OpenTable

Pros

I love how it lets me pick out the details and specific times and to let them know if it's for a special occasion or not. It's awesome too, that you earn points.That can go towards things.

Cons

As of right now, I don't have any issues with open table.

Pros

Optimized bookings, seating flow, and intuitive reservation booking. The status updates for tabling is incredibly helpful as well.

Cons

Our waitlist was too complicated to implement. We still use our own in house waitlist.. managing the app and walk-in's became a communication issue for staff and guests. The cost is a little more than we would like as well.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Switching to OpenTable

Pros

Initial conversations, helpful to setup. Later we realized why.. (We are an Australian restaurant)

Cons

They have 2 packages. They use the cheaper package to compare it with the one you use and offer a free period to get you on-board. Then they say to try the other package and say it can be downgraded anytime. But, when they send the contract they add the higher package. After sign, they do not downgrade. That is the trick.

Pros

The reservation software is commendable in terms of functionality and features. However, it may not be particularly accommodating in terms of pricing.

Cons

The cost of utilizing it is rather steep, especially considering its sole functionality of making reservations.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Switching to OpenTable

Pros

The POS integration and that it is widely used by patrons as a go to reservation source.

Cons

Would like more customizable reporting features on the back end and shortcut features on the floorplan view for hosts. We used Yelp prior to switching to OpenTable and their user interface for hosts had more shortcut features that our hosts do miss.

Pros

Ease of use for both customers and restaurants.
Dominates market share for booking reservations.

Cons

Very expensive with variable cost depending on bookings from OpenTable platform versus the restaurants own booking networks.
Huge market control makes it almost impossible to succeed as a restaurant if you are not using them.
No clear or transparent way to accurately sort what reservations were made through OpenTable and what weren't when invoicing.
There is no option to rate diners the same way as restaurants are reviewed so you can select the best customers and decline and the rest during busy times.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Switching to OpenTable

Pros

Customer service is always spot on and helpful.

Cons

Cost to run promotions is too high. If I pay $7.50/pp, I lose money.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Choosing OpenTable

Reasons for Switching to OpenTable

Pros

The convenience of it definitely. I love that you can view the restaurant menu’s, make reservations and even see customer reviews.

Cons

It would crash on my phone every now and again, typically when I’m out of internet range.

Pros

Some elements of the platform are intuitive and easy to use. Pacing controls work pretty well, but I don't like much else.

Cons

I spent years avoiding using OpenTable because I take issue with their pricing structure. In 2022 our brand mandated its use, so we made the switch. There are a handful of useful features but I have largely been unimpressed with it. I dislike that each device you use it on has different functionality -- I feel we should largely be able to do the same things on the mobile app that we can on an ipad or a PC. It makes things more cumbersome than they should be. I still take issue with their pricing structure as we operated our business for nearly 20 years using platforms that do not have a per-cover charge. And for the price we should have more robust messaging (SMS), better automated confirmation processes, and we should be able to take a credit card guarantee via our local website booking widget without having to pay the per-cover price (this is an issue with their API and I have not been given any timeline of a fix). Overall I'm largely unimpressed, just as I always expected to be.

Pros

What I like most about OpenTable is the simplicity of the app

Cons

I don’t have any cons at this time for OpenTable

Pros

I love that OpenTable is so intuitive and easy to use to book reservations. I have been using OpenTable since 2018 and have accummulated OpenTable VIP status with over 150+ booked and completed reservations. They have an awesome rewards system where you can redeem OpenTable points for cool things like Amazon gift cards.

Cons

I have one "if only" for OpenTable. If only. . .you could change the day of a reservation that is already booked, it would be GREAT! Currently, you can only change the time of the reservation. You cannot add people and you cannot change the day to an already booked reservation. You have to go in and cancel to start over.

Pros

It offered a reservation system that we wanted to use to manage seating.

Cons

It was never accurate. Our times didn’t correlate to the actual reservation times. Customers reservations were not populating on our side. It was a disaster and I would like to get the money wasted back

Alternatives Considered

Pros

Customer service is good. Immediate access to reservations.

Cons

Build a better Google Mobile Platform ( for Pixel Phones )
Improve the Table availability in shift settings. ( difficult to understand) .
The review should show the reservation

Pros

Ease and the customer facing ability to get your restaurant reservations.

Cons

It should have a profile for restaurants that are not on it to really show the maximum dining options

Pros

Guest management and seating options, fairly easy to add new tables

Cons

There are other services that do more, and cost far less.

Pros

Ease of reservations, text reminders are amazing. You can modify or cancel on your own as well.

Cons

Can be annoying to navigate on your phone

Pros

Open Table has a great ease of use and guest awareness.

Cons

Open Table can be costly but it is definitely a great help.

Pros

Ease of making reservations and including others.

Cons

I don't have any complaints about OpenTable, I believe it works well.

Pros

I love the ease of making reservations. You can book in advance or find reservations same day depending on availability. It is easy to use and I love to utilize it for busy restaurants.

Cons

Not every restaurant is a member so sometimes there will be a place that does not utilize OpenTable and you have to make a reservation elsewhere.

Pros

All the details you need are there in the reservation once complete: day, time, location of table (if applicable), and any requests you might have if it's a special occasion.

Cons

If you make a mistake, you have to cancel the reservation in order to make a new one because the system will show the time you want as unavailable otherwise.

Pros

Reservations can be easily and quickly managed. When plans change, it takes seconds to cancel or reschedule.

Cons

The fact that not every restaurant uses it though I imagine their database is growing constantly.

Pros

I like that I can just get onto my phone and make a reservation super easily.
I’ve never had an issue.

Cons

Like I mentioned before, I’ve never had any issues with this software.
It’s super helpful

Pros

Easy to use and follow the app and website.

Cons

This is not always up to date but could be a restaurant not updating information

Pros

easy to see table availability for many restaurants
easy to manage reservations
easy to invite others

Cons

been caught a couple of times with reservations for restaurants that are closed whether for the day or permanently without any notification.

Pros

Easy to use and lots of restaurants available. I never have a hard time getting a reservation and when I arrive at the restaurant the wait is minimal. Ability to pay ahead of time is great but not always available.

Cons

Cancellations are not up to date. It takes a day or two to appear in the site so sometimes I call the restaurant to confirm.

Pros

My favorite thing about OpenTable is that you can make reservations directly through the app, and you get email reminders up to the date of the reservation. It helps keep your guests aligned with the date and time!

Cons

I feel like not all restaurants are on OpenTable! I wish they would broaden their reach so that the majority of the restaurants around us could participate in it.

Pros

It's well known. But there were NO pros for my company. They drained us monthly with their expensive plan and added little to no value in growing our company.

Cons

Far too expensive, customer service was deplorable, and their arrogance was overwhelming. We are a small business and could not afford their services any longer. Three days after we canceled our service, we received an erroneous review, and Open Table did not address the issue even though it had nothing to do with our restaurant. It was a personal opinion of how we accepted his criticism. With partnership like Open Table who needs enemies, if you have any other choice run from open table and utilize Tock.

Pros

Our restaurant name The Dock is used by several other unrelated venues and Opentable users often book with my venue but think they are booking in Florida or Pennsylvania, etc. This is annoying and blocks tables we lose at the last minute.
I have requested that Opentable resolve this simple matter - ASK WHAT LOCATION
the dinner wants. Thank you

Cons

$7.50 per booking is expensive.. Customers call and complain to me directly when they book on line and then cancel with short notice and are ANGRY! when we charge what they supposively agreed to pay if they cancel. We lose business and or we make diners angry. The POLICY needs to be MORE OBVIOUS to the diner, they will pay if they CANCEL SHORT NOTICE>

Pros

Control flow of restaurant, pacing, mobile phone app connectivity

Cons

The cost was initially enormous, but came way down when renegotiated we were going to switch to tock or other

Pros

I like being able to have options by simply using my location to find restaurants near me that have open tables for my group size. No more going from place to place, waiting for a table. I also like the reminders that come via text and the ability to add the reservation to my Google Calendar.

Cons

They have a rewards program, but the app makes it unclear as to how to qualify or what the qualifiers are to earn rewards, but it sends you a notification on each reservation that you didn't earn them. It's really confusing, because the reminder that you're not earning rewards should then include instructions on how to do so.

Pros

Have lots of restaurants that uses this app for diners to reserve table easily.

Cons

There is a limit on # of diners can be booked.

Pros

Being able to manage reservation from anywhere, get data insights and the fact that anybody can quickly learn how to use it.

Cons

It is an expensive service, especially for a high volume restaurant.

Pros

Most widely used platform makes it very powerful. Easy to use booking widget and making campaigns.

Cons

Very expensive if you can't route guests to book direct with your booking widget. Customer service has really gone downhill in the last few years.

Pros

I liked that it was free for a while. It was essential when we had only 5 tables during covid mandatory outdoor dining.

Cons

You get used to having it, you customers get used to having it, and then the price seems exorbitant.

Pros

Very easy to use and navigate the app. I can get reservations to top restaurants in a few clicks.

Cons

There’s not much I don’t like, perhaps I wish every restaurant used open table.

Pros

It’s easy to use and lots of restaurants are on it. Whenever I need to make a reservation, it’s the first place I check.

Cons

The only issue I’ve ever had is when trying to redeem dining rewards with a restaurant. Even though I booked a reservation with a restaurant that should have accepted my dining credit, they didn’t take it. However, OpenTable customer service handled the situation quickly and efficiently.

Pros

Ability to reserve when needed, providing adequate services.

Cons

Not guaranteed seating upon arrival with booking time.

Pros

Change in habits, from using paper and pencils to technology. Better organization.

Cons

After 20 years using it.. I think that the license is really high.

Pros

It's easy to search and schedule reservations, the platform works very fast.

Cons

There are some features that are not than intuitive in the navigation like canceling a reservation.

Pros

Marketing options, large customer reach, customer support

Cons

Mobile/iPad version of apps vs. webpage are missing some features and you will need to go onto a laptop or desktop to utilize.

Pros

When you find a restaurant on GoogleMap, you can see the book button and link to opentable, it's easy to make a request and reservation, save lots of time to have a booking. (Most of the restaurant still need to call to book)

Cons

It will be better if they can provide some discount to book on the app, like the fork application in Europe, so people will be willing to try on different types and new thing.

Pros

OpenTable makes it incredibly easy to find and book reservations at a wide variety of restaurants, often with just a few clicks. The user interface is intuitive, and I appreciate the ability to read reviews and see real-time availability. It’s also convenient to manage reservations and make adjustments on the go.

Cons

While the platform is generally reliable, there have been occasions when I arrived at a restaurant only to find that the reservation hadn’t been properly communicated or confirmed on their end. Also, some of the lesser-known or smaller restaurants aren’t available on OpenTable, limiting options in certain areas.

Pros

Ease and efficiency of booking a table. Immediate feedback. Rewards program

Cons

Rewards program is small and hard to achieve benefits. I also wish each restaurant would participate to be a one stop shop.

Pros

Reliability and exposure to guests and clients

Cons

I likve evrything no cons

Pros

From managing reservations to optimizing seating arrangements and tracking guest preferences, OpenTable simplifies every aspect of running a restaurant for my clients. Everyone can easily view and manage reservations, ensuring that we can accommodate guests efficiently and effectively. And waitlist management/table status updates enable us to minimize wait times.

Cons

There is nothing I dislike about Opentable.

Pros

It is an easy and convenient way to reserve tables at your favorite restaurants and cancel/reschedule reservations.

Cons

Sometimes you have to enter your credit card information for certain reservations and you are charged if you cancel.

Pros

I love how quick and easy it is to schedule a reservation.

Cons

Nothing--very easy to create, change or cancel a reservation.

Pros

For me, the best bit is being able to book something then easily change the booking. Plans can often change last minute and its always so hard to get through to restaurants during their open hours, and when you do, most times you cant hear! This takes that away and makes it easy to change or cancel with a few clicks. I also like receiving email confirmations/reminders

Cons

Weirdly, ive has situations where open table has said that there is no space/reservations available however when I call, I am able to get a booking.

Pros

Makes finding and booking a restaurant so easy and straight forward

Cons

In some areas open table isn’t as adopted, for example going aboard it would be super useful but not always a lot of restaurants are registered

Pros

I love being able to have the flexibility to ensure that I have a reservation at the place I want to eat at without waiting.

Cons

I'm not sure all restaurants keep their times up to date, nor sometimes they hold times back.