Email software for restaurants, matched to how your room works.
Restaurant email is reservation confirmations, a weekly letter, event invitations and win-back messages for regulars who have stopped coming. This guide covers which tools fit a single room, a dining group, a catering business or a cooking-class studio, and what each one costs at realistic list sizes.
By the Email Marketing Software editorial team
Our pick for most independent restaurants
MailerLite is the best starting point for a single independent room. A list of 500 guests mailed once a week comes to about 2,000 sends a month. The Comfort plan\u2019s monthly allowance is 10 times its 500-subscriber ceiling, which is 5,000 emails, so that schedule fits. Comfort costs $12 a month on monthly billing, or $10.80 a month if you pay yearly.
The rest of this guide explains when a different tool is the better choice. Kit suits a chef-led brand with a large free audience, ActiveCampaign suits catering and private dining, Constant Contact suits a busy calendar of special dinners, and Klaviyo suits restaurants that sell online as well as at the table.
Restaurant email is not one campaign type. It is a handful of small jobs that happen at different times. Reservation confirmations go out the moment someone books. Reminders go out a day before the meal. The weekly or fortnightly letter covers the menu, the specials and the opening hours. Event invitations go out weeks ahead for a tasting dinner or a holiday service. Private-dining and catering inquiries arrive by email and need a reply within hours. Lapsed regulars are the hardest group to reach, and a win-back message to them is often the most valuable send of the year.
Most owners and managers write this email between services, not at a desk for a full afternoon. That shapes which tool makes sense. A platform that needs weeks of setup will sit unused. A platform that takes an hour to learn and works from a phone can keep a restaurant consistent. The list also grows in bursts: a busy holiday season or a new menu can add hundreds of guests in a month, then growth slows to a trickle. How each vendor prices a growing list matters a great deal here.
Restaurants also differ in how many people they serve and how they take bookings. A 40-seat neighborhood bistro with a reservation book has a different list from a hotel restaurant with conference bookings or a group of three rooms sharing one loyalty card. The sections below assume you know which of these you are, and point to the tool that fits each case.
The comparison at a glance
Starting prices are as listed on each vendor\u2019s pricing page in October 2026. Plans and limits change, so confirm them on the page before you sign up.
Tool
Best for restaurants
Starting price (plan, billing)
Key limitation
MailerLite
Single room with a weekly letter
Free to 250 subscribers; Comfort $12/mo monthly or $10.80/mo yearly
Limited machinery for multi-room groups
Kit
Chef-led brand, newsletter and classes
Free to 10,000 subscribers; Creator $33/mo billed yearly
Automations need the paid Creator plan
Mailchimp
Fast first newsletter for a new room
Free to 250 contacts; Standard $20/mo at 500 contacts
Cost rises through contact tiers
Constant Contact
Calendar of dinners and holiday events
Lite $12/mo monthly or $10.20/mo yearly
Trial only, no free plan
Brevo
Large guest list mailed rarely
Free plan (300 sends/day); Starter $9/mo from 5,000 emails a month
Priced by monthly send volume; SMS costs not in these figures
Klaviyo
Restaurants that also sell online
$20/mo for 500 profiles on the email plan
Per-profile pricing grows with dormant contacts
ActiveCampaign
Catering and private-dining pipelines
Starter $15/mo for 1,000 contacts, billed monthly
Setup time; CRM depth you may not use
GetResponse
Cooking classes and tasting webinars
Starter $19/mo monthly or $15.58/mo yearly
Starter allows one automation workflow
What the price looks like at real list sizes
Most restaurant lists sit between a few hundred and a few thousand guests. The table shows the published monthly price at three list sizes. Where a vendor does not publish a price for that exact size, the cell says pricing on request, so you can get an exact quote from the vendor.
Tool
500 contacts
2,500 contacts
5,000 contacts
MailerLite
$12/mo (Comfort, monthly)
Pricing on request
Pricing on request
Kit
Free plan
Free plan
Free plan
Mailchimp
$20/mo (Standard)
Pricing on request
$100/mo (2,501 to 5,000 band)
Klaviyo
$20/mo (500 profiles)
$60/mo (2,500 profiles)
$100/mo (5,000 profiles)
Moosend
$9/mo monthly or $7/mo yearly
Pricing on request
$48/mo monthly or $38/mo yearly
Drip
$39/mo (1 to 2,500 people)
$39/mo (1 to 2,500 people)
$89/mo (4,501 to 5,000 people)
Campaign Monitor
$13/mo Lite; $31/mo Essentials
Pricing on request
Pricing on request
Kit\u2019s free plan covers up to 10,000 subscribers for broadcasts. Its Creator plan, which unlocks Visual Automations and email sequences, is $33 a month billed yearly. ActiveCampaign\u2019s published starting prices apply to 1,000 contacts: Starter $15, Plus $49 and Pro $79 a month, billed monthly. Constant Contact\u2019s prices scale with contact count, so check its pricing page for your exact number.
Read the table with a simple calculation in mind. A 2,500-guest list costs $60 a month on Klaviyo\u2019s email plan and $39 a month on Drip\u2019s first band. That is $720 a year and $468 a year. The gap looks large, but the cheaper option may not include the automations you need, so compare the included features as well as the sticker price.
Pay attention to how each vendor counts. Some charge for every contact stored, including people who have not opened an email in a year. Others charge by monthly send volume. A restaurant with a big, dormant list that mails only twice a year may pay less on a plan priced by sends. A room that mails weekly to a smaller list may pay less on a plan priced by contacts.
Tool by tool
Each entry covers what the tool does well for a restaurant, where it falls short, what it costs according to the vendor\u2019s published prices, and a link to its pricing page. The order follows the summary above, not a ranking.
Single independent room
MailerLite
MailerLite suits a single room that wants a regular letter with little overhead. The free plan covers up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month, which is enough to start a guest list from a reservation book. The Comfort plan starts at $12 a month on monthly billing, or $10.80 a month billed yearly, for the 500-subscriber starting tier. Its monthly allowance is 10 times that subscriber ceiling, so a weekly letter to 500 guests fits without extra charges. The Power plan, at $25 a month on monthly billing, includes unlimited monthly emails.
Where it falls short: restaurant groups that run several rooms will need careful planning, because the plans are built around one list. SMS and reservation-linked messaging are not part of the plan descriptions used for this guide, so a room that wants texted reminders should check the pricing page before choosing it. The list-size pricing above the first subscriber tier is not published in the figures used here, so ask for a quote if your list is larger than 500.
Kit is a good fit for a chef who writes to diners directly: a seasonal newsletter, a cookbook launch or a supper-club list. The free plan covers up to 10,000 subscribers and includes unlimited landing pages and forms, unlimited email broadcasts, audience tagging and segmentation, and the ability to sell digital products and subscriptions. For a restaurant with a large audience but a small team, that free core is useful.
Where it falls short: automated sequences are the main gap. Visual Automations and email sequences start on the Creator plan, which is $33 a month billed yearly. A welcome series for new diners, or a win-back flow for lapsed regulars, therefore costs money from the start. The Pro plan at $66 a month billed yearly adds Subscriber Signals, unlimited users and deliverability reporting, which matter more to groups than to single chefs.
Mailchimp is widely known, and many staff members and freelance designers already understand its editor. A new room that wants a first newsletter and a weekly special can be live quickly. The free plan covers up to 250 contacts and 500 sends a month, with a limit of 250 sends a day. The Standard plan starts at $20 a month for the 500-contact selector, with up to 6,000 emails a month at that size. The 2,501 to 5,000 contact band is listed at $100 a month.
Where it falls short: the bill grows with the list. A restaurant that gathers guests steadily will find each step up more expensive, so an account that starts cheaply can cost several times more after a busy year. Automation depth is also modest for the win-back and reservation flows described later in this guide. Treat Mailchimp as a strong starting point with a planned review when the list passes 2,500 contacts.
Constant Contact works well for a room with a steady calendar of special occasions: a wine dinner each month, a holiday party series, a chef\u2019s table night. The Standard plan adds automation, scheduling and A/B testing, and it allows monthly sends of up to 12 times your contact count. The Premium plan, at $80 a month or $68 billed yearly, adds advanced automation, segmentation and reporting, and includes 500 SMS a month. That SMS allowance is the only one listed in the plan descriptions used here, so it is worth checking if you want texted reminders for events.
Where it falls short: it has no free plan, only a free trial, and its send allowances are tied to contact counts. For everyday regulars nurture, the automation is thinner than in the tools that focus on sequences. A room with a strong event calendar and modest automation needs will find it a comfortable fit. A room that wants win-back flows across many guest segments will likely need something deeper.
Brevo suits a restaurant with a large guest history that is mailed only a few times a year. The free plan allows 300 email sends a day and stores contacts for up to 100,000 people. The Starter plan is $9 a month from 5,000 emails a month, with no daily sending limit. The Standard plan at $18 a month adds automation, A/B testing and advanced reports at the same starting volume. Because pricing follows monthly email volume rather than contact count, a long dormant list costs nothing extra to keep, so long as you do not mail it heavily.
Where it falls short: SMS pricing is not included in the figures used for this guide, so if texting is central to your reservation reminders, check the pricing page directly. Monthly email volume also rises with frequent sends, so a weekly letter to a big list will move you up a tier. Brevo is best when the list is large and the sending is light.
Klaviyo fits a restaurant that sells gift cards, bottled sauces, meal kits or delivery orders alongside its dining room. Its email plan is priced per active profile: $20 a month for 500 profiles, $30 for 1,000, $60 for 2,500, $100 for 5,000, $150 for 10,000 and $400 for 25,000. The free plan includes 250 active profiles, 500 email sends a month and $5 of mobile messages. Email and SMS plans are priced separately on the pricing page.
Where it falls short: per-profile pricing becomes expensive when a large share of the list is dormant, which is common in restaurants. A dining room with no online sales will use only a small part of the platform, and it can be more than a neighborhood room needs. Reservation confirmations and catering pipelines require more setup than the tools built around simple lists. Choose it when online orders and customer history are a real part of the business.
Catering and private-dining inquiries are sales conversations, and ActiveCampaign is designed to track them through stages. The Starter plan starts at $15 a month for 1,000 contacts, billed monthly, and includes email marketing, marketing automation and standard CRM and ecommerce integrations. The Plus plan at $49 a month adds standard segmentation and landing pages, and the Pro plan at $79 a month adds advanced segmentation. A quote that is waiting for a reply can trigger a follow-up sequence, and the sequence can stop when the sales team takes over.
Where it falls short: it takes time to set up well, and its starting prices rise with contact count. If your catering work is occasional, the CRM depth may be more than you need. A restaurant without a sales process for events will pay for features it does not use. For a dining room that sells only at the table, another tool is a better fit.
GetResponse suits a room that teaches as well as serves: knife skills evenings, bread workshops, tasting webinars. The Starter plan is $19 a month on monthly billing, or $15.58 billed yearly, and includes unlimited monthly sends, a welcome series, one automation workflow, landing pages and signup forms. The Marketer plan at $59 a month, or $48.38 billed yearly, adds unlimited workflows, advanced segmentation, abandoned-cart recovery and sales funnels. The Creator plan at $69 a month, or $56.58 billed yearly, adds webinars, a website builder and a course creator.
Where it falls short: the Starter plan allows only one automation workflow, so a restaurant that wants both a welcome series and a win-back sequence should budget for Marketer. A dining room with no classes gains little from the webinar tools. It is a specialist choice for rooms whose education programme is a revenue line.
Four more tools appear in the price table or are worth knowing about. Campaign Monitor lists a Lite plan at $13 a month and an Essentials plan at $31 a month, both on monthly billing with yearly discounts, with a 30-day trial. Drip is priced by people and sends, and starts at $39 a month for up to 2,500 people, with up to 50 workflows; its focus is online stores. AWeber lists Lite at $15 a month for 500 subscribers and 5,000 sends a month, and Plus at $30 a month for the same subscriber count with 6,000 sends. Moosend starts at $9 a month for 500 contacts on monthly billing, or $7 billed yearly, and offers a 30-day trial. Each is a reasonable choice for a specific case, but none of them is the default pick for the restaurant jobs covered here.
Which tool for which restaurant
Match your situation to the row that describes it most closely, then check the pricing page for the exact plan.
If you need
Pick
Because
One room, a weekly letter, a list under 2,500
MailerLite
Free plan to 250 subscribers; Comfort allowance covers a weekly letter to 500 guests
A chef brand with a large free audience
Kit
Free plan to 10,000 subscribers for broadcasts and forms
A calendar of dinners and holiday events
Constant Contact
Standard scheduling and A/B testing; Premium includes 500 SMS a month
Catering and private-dining quotes tracked to close
ActiveCampaign
Pipeline-style CRM and automation from the Starter plan
Restaurant that sells online alongside the room
Klaviyo
Profile-based flows for online customers; email plan from $20 a month
A large guest history mailed only a few times a year
Brevo
Free storage up to 100,000 contacts; pricing follows monthly send volume
Cooking classes and tasting webinars
GetResponse
Webinars and course tools on the Creator plan
How to choose
Start with three numbers: the size of your list today, the size you expect in twelve months, and how often you plan to send. A restaurant with 800 guests mailing weekly has a different bill from one with 800 guests mailing twice a year. Then decide which jobs matter most. If reservation reminders and confirmations drive the most traffic, check whether each tool supports the messages you need and whether SMS is included or priced separately. If win-back emails are your priority, you will need automation, which usually means a paid plan. If catering is a large share of revenue, you need a pipeline, not only a newsletter.
Next, look at who will run it. A single manager working between services needs an interface they can learn in an afternoon. A group with a marketing hire can use more depth. Also consider whether the tool will live alongside your reservation system, your point-of-sale system and your website, and whether the vendor\u2019s integrations cover those. The integrations list on each vendor\u2019s site is the place to confirm this.
Finally, ask what happens when the list doubles. Compare the price at your expected size, not just today\u2019s size. A tool that is cheapest at 500 contacts can be the most expensive at 5,000, and a tool with a free plan may charge for the automations you actually use. Look at the price table again with the next-year number in mind.
Setup checklist for a restaurant list
Use this order when you move a reservation book or a paper sign-up sheet into a new tool.
Step
What to do
Done when
1. Export guest data
Export from the reservation system and point-of-sale, then remove duplicate email addresses
One row per email address
2. Check consent
Keep only addresses with a recorded opt-in; set walk-ins and phone bookings without consent as not mailable
Every mailable row has a consent source and date
3. Verify your sending domain
Add the sending records the vendor requires, so mail is authenticated
The vendor shows the domain as verified
4. Import with tags
Tag regulars, private-dining guests, class students and catering inquiries
Segments exist before the first send
5. Build the core flows
Set up a first-visit welcome, a reservation reminder and a 90-day win-back
Each flow sends a copy to a staff address before going live
6. Set a cadence
Agree on a weekly letter, event announcements and a monthly review of lapsed guests
The calendar is written down and someone owns it
7. Connect the booking system
Link the reservation tool or use a signup form on the booking confirmation
A test booking adds a contact with the right tag
Consent and compliance
Consent decides whether your list is worth having. In the United States, commercial email must include an opt-out link and your physical business address, and marketing texts generally require prior express written consent under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. In the European Union and the United Kingdom, marketing email needs a clear lawful basis, usually consent, and people must be able to withdraw it easily. Rules differ by country and change over time, so check the requirements for each market you serve with a qualified adviser.
In practice, the cleanest approach is to ask at the point of collection. A reservation form can include a marketing checkbox that is left unticked. A receipt QR code can lead to a sign-up page with a plain statement of what you will send and how often. A host-stand sheet can carry the same wording. Store the source and the date with each contact, so you can show where every address came from if a guest or regulator asks. Never import a list you bought, and never add a phone booking to the list without asking.
Workflows that fill tables
Four flows account for most of the value of restaurant email. Confirmation and reminder messages reduce no-shows, and their timing is simple: confirm when the booking is made, then remind a day ahead. Keep them practical and avoid promotion in them. Win-back messages target guests who have not visited for a set period, often around 90 days, and invite them back with something specific to them, such as their usual table time or a dish they often order. Event invitations go to segments of guests who have attended similar events, which keeps the list relevant. Feedback requests ask every guest how the meal was a day or two after the visit. Happy guests are invited to the public review platform, and guests who are unhappy are invited to a private feedback form first, so service problems reach you before they reach a review site.
Last-minute offers for empty tables are the riskiest of the group. A small segment of nearby guests who have said yes to texts or emails can be sent a tonight-only message. Use it sparingly, because overuse teaches people to ignore your sends. Keep the segment limited to people who have opted in to offers, and record each send so you can see whether the list is being worn out.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest email tool that works for a restaurant?
MailerLite has a free plan for up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month, which covers a small room sending a short monthly letter. Kit has a free plan for up to 10,000 subscribers that includes broadcasts, landing pages, forms and tagging, but automations such as a welcome series start on the Creator plan. Brevo’s free plan allows 300 sends a day, which is useful for occasional mailings to a large list.
How much will email cost for a list of 2,500 guests?
It depends on the tool. Drip lists $39 a month for 1 to 2,500 people, and Klaviyo lists $60 a month for 2,500 profiles on its email plan. For several other tools the price at that exact list size is not published in the pricing figures used on this page, so the table above marks those cells as pricing on request. Check the vendor’s pricing page with your exact count before you commit, because contact counts often move the price up a tier.
Do I need SMS for reservation reminders?
Not always. Many guests respond well to email confirmations, and SMS is useful for same-day reminders and last-minute tables. Constant Contact’s Premium plan includes 500 SMS a month. The SMS allowances and costs of the other tools are not included in the prices on this page, so look at each vendor’s pricing page if texting is central to your plan. Whatever you choose, keep SMS for consented, practical messages such as confirmations and tonight-only offers.
How do restaurants collect guest emails legally?
Ask for permission at the point of collection: a reservation form with an unticked marketing checkbox, a sign-up on the receipt or website, or a sign-up sheet at the host stand. Record when and how each person opted in. Do not add walk-ins or phone bookings to a marketing list without their consent. Every marketing email needs an opt-out link and your business address. If you send to people in the EU or UK, or send marketing texts in the United States, the consent rules are stricter, so check the requirements for your region with a qualified adviser.
Should a restaurant group use one email account or one per location?
One account is usually better. Keep a shared brand list, create a segment for each location, and let local managers send from approved templates. Separate accounts split your guest history, make it harder to see which room drives repeat visits, and multiply the subscription cost. Tools such as ActiveCampaign and Klaviyo handle segmentation at this level, though you should confirm the plan that includes the segmentation you need.
Which tool is best for a catering or private-dining business?
ActiveCampaign is the strongest fit on this list when inquiries need a pipeline: quote sent, deposit paid, menu confirmed. Its Starter plan starts at $15 a month for 1,000 contacts billed monthly, and it includes email marketing, marketing automation and standard CRM features. The Plus plan at $49 a month adds standard segmentation and landing pages. If your catering work is occasional, a simpler tool plus a shared calendar may be enough.
Can email help a restaurant get more online reviews?
Email can prompt guests to leave feedback after a visit, usually a day or two later. A common approach is to ask every guest how the meal was, then send happy guests to the public review platform and invite unhappy guests to a private feedback form first. Do not offer incentives for reviews, because most review platforms prohibit paying for or rewarding reviews, and a review that breaks their rules can be removed.