It all started over a glass of water (yes, I know, very atypical but I’m a teetotaler) with a dear friend of mine in his restaurant. But my eye caught a huge book… and it was the one he used to manage reservations. So I started investigating this system, a bit archaic for 2025, and he too told me he was somewhat frustrated: he spent more time fighting with his memory when he was on the move to remember if there was still room in the restaurant or not.
“When I’m out it becomes difficult, because I have to mark them down in my notes and leave them on STAND BY without giving them a precise answer…” he told me.
That sentence stuck in my head. It couldn’t be that hard to have a system that was, simply put, useful. A system that worked for you, not against you.
I wanted to help him. So, I decided to open my code editor and build something custom-made for him. But as I was writing the first lines of code, I realized his problem wasn’t unique. How many other restaurateurs found themselves in the same situation?
That is how Resvo was born. Not just a tool for a friend, but an Open Source project for anyone who needs it.
What is Resvo?
Resvo is a reservation management system designed for speed and simplicity. No useless frills, just what is really needed to manage a full room without going crazy. It is built with modern technologies (Next.js, Supabase, Tailwind CSS) to guarantee performance that old management software can only dream of.
But let’s get to the point. What can Resvo do for you?
📅 The Beating Heart: The Calendar
I designed the calendar to be as intuitive as possible.
- Multiple Views: You can switch from daily view to weekly or monthly with a click.
- Detailed Timeline: The daily view gives you a precise vertical timeline, perfect for seeing arrival flows and managing shifts without overlaps.
- Service Filter: Lunch or Dinner? With a simple switch, you can filter the view to focus only on the active service.
🪑 “Drag & Drop” Room Management (or almost)
Forget sheets of paper and strikethroughs. Resvo allows you to visualize your tables and your rooms (Indoor, Outdoor, Terrace).
- Real-Time Status: See immediately which tables are free, which are occupied, and which are reserved.
📊 Data, not Opinions
Another sore point for my friend was having no idea how the restaurant was really doing beyond the evening’s takings. Resvo includes an Analytics dashboard that shows you the fundamental KPIs: total covers, occupancy rates, and daily trends. Simple tools to make decisions based on numbers (and NOT feelings).
Why Open Source?
I could have tried to sell it, making yet another subscription SaaS. But the initial goal was to help a friend. And then I thought: why stop at one?
Releasing Resvo as Open Source means that anyone can take it, use it, improve it, and adapt it to their own needs. It is my way of giving something back to the community and providing a powerful tool to those who maybe cannot afford exorbitant monthly fees.
If you are a developer, you are welcome to contribute. If you are a restaurateur, I hope this tool can simplify your life as it did with my friend.
The code is entirely transparent, the license is permissive (MIT), and the project is built to last.
Resvo is still growing, but the passion behind it is already mature. Check it out!