Web Site of the Week: OpenTable.com
Posted by: Christine Bulson
OpenTable.com is the major player in online dining reservations with more than 20,000 restaurants participating in the US, Canada, Germany, Japan, Mexico and the UK. Restaurants pay a start-up fee to join and then pay OpenTable for every reservation plus a per head charge for reservations via the reservation’s own website. For diners there is a loyalty program where they can earn points for discount coupons. There have been rumors that diners get worse tables if they book through OpenTable, which the site denies. A search on the site for reservations this Saturday at 7:30pm for four people in New Orleans reveals the following: there are 82 restaurants with availability but if narrowed to the Central Business District and to under $50 there are 11. If you want to eat out on Saturday with friends while at ALA – start planning!
June 20th, 2011 at 5:48 am
I’ve used Open Table only a few times and have been pleased. However, I was a bit dismayed to see that some users feel their table is less desirable if they book through Open Table. I’m inclined to agree. Last Saturday night I made a reservation at a local restaurant at an earlier than average dinner time. In a restaurant that was three-quarters empty, on an extremely hot day, we were shown to a table by a window besieged by glaring sunlight.