelligence, the Aimy AI assistant, 10,000 emails and push, 500 texts, automations, reviews and API access. It makes sense for operators that will actively use those campaign and reporting tools; for a venue focused on reservations alone, the price increase over Starter is hard to warrant.

Max costs £499 a month, billed £499/ month. It includes everything in Pro, raises allowances to 20,000 emails and push and 1,000 texts, and adds advanced BI and forecasting, an advanced Aimy AI assistant and managed support. This is aimed at high-volume groups that can use the extra capacity and oversight, not a modest operation with occasional campaigns.

The annual guest memberships are separate: Premium costs £149 a year, billed £149/ year, and Premium Plus costs £999 a year, billed £999/ year. Premium adds priority access, an Aimy virtual concierge, members-only events, 1.5× reward points and 50 free keys. Premium Plus adds super-exclusive venue access, higher platform reputation, double reward points and 500 free keys. The large price gap makes Premium Plus a choice for guests who place substantial value on those exclusive-access benefits, rather than a routine upgrade.

Platforms

Sidedoor supports Android, iOS, web and API. Offline operation is specifically stated for the native Android and iOS apps used by venue staff, which helps when a venue's connection is unreliable.

Who it's for

Sidedoor is most compelling for venues that want bookings, events, guest lists and guest engagement in the same system, particularly operators prepared to invest in campaign measurement and automation. Starter suits a single venue with core operational needs; Pro suits growing operators needing reporting, integrations and defined messaging allowances; Max is for high-volume groups needing larger quotas, forecasting and managed support. Guests can use the free membership, while the paid memberships are for those seeking greater access and rewards. Operators seeking only basic reservations, or needing support outside weekday hours, have reason to look elsewhere.

Pros and cons

Broad booking and venue coverage: Reservations, guest lists, ticketed events and vouchers sit alongside marketing and reporting tools, which can consolidate work for operators using several of these functions.

Offline staff apps and access controls: Offline mobile operation, venue/module permissions and lock-screen protection address practical needs in busy venues with shared devices.

Developer and payment options: API access on Pro and above, listed integrations, and Stripe payment handling give operators routes to connect systems while limiting card data held by Sidedoor.

Costs rise quickly for venue features: Starter is £99 a month, while analytics, API access and campaign quotas start at £299 a month on Pro.

Integration coverage is uneven: Alliance iPOS, Google Business and Stripe are connected, but Square and Epos Now are only coming soon.

Support has limited hours: The stated weekday window of 10am to 5pm may not suit venues that need help during evenings or weekends.

Alternatives

For a broader shortlist, browse Restaurant Marketing Software. Choose Reelo if a freemium marketing option with a free trial and SMS/email campaigns, customer insights and business insights in its free plan better fits your needs. Clover Online Ordering is a better match when the priority is takeout, curbside pickup or dine-in ordering without setup or subscription fees; delivery fees may apply.

Loyalty Gator is worth considering for loyalty programs where a free trial and a plan supporting up to 100 customers are more relevant than Sidedoor's venue bookings. Como is another paid option to compare. Choose Popmenu Online Ordering if online ordering and catering add-ons better match the job; its Starter plan is $159 a month, billed prepaid annually, and Essentials is $269 a month.

Welcome Back is an alternative for operators focused on social publishing or automated Google review collection through paid add-ons. Fleksa Marketing Automation may fit operators seeking loyalty and retention alongside online ordering, with Essentials at €99 a month and a Bundle that includes a branded iOS and Android app. Hang is another paid option to compare.

Verdict

Choose Sidedoor if your venue needs guest bookings and operational tools connected to membership, events and marketing, and you can make practical use of its Pro or Max capabilities. Its offline staff apps, security controls and API are meaningful strengths, but the £299 a month Pro starting point for analytics and campaign tools is a serious commitment. A single venue that mainly needs reservations may be better served by Starter; venues needing only ordering or loyalty should compare the more focused alternatives.