OpenTable.Com

[Pool Boy]

'hillvalley said:

Reservations are only accepted for parties of 7 or more. Obviously then, no Open Table.

Even if they did take reservations remember that OT is very expensive and costs the restaurant $1 a person even if you don't show.

Dang. I hate waiting for a table. I much, much, much prefer having a reservation. And I *love* Open Table. Too bad it is so expensive for the restaurants....

[jm chen]

I didn't know it costs the restaurants to maintain it... I guess that explains why some of them don't participate.

But it is SO incredibly convenient to be able to see what's available on a given night, without calling every single restaurant and going through, "Well, what about 7? 7:30? What do you have?"

Jael

[bilrus]

But it is SO incredibly convenient to be able to see what's available on a given night, without calling every single restaurant and going through, "Well, what about 7? 7:30? What do you have?"

And I'd bet that the restaurants appreciate not having to have those conversations.

[DCMark]

Dang. I hate waiting for a table. I much, much, much prefer having a reservation.  And I *love* Open Table. Too bad it is so expensive for the restaurants....

Do you think $1 is expensive? I know margins are low in the food service industry but $1 customer aquisition cost seems very reasonable. Compare that to the telecom industry where aquisition costs are $500+ for a new broadband customer.

[dinwiddie]

Dang. I hate waiting for a table. I much, much, much prefer having a reservation.  And I *love* Open Table. Too bad it is so expensive for the restaurants....

I love OpenTable.com. Once I made a reservation using it and at 4pm realized that I had made the reservation for the wrong (following) night. I went to the site, canceled my reservation and make one for 7:30 that night. When I got to the restaurant I found out it was Prom Night and they were telling folks that there was a hour and a half wait. We went to the desk, gave our name and were told, Yes we have your reservation, follow me. We were shown to our table right then.

[Mark Slater]

Do you think $1 is expensive?  I know margins are low in the food service industry but $1 customer aquisition cost seems very reasonable.  Compare that to the telecom industry where aquisition costs are $500+ for a new broadband customer.

I believe that the service costs the restaurant $1 a reservation, not $1 each customer. I'll double check today. By far the most attractive thing about OpenTable is the computerized reservation book. It keeps detailed customer histories, such as number of reservations, favorite table, favorite server, favorite wine, etc., and has a special field to notate customer comments, such as "allergic to nuts", or, "PITA" . Except for spelling errors, it is practically idiot proof. Gone are the days when a surprise party of 20 shows up on Saturday night saying they were promised a round table at 7:30.

[Nadya]

I love OpenTable. Pros are being able to plan the night, particularly for large tables (see RW discussion about spontaneously expanding parties.)

It is also a nifty database you can use to enter your comments on patrons. See a very helpful comment from Stretch on notorious nymphos. Any special instructions also go in this field.

One should say that the comment-making capability is available at both ends. This, my friends, is how we can cutesy little letters from customers along the lines of:

"Hi! Looking forward to trying your restaurant during Restaurant Week. It's my wife's birthday and our anniversary and we would appreciate having a nice quiet table by the window."

This is when you wish there was a way to PM the wife and say, "Dump this jackass and go marry someone who is not a cheapskate and doesn't wait for RW to take you out."

Also, please note that any database is as good as the people who maintain it. This is to say, it is completely up to the restaurant to manage the number of open spots. For instance, it's common practice to block all available spots on a busy spot so that no one can get in using OpenTable, and we have in fact done that for RW routinely. Some people I know deliberately do that to leave room for walk-ins.

So I would say from my perspective, you always get better, more up-to-date information from a live person on the phone , even if OpenTable says "no room."

[MelGold]

I believe that the service costs the restaurant $1 a reservation, not $1 each customer.

It is $1 each customer, and that's on top of a monthly fee. For some restaurants, it's just not worth the added expense which they could be using elsewhere on a splurg item. That said, our restaurants recently added OpenTable and love it! Definitely makes things more efficient on the restaurant's side as well.

[Sthitch]

Are you charged for OpenTable reservations that are cancelled?

[hillvalley]

From the official OpenTable sales kit:

One-Time fees: Set-up and Activation is $1295 per restaurant which includes the computer console, configuration, installation and training.

Monthly fees: $199 for technical support & marketing

Cover fees: It's $1 per seated cover if they go through the OpenTable site...the party must cancel through the system or call the restaurant to cancel them out or else they are considered no shows. The restaurants are not charged cover fees if the reservation cancels prior to the reservation.

If the reservation is made through a link on the restaurant's site, they are charged a $.25 per seated cover. Phone reservations made manually are not charged.

There are tons of other fees associated with the system depending on what you want/need...desktop software for the back office, remote access, card printers, the 1000 pt. club, etc.

[lackadaisi]

I love opentable. I certainly know from my experience that I tend to go to restaurants much more frequently if they use opentable. This is particularly true for business lunches. I just don't have time to call every restaurant that I know to ask them if they have an availability at an exact time whenever these lunches come up. And, unless there is a particular need for a certain restaraunt - ex., Le Paradou for lunch during restaurant week for impromptu business lunches because everyone else was booked far in advance - it doesn't make sense to have my secretary call because it is hard enough for me to keep up with which restaurants I like at a certain time, nonetheless to ask someone else to figure it out.

I am curious about how much additional business restaurants get from using opentable.

[Pool Boy]

Sometimes my wife and I just decide to go out either as a spur of the moment that day, or plan on it just a day prior. The service is brilliant because you can very quickly see who has what without calling around as already stated. You can keep making changes, too, and the confirmation is basically instant.

I know we go much more to OT.com-using restaurants than those that do not for the very reason that it is so much easier to do so.

[LoganCircle]

Perhaps the good folks in the business can tell us what proportion of their covers are reservations, and what proportion of reservations come from Opentable.

What's it like at Bis, Corduory, Eve, and Notti Bianche, as well as other establishments represented here?

[mdt]

Perhaps the good folks in the business can tell us what proportion of their covers are reservations, and what proportion of reservations come from Opentable. 

What's it like at Bis, Corduory, Eve, and Notti Bianche, as well as other establishments represented here?

I was told when calling Corduroy recently that they do not hold any tables back from the Opentable system.

[John Wabeck]

Perhaps the good folks in the business can tell us what proportion of their covers are reservations, and what proportion of reservations come from Opentable. 

What's it like at Bis, Corduory, Eve, and Notti Bianche, as well as other establishments represented here?

We pay about $200 for the service, plus around $500 to $600 a month for covers, plus additional for the "covers through the website" fee.

The trade off of the expense is the easily maintained database with which to send out news, propaganda and the like.

Edited August 17, 2005 by Johnny Rooks

[Jacques Gastreaux]

We pay about $200 for the service, plus around $500 to $600 a month for covers, plus additional for the "covers through the website" fee.

The trade off of the expense is the easily maintained database with which to send out news, propaganda and the like.

John: that works about to an average of about 20 tables a night you are booking through OT, at a cost of about $20. I would say that OT works pretty well for your restaurant.

[Walrus]

I love OT, too -- I particularly love being able to make reservations at, say, 2 a.m., which is when I'm up and able to be doing stuff like that online. Plus, it's great for finding restaurants in other locations -- for example, Wheaton, Illinois -- where not much foodie attention is necessarily spent.

[KeithA]

I love OT, too -- I particularly love being able to make reservations at, say, 2 a.m., which is when I'm up and able to be doing stuff like that online. Plus, it's great for finding restaurants in other locations -- for example, Wheaton, Illinois -- where not much foodie attention is necessarily spent.

I wholeheartedly agree. For non-OT restaurants, it is annoying to only be able to call them in the afternoon or evening (often when they are busy) and try to make a reservation, when I'd rather make the reservation at 10am and not worry about it all day. OT is great and I will repeat the sentiments of others - I definitely go to more restaurants on OT than those not on the list. (I also do it to rack up the free points for dining dollars )

[dinwiddie]

Another thing I love about opentable.com, I travel a good deal and I can book reservations in SF, Chicago, NY, etc. from my computer at home before I leave and know I have one confirmed. It is much easier than trying to make a reservation when I get to wherever I'm traveling.

I don't know how many times I've booked a table at a restaurant in SF that the others in my group would love to go to but couldn't get in because they called the night before or of when they wanted to go.

[crackers]

OpenTable was a Godsend recently. I made a reservation at Deep Blue in Wilmington, DE and in the comment section I mentioned that my friend is extremely allergic to certain nuts and to chocolate. Normally this gets mentioned again when ordering, but this time it slipped by. Sure enough the waiter came racing out a few minutes after he took our orders (before the food arrived) to inform us that the comment had been relayed to the kitchen and that the spring rolls had ground walnuts in them.

Edited August 28, 2005 by crackers

[dinwiddie]

Another thing about OpenTable. I'm set up as an "Administrative Professional" which means I can make reservations for others, and I get the points. The folks here at work often come and ask me to make them reservations and when we have out of towners here for conferences, training, etc. I can make reservations for them.

[Jacques Gastreaux]

OpenTable was a Godsend recently.  I made a reservation at Deep Blue in Wilmington, DE and in the comment section I mentioned that one person in the party is  extremely allergic to certain nuts and to chocolate. 

It totally sucks to be him.

But I digress. 

Normally this gets mentioned again when ordering, but this time it slipped by.  Sure enough the waiter came racing out a few minutes after he took our orders (before the food arrived) to inform us that the comment had been relayed to the kitchen and that the spring rolls had ground walnuts in them. 

Talk about a reliable form of evidence to use at trial when you put an allergy in the notes section of an OT reservation and they ignore it to the harm of the patron. It totally eliminates the need for the "but I told the waiter" testimony.

[CrescentFresh]

What's the net effect upon an Open Table restaurant when they receive an Open Table coupon from when people cash in their points? Is it just as good as cash from the restaurant perspective? Credit towards their Open Table fees?

[starfish]

What's the net effect upon an Open Table restaurant when they receive an Open Table coupon from when people cash in their points?  Is it just as good as cash from the restaurant perspective?  Credit towards their Open Table fees?

ot coupons are essentially the same thing as travelers cheques.

with regard to the earlier question of percentages of reservations made through ot and those made through restaurant websites etc, i am in the process of preparing an ot presentation for my boss. as soon as i have crunched the numbers i will share all of the appropriate ones here.

edited to add: one more bonus of ot...using the manager configuration, one can surf the web (read, keep up with dr.com) during mini-lulls in service.

Edited August 19, 2005 by starfish

[dinwiddie]

Has anyone here ever redeemed their points and used an OpenTable dining cheque?

[bilrus]

Has anyone here ever redeemed their points and used an OpenTable dining cheque?

I've done this two or three times. Works pretty well, although the first time I did it in the back room at Palena they had some issues trying to figure out how to deal with it.

After my upcoming trip to Charleston I'll be getting another. It is pretty cool, until you think of it as getting one dollar back for every $50, $100, or $200 dinner you've booked. Better than a kick in the ass though.

[dinwiddie]

It is pretty cool, until you think of it as getting one dollar back for every $50, $100, or $200 dinner you've booked.  Better than a kick in the ass though.

I think of it as getting a dollar ( or ten dollars if you make a 1000 point reservation) for every reservation you make using OpenTable. I haven't redeemed any of my points yet but when I get to 5000 I think I will.

[CrescentFresh]

It is pretty cool, until you think of it as getting one dollar back for every $50, $100, or $200 dinner you've booked.  Better than a kick in the ass though.

I dunno, Bill. I've heard there are some people in this world who actually will pay that dollar to have ..... never mind.

[Nadya]

Has anyone here ever redeemed their points and used an OpenTable dining cheque?

Oh no, please no.

[bilrus]

Oh no, please no.

Do restaurants not want diners to use these at their establishments? Does the restaurant get the short end of the stick when we claim these?

[dinwiddie]

Do restaurants not want diners to use these at their establishments?  Does the restaurant get the short end of the stick when we claim these?

I'd be interested in why Nadya said "Oh no" too. I haven't tried to redeem my points yet, and I certainly didn't start using OpenTable to get the points, rather because of how easy it makes it to get reservations without the constant calling around, especially when I'm traveling. But, since I do have a lot of points, at some point I'm going to have to redeem them. I'll probably do it somewhere that I've been to regularly so they won't be too mad at me (I hope)

[jm chen]

I'm also interested in the answer. I guess the other option would be to use them somewhere you're never going again so the resentment doesn't matter...

[mdt]

I'm also interested in the answer. I guess the other option would be to use them somewhere you're never going again so the resentment doesn't matter...

Why would there be resentment? Opentable most likely gives them a credit on their monthly bill.

[MelGold]

I can't see why there would be resentment. The cheques work just like cash so it doesn't affect the restaurant at all. Hopefully although people are getting a "free meal" they still tip accordingly.

[Audrey2025]

I like OT for the convenience...I always honor my reservations. I don't do it for the dining cheque, but I recently got one (for $10) and I'll use it in the future because...hey, $10 is $10. And of COURSE I will tip on the original total!

I don't see what the problem would be for restaurants. I'll probably call ahead to make sure they accept them. I figure if restaurants didn't want people using OT and redeeming OT points, they wouldn't be an OT member, right?

[Pool Boy]

I can't see why there would be resentment.  The cheques work just like cash so it doesn't affect the restaurant at all.  Hopefully although people are getting a "free meal" they still tip accordingly.

I certainly hope there wouldn't be resentment. And I assume that OT is picking up the tab for these cheques right?

[RaisaB]

I would be interested to know why no reply has been made to these inquries.

[Mark Slater]

If you use OpenTable.com to make your reservation, you can use the "comment" section to let the restaurant know in advance that you would appreciate the assistance of the sommelier or another appropriate person to help you with your wine selections for your meal.

You would not believe the stuff that people put in those comment fields on OpenTable.

Of course, the restaurant has its own permanent comment fields in the OpenTable database that the customer can't see.....

[Ferhat Yalcin]

You would not believe the stuff that people put in those comment fields on OpenTable.

Of course, the restaurant has its own permanent comment fields in the OpenTable database that the customer can't see.....

I just love those comment fields , most of the time they make me laugh crazy

[CrescentFresh]

I just love those comment fields , most of the time they make me laugh crazy

Mark/Ferhat - This probably requires a different thread, (OpenTable Customers say the Darnedest Things!) but tell us, what are some of the wacky things you hear?

[Audrey2025]

Dish, Mark! Is it a "freebie angle" like "we're celebrating my aunt's cousin's dogwalker's hairstylist's salon opening, so we'll be needing seven free desserts" or prima donna requests like "we only accept patio seating and all red M&Ms must be removed from the bowl!" ?

I heart restaurant gossip.

[Mark Slater]

Dish, Mark! Is it a "freebie angle" like "we're celebrating my aunt's cousin's dogwalker's hairstylist's salon opening, so we'll be needing seven free desserts" or prima donna requests like "we only accept patio seating and all red M&Ms must be removed from the bowl!" ?

I heart restaurant gossip.

The one that sent me into hysterical gales of laughter:

customer note: "Quiet table, please"

customer's name: Mr. Loud

[Nadya]

In the heat of Restaurant Week, the OpenTable comment on one reservation reads:

"We are coming to enjoy your wonderful restaurant week menu. We are celebrating our second wedding anniversary and would love a nice table in the most quiet area of your restaurant, possibly by the window."

Average cover count on restaurant week nights: 220 heads

Average distance between deuce tables: 20 inches

Number of windows in the dining room: zero

That said, these comments are helpful for notifying us in advance about food allergies or serious food preferences (i.e. all vegetarian, one is allergic to dairy, one cannot stand the taste of cilantro, etc.)

Edited September 29, 2005 by Nadya

[CrescentFresh]

These are funny. In the words of Andrea True Connection, "More, More, More!"

[squidsdc]

So I would say from my perspective, you always get better, more up-to-date information from a live person on the phone , even if OpenTable says "no room."

BUMP

The reverse happened to me...as I was trying to see if I could snag a reservation for next week at 1789. My computer was having issues while navigating OT, so I called the restaurant. They said they only had spots at 8:45, 9:00, etc. (Well they did say they had a 6:15 on Monday!) In the meantime, my computer got through its hiccup, and it showed a reservation at 6:00 on Wednesday. I quickly put in for it, and have received my confirmation. I will definitley call the restaurant to confirm after the holiday, but what are the chances that I may have no reservation at all? I was really looking forward to taking my husband to celebrate an early bday (Restaurant Week is when his real bday falls) and for many reasons it is just not a good time for us to dine out.

[dinwiddie]

A while back I realized that I had made my reservation on OpenTable for the wrong day (I wanted to go on Saturday and the reservation I made was for Sunday) At 4:00pm I cancelled my Sunday reservation and made a reservation for 6:30 that evening. When we got to the restaurant they were telling people that there would be a 1 and a half hour wait for a table since it was Prom night and the place was packed. I got to the desk and gave my name and was immediately taken to my table. If I had called there would be no table available according to the restaurant.

[brendanc]

If I can make a suggestion...If you are booking a table for a busy evening or special occasion follow up your OT booking with an phone call, sometimes the system gets turned around. Also if you book through OT make sure to cancel your reservation if you are not going to honor it, I often have OT ressies that never walk through the door

[Mark Slater]

If I can make a suggestion...If you are booking a table for a busy evening or special occasion follow up your OT booking with an phone call, sometimes the system gets turned around.  Also if you book through OT make sure to cancel your reservation if you are not going to honor it, I often have OT ressies that never walk through the door

When your reservationist lists it as a no-show, the system sends them a scoldy type email.

[dinwiddie]

When your reservationist lists it as a no-show, the system sends them a scoldy type email.

It is so simple to cancel on OT, I don't see why anyone wouldn't. It is just good manners.

[squidsdc]

It is so simple to cancel on OT, I don't see why anyone wouldn't.  It is just good manners.

I agree.

As you can see from my post, I have a very low trust level for anything "electronic" so I always follow-up with a phone call--but that's me! It's good to know that the system does get turned around sometimes. I do know from postings here that restaurants will leave openings for walk-ins and such, so I thought there may be a different schedule for OT and phone reservations.

And on that note, Mr. Squids has had that stomach bug that's going around, so I may have to cancel after all He's well enough to be at work, but if I don't get the heads up by midday, then I will have to cancel... (SIGH.)

[squidsdc]

If I can make a suggestion...If you are booking a table for a busy evening or special occasion follow up your OT booking with an phone call, sometimes the system gets turned around.  Also if you book through OT make sure to cancel your reservation if you are not going to honor it, I often have OT ressies that never walk through the door

This point should be not just for a special occasion...

AND especially with RW coming up in January, many people are posting their schedules of reservations saying that they won't be able to "do them all." Just a reminder for all those overbooking their reservations to make sure that they cancel the ones they cannot make!

[smokey]

It is so simple to cancel on OT, I don't see why anyone wouldn't.  It is just good manners.

Sometimes, I've had access to a computer when I made the OT reservation, but I haven't had internet access when I needed to cancel it. [although, in my defense, when this has been the case I've simply called the restaurant to cancel.]

[Spiral Stairs]

Sometimes, I've had access to a computer when I made the OT reservation, but I haven't had internet access when I needed to cancel it.  [although, in my defense, when this has been the case I've simply called the restaurant to cancel.]

I did that recently (called to cancel an OT reservation), and I still got a scoldy e-mail from OT. I wrote back to say that I had canceled by phone, and they said they would correct my account to reflect that I am not, in fact, a scoundrel and malingerer.

I just had an idea: Since people on DR are constantly making and canceling reservations, there should be a sort of clearinghouse for canceled reservations here. I.e., before calling the restaurant to cancel, one could post something on here that says, "I am about to cancel my 8:30, Tuesday, reservation for 4 at Restaurant Eve. Anyone want it before I cancel?" I don't know if there are enough DR users doing enough canceling to make it worthwhile, but it might be useful.

[Jacques Gastreaux]

I did that recently (called to cancel an OT reservation), and I still got a scoldy e-mail from OT.  I wrote back to say that I had canceled by phone, and they said they would correct my account to reflect that I am not, in fact, a scoundrel and malingerer.

I just had an idea: Since people on DR are constantly making and canceling reservations, there should be a sort of clearinghouse for canceled reservations here.  I.e., before calling the restaurant to cancel, one could post something on here that says, "I am about to cancel my 8:30, Tuesday, reservation for 4 at Restaurant Eve.  Anyone want it before I cancel?"  I don't know if there are enough DR users doing enough canceling to make it worthwhile, but it might be useful.

This is a great idea. I can see it now: "I'm about to cancel my 7:30 reservation for 6 this Saturday evening at Ray's the Steaks." That could cause DR.com to crash.

[squidsdc]

Ach! I should've read this thread before I cancelled--unfortunately, hubby is too ill to go. So, if anyone wants to snag the 6:00 at 1789 you'd better call them or go to OT right now!

[gastronomnivore]

Just a reminder for all those overbooking their reservations to make sure that they cancel the ones they cannot make!

Ah, but OT won't LET you overbook -- if you already have a reservation within 2 hours of the time you're trying to reserve, you can't make another till you cancel the existing one. I suppose if you go on OT as an admin assistant and make reservations under different names you can get around this, but it's tacky to do anyway so I don't really mind that the system won't let you do it.

[squidsdc]

Ah, but OT won't LET you overbook -- if you already have a reservation within 2 hours of the time you're trying to reserve, you can't make another till you cancel the existing one.  I suppose if you go on OT as an admin assistant and make reservations under different names you can get around this, but it's tacky to do anyway so I don't really mind that the system won't let you do it.

maybe overbooking is the wrong word...What I meant is that I've seen several posts on this site and EG where individuals post their schedule for the week, with a disclaimer stating that they won't be able to actually go to ALL of the places.

[Demvtr]

I just had an idea: Since people on DR are constantly making and canceling reservations, there should be a sort of clearinghouse for canceled reservations here.  I.e., before calling the restaurant to cancel, one could post something on here that says, "I am about to cancel my 8:30, Tuesday, reservation for 4 at Restaurant Eve.  Anyone want it before I cancel?"  I don't know if there are enough DR users doing enough canceling to make it worthwhile, but it might be useful.

I endorse this idea. It should become a separate, permanent thread. The only concern is that canceling a reservation on OpenTable with the intent that another DR member immediately pick it up does not, in fact, guarantee that the intent will become reality. I think the answer is that the reservation should remain in the name of the person who originally made it, and the reservation-maker simply has to rely on the reservation-taker to actually show up and not trigger an OT e-mail scold.

[CrescentFresh]

I endorse this idea.  It should become a separate, permanent thread.  The only concern is that canceling a reservation on OpenTable with the intent that another DR member immediately pick it up does not, in fact, guarantee that the intent will become reality.  I think the answer is that the reservation should remain in the name of the person who originally made it, and the reservation-maker simply has to rely on the reservation-taker to actually show up and not trigger an OT e-mail scold.

Can anyone share what the OT e-mail scold says? Just curious about what they say. And I don't want to experiment by making a reservation and being a no show just to see what happens. (Although, La Tasca and Bin 1700 are on OT. )

[Roo]

I wonder why any restaurant that accepts reservations would not use OpenTable? I realize that there is a cost involved with the system, but it would seem that the benefits (increased exposure) would outweigh those costs.

Often I plug in a date and time into OpenTable, click on "All DC restaurants" and see who has room available. Restaurants that don't use OpenTable (e.g., Dino) wouldn't even enter my mind in that scenario. There are a few restaurants that are famous enough or highly respected enough for me to know about them and seek them out. But for a pretty wide swath of places, not being on OpenTable pretty much rules them out.

For instance, colleagues visiting from out of town, I want to take them out to lunch or dinner. Surf over to OpenTable, plug in date and time, ah, "Circle Bistro -- I've heard good things about them." "Firefly, they seem to have quite a following on DR.com, let's go there."

Restaurant Week is a similar situation. Given a choice between clicking through online or having to use the phone, online will get my business 90% of the time.

Anybody else here feel similarly? I would imagine places like Ray's the Steaks and other will be busy enough without OT, but I wonder if I am missing something on why these restaurants go OT-less.

[amyblues]

Can anyone share what the OT e-mail scold says?  Just curious about what they say.  And I don't want to experiment by making a reservation and being a no show just to see what happens.  (Although, La Tasca and Bin 1700 are on OT.  )

I made a reservation using OT for this past Friday but the host neglected to let the system know we showed, since I received a scold message. Unfortunately, I deleted the message but the gist of it is that you should honor reservations and it gives you the opportunity to provide details if you did in fact show up. I did just that and received a message back apologizing for the error and the promise to grant the 100 OT points. All in all, a fairly easy process.

[Spiral Stairs]

I endorse this idea.  It should become a separate, permanent thread.  The only concern is that canceling a reservation on OpenTable with the intent that another DR member immediately pick it up does not, in fact, guarantee that the intent will become reality.  I think the answer is that the reservation should remain in the name of the person who originally made it, and the reservation-maker simply has to rely on the reservation-taker to actually show up and not trigger an OT e-mail scold.

While a bit more trouble, it would probably be possible to call the restaurant, cancel the reservation, tell the restaurant that -- lucky them! -- someone else is taking your reservation, and give them the name. Canceling it that way is supposed to cancel for Opentable purposes too, isn't it?

[Walrus]

I wrote OpenTable with a suggestion but received no reply -- I think they should make a cell-friendly page (like Yahoo! and Google and Mapquest, etc., do). I know that I can access the OT main page on my phone, but for some reason, it's a pretty challenging process to actually DO anything on it. I would love to be able to log on when, say, we're on out way back into town after running errands.

[mame11]

Making last minute lunch reservations... looking for a place with outside seating. Went to OpenTable. Galileo has openings. Click on reservation. Receive this message:

Thank you for making a reservation at Galileo Restaurant. Should you need to cancel this reservation, please do so 24 hours prior to the reservation time.

Any guests who do not show up for their reservation will incur a $25.00 charge per person.

We look forward to having you dine with us. Your table awaits you.

OpenTable will never charge the card for any reason. There will be no charges by Galileo except in cases of a no-show, late cancellation, or required deposit per the restaurant's policy. Online cancellations are accepted before 5:00 pm on Feb 13, 2006.

All credit card information is secure and protected online by SSL encryption, the industry standard.

____

Discuss

[mdt]

What is the issue? The fact that it is dated 2 days ago? I have no problem with places taking a CC and charging for noshows. Seems like a good plan to keep those multi-res people down and people showing up at the specified time.

Didn't we discuss this on a thread somewhere before?

[mame11]

What is the issue?  The fact that it is dated 2 days ago?  I have no problem with places taking a CC and charging for noshows.  Seems like a good plan to keep those multi-res people down and people showing up at the specified time.

Didn't we discuss this on a thread somewhere before?

Dope. I didn't notice the 13th. I guess this was a Valentines thing as well. I thought it may have been an implementation of the policy year round. My bad.

[mdt]

Dope.  I didn't notice the 13th.  I guess this was a Valentines thing as well.  I thought it may have been an implementation of the policy year round.  My bad.

And if it was the implementation of a new year round policy, would that have been a bad thing?

[JLK]

It happened again: a reservation I booked through opentable.com was switched with respect to time without any mention of this fact to me.

Last time, this happened with Notti Bianche (I let Danny know about it; we were both perplexed). This time, it happened with Zola and I didn't have the opportunity to say anything given that I had my visiting parents in tow. Before raising the issue, I made sure to check my confirmation e-mail from when I first booked the res, just in case my memory is failing me.

In Zola's case, my reservation was moved fifteen minutes later. Not a big deal, really, because my parents very much enjoyed having an extra cocktail at Zola's attractive bar But I did initially have some trepidation about telling dear old Dad, who is pushing 70, that he'd be dining at 8:45 when he's used to meals cooked by Mom at 6 pm.

I think OT is a great service in many respects, but clearly I need to keep close tabs on my reservations made through the site.

[mdt]

It happened again: a reservation I booked through opentable.com was switched with respect to time without any mention of this fact to me. 

Last time, this happened with Notti Bianche (I let Danny know about it; we were both perplexed).  This time, it happened with Zola and I didn't have the opportunity to say anything given that I had my visiting parents in tow.  Before raising the issue, I made sure to check my confirmation e-mail from when I first booked the res, just in case my memory is failing me. 

In Zola's case, my reservation was moved fifteen minutes later.  Not a big deal, really, because my parents very much enjoyed having an extra cocktail at Zola's attractive bar  But I did initially have some trepidation about telling dear old Dad, who is pushing 70, that he'd be dining at 8:45 when he's used to meals cooked by Mom at 6 pm. 

I think OT is a great service in many respects, but clearly I need to keep close tabs on my reservations made through the site.

Well that is strange. While the restaurant should probably call to let you know that they are modifying the time, why can't opentable automatically send you an email that the time was changed. If nothing else this would alert the diner to call and find out what is going on.

[starfish]

It happened again: a reservation I booked through opentable.com was switched with respect to time without any mention of this fact to me. 

Last time, this happened with Notti Bianche (I let Danny know about it; we were both perplexed).  This time, it happened with Zola and I didn't have the opportunity to say anything given that I had my visiting parents in tow.  Before raising the issue, I made sure to check my confirmation e-mail from when I first booked the res, just in case my memory is failing me. 

In Zola's case, my reservation was moved fifteen minutes later.  Not a big deal, really, because my parents very much enjoyed having an extra cocktail at Zola's attractive bar  But I did initially have some trepidation about telling dear old Dad, who is pushing 70, that he'd be dining at 8:45 when he's used to meals cooked by Mom at 6 pm. 

I think OT is a great service in many respects, but clearly I need to keep close tabs on my reservations made through the site.

by the by, as we were both confused when the time on your reservation was not what you had initially reserved, i forwarded a tech support request to opentable. they responded by indicating that this is a "rare but known" complication. it most often occurs when the restaurant is making changes to the configuration of their system. when a change is made that effectively eliminates a slot that has already been booked, 99% of the time that reservation remains in the system as an "added" slot. less than 1% of the time, so they told me at least, that reservation is moved to the next available time slot.

[jm chen]

"Rare but known complication," that's an interesting term for them to use. Old-school tech support would say "That's not a bug, that's an undocumented feature."

Learn something new every day on this board.

[Principia]

"Rare but known complication," that's an interesting term for them to use. Old-school tech support would say "That's not a bug, that's an undocumented feature."

Learn something new every day on this board.

Well, at least it doesn't delete the reservation, but OT really should notify folks if a change like that occurs. I mean, what if you're trying to plan around a play or a movie?

[JLK]

...or a business meal...or something stressful like meeting your significant other's parents or...yeah, I was fine, and the variations were only 15 minutes, but in certain situations, I'd be really ticked about the change. As a result, I'll be triple-checking future important reservations.

[lackadaisi]

Making last minute lunch reservations... looking for a place with outside seating.  Went to OpenTable.  Galileo has openings.  Click on reservation.  Receive this message:

Thank you for making a reservation at Galileo Restaurant. Should you need to cancel this reservation, please do so 24 hours prior to the reservation time.

Any guests who do not show up for their reservation will incur a $25.00 charge per person.

We look forward to having you dine with us. Your table awaits you.

OpenTable will never charge the card for any reason. There will be no charges by Galileo except in cases of a no-show, late cancellation, or required deposit per the restaurant's policy. Online cancellations are accepted before 5:00 pm on Feb 13, 2006.

All credit card information is secure and protected online by SSL encryption, the industry standard.

____

Discuss

Did it ever ask for your credit card information? If not, that is weird. Either way, I have absolutely no problem with no-show charges.

[bookluvingbabe]

Did it ever ask for your credit card information?  If not, that is weird.  Either way, I have absolutely no problem with no-show charges.

I know that during RW Summer 05, David Greggory asked for credit cards via Opentable.

Jennifer

[cheezepowder]

It happened again: a reservation I booked through opentable.com was switched with respect to time without any mention of this fact to me. 

Last time, this happened with Notti Bianche (I let Danny know about it; we were both perplexed).  This time, it happened with Zola and I didn't have the opportunity to say anything given that I had my visiting parents in tow.  Before raising the issue, I made sure to check my confirmation e-mail from when I first booked the res, just in case my memory is failing me. 

In Zola's case, my reservation was moved fifteen minutes later.  Not a big deal, really, because my parents very much enjoyed having an extra cocktail at Zola's attractive bar  But I did initially have some trepidation about telling dear old Dad, who is pushing 70, that he'd be dining at 8:45 when he's used to meals cooked by Mom at 6 pm. 

I think OT is a great service in many respects, but clearly I need to keep close tabs on my reservations made through the site.

That happened to me too, my opentable reservation for Majestic Cafe during restaurant week got changed. I noticed it a few days before the reservation when I was looking at my current reservations on opentable. I was wondering if there were computer elves.

[Erik Ox]

From the official OpenTable sales kit:

Cover fees: It's $1 per seated cover if they go through the OpenTable site...the party must cancel through the system or call the restaurant to cancel them out or else they are considered no shows. The restaurants are not charged cover fees if the reservation cancels prior to the reservation.

If the reservation is made through a link on the restaurant's site, they are charged a $.25 per seated cover. Phone reservations made manually are not charged.

For you opentable.com using establishments, a point of clarification. Is the .25 fee in addition to or in lieu of the $1 per seated cover made via opentable? Basically, is it to your advantage ( i.e. cheaper for you) for me to make my reservations via your webiste link or directly through opentable?

Thanks.

[starfish]

For you opentable.com using establishments, a point of clarification.  Is the .25 fee in addition to or in lieu of the $1 per seated cover made via opentable?  Basically, is it to your advantage ( i.e. cheaper for you) for me to make my reservations via your webiste link or directly through opentable?

Thanks.

if one makes a reservation through the opentable website, it costs the restuarant $1. if one were to make a reservation though the idividual restaurant website, it costs the restaurnt $.025.

[Pool Boy]

if one makes a reservation through the opentable website, it costs the restuarant $1. if one were to make a reservation though the idividual restaurant website, it costs the restaurnt $.025.

Wow, that is a huge difference. I'll have to do that more often now that I know this.

As for the discussions of 'giving away' an OT ressie that you can no longer keep, I just checked to see if it was possible to assign the ressie to a different name on your account. That is not an option, just FYI.

As for the comments on making the OT site available to a mobile phone friendly way, I agree. I *can* access the OT site on my Blackberry rather easily, but it just takes a tad longer than I'd like to load. It is great for restaurant info based on your ressie, but it is a bit more cumbersome to actually make a ressie that way. Possible yes, but a little too cumbersome to do it every day.

[dinwiddie]

I got them to set me up with the “Administrative Professional” account so now I make reservations on OT for my friends and work collegues and get the points for myself.

[Lydia R]

After reading the threads about supporting independant and mom/pop restaurants I hit the "Independant Restaurants" button on Open Table to spur some recommendations for the coming weeks.

Hey - is there an extra charge to be listed as Independant?

If not, would Dino, Notti Bianche, Corduroy, Dahlia and Galileo please get themselves added to that list?

[dinwiddie]

After reading the threads about supporting independant and mom/pop restaurants I hit the "Independant Restaurants" button on Open Table to spur some recommendations for the coming weeks.

Hey - is there an extra charge to be listed as Independant?

If not, would Dino, Notti Bianche, Corduroy, Dahlia and Galileo please get themselves added to that list?

You will note that the restaurants listed as "Independent" are in fact, (according to their website) members of "DineOriginals.com, an organization comprised exclusively of locally-owned and operated restaurants, with chapters in 20+ cities nationwide. " I would assume that OpenTable has a relationship with that organization since they have a link on the site. There is no chapter in DC, though it looks like they want to start one here, according to the website. It takes a core group of 7 to 10 restaurants to start a chapter in a city. I guess the restaurant owners would have to decide if it is worthwhile.

[Lydia R]

There is no chapter in DC, though it looks like they want to start one here, according to the website. It takes a core group of 7 to 10 restaurants to start a chapter in a city.

True, but I wonder how the twenty metro-area restaurants already on the page got there?

It's strange that there isn't a DC Chapter -- almost eight years ago, according to their website, Robert Kinkead was one of the organization's founding fathers. Kinkead's is one of the 20 restaurants listed on Open Table's DC-area independant list.

I just want a few extra diners a week to find their way to the local independants. It's like the bar scene in Bull Durham when Kevin Costner's character describes the difference between a Hall of Fame baseball career and an also ran -- it's just a few extra hits and a few extra bases...

[deangold]

After reading the threads about supporting independant and mom/pop restaurants I hit the "Independant Restaurants" button on Open Table to spur some recommendations for the coming weeks.

Hey - is there an extra charge to be listed as Independant?

If not, would Dino, Notti Bianche, Corduroy, Dahlia and Galileo please get themselves added to that list?

I contacted the organization and recieved a promise that someone from the organization would contact me. Nada so far.

[hillvalley]

FYI: Use those points soon....

[CrescentFresh]

FYI: Use those points soon....

??? Why?

[Pat]

??? Why?

I thought it was because, effective this month, they've changed the minimum number of points required for redemption, to 2000 pts./$20. That's already happened, though.

[Pool Boy]

FYI: Use those points soon....

Never redeemed any of mine. Ever. Anyone ever actually done it? Is it a pain when you give it to the restaurant place?

[treznor]

??? Why?

I would have -sworn- that it was 1000 points for $10 but when I went to go look it said 2000 points for $20 (same ratio but takes longer to get to the cash-in point). Good to see I'm not just losing my mind.

[DanielK]

Never redeemed any of mine. Ever. Anyone ever actually done it? Is it a pain when you give it to the restaurant place?

Takes less than a minute to redeem on the site. A week later you get a GC, accepted at any OpenTable restaurant. I've never had even a moment's hesitation by a restaurant in accepting them.

[Keithstg]

Takes less than a minute to redeem on the site. A week later you get a GC, accepted at any OpenTable restaurant. I've never had even a moment's hesitation by a restaurant in accepting them.

Good to know that they come in a week or so. I've thought about redeeming my points before, but the stated three week lag time (I think) was a turn off, although I'm not sure why. Either way I'll redeem some of my 15,000 today. Thanks!

[treznor]

Good to know that they come in a week or so. I've thought about redeeming my points before, but the stated three week lag time (I think) was a turn off, although I'm not sure why. Either way I'll redeem some of my 15,000 today. Thanks!

Think the quoted wait time may be 4-6 weeks now. It's such a crap shoot when you see a wait time like that. Some places you end up getting it the next week, other places use up the entire 6 weeks. So annoying.

[Capital Icebox]

Right now you can get 1,000 points for each time you dine out using OpenTable. The list of participating restaurants and reservation times isn't particularly appealing, but there are some good ones, like Notti Bianche and Majestic Cafe. Here's the list.

[Pool Boy]

Takes less than a minute to redeem on the site. A week later you get a GC, accepted at any OpenTable restaurant. I've never had even a moment's hesitation by a restaurant in accepting them.

Good to know, thanks. I only seem to dine at the 100 point restaurants, though. D'oh!

[dinwiddie]

Good to know, thanks. I only seem to dine at the 100 point restaurants, though. D'oh!

That's OK TJ, as long as you use OpenTable at lease once every 12 months or so the points don't expire so you can take as long as you want to build up enough for a good check. So far I'm up to about 4000 or so. Usually the 1000 point reservations are for early or late or on Mondays and Tuesdays (slow days in the restaurant biz). If you are willing to take a 5:30pm or 9:30pm reservation, there are quite a few available. Strangely enough the Caucaus room has them from 5:30-10 on Friday and Saturday and not any other time.

[Pat]

The NY Times on Open Table

I didn't realize that Danny Meyer was an investor and board member. I don't know why I would have known, but I found that information interesting.

[Pat]

Ps: and I am still pissed that their open table settings won't allow me to make a solo reservation.

It looks like you can do that now. I was planning to head over there myself for dinner in early July and plugged it into Open Table and it appeared to go through. Then I changed my mind and decided I'd probably rather sit at the bar, so I didn't complete the reservation. Give it a try if you're still interested.

[since this got moved from one thread to another, I will edit to add that the specific restaurant being discussed is Sonoma.]

[Mark Slater]

Ps: and I am still pissed that their open table settings won't allow me to make a solo reservation.

Here's a clue: nobody's OpenTable allows singles to book. There are specific slots for different table sizes available online: 2,4,6,8. The software only allows those numbers. Maybe a 5 or a 7, usually never a 1.

[bookluvingbabe]

Here's a clue: nobody's OpenTable allows singles to book. There are specific slots for different table sizes available online: 2,4,6,8. The software only allows those numbers. Maybe a 5 or a 7, usually never a 1.

At least 90 percent of my open table points are from solo dining outings.

Jennifer

[pidgey]

Here's a clue: nobody's OpenTable allows singles to book. There are specific slots for different table sizes available online: 2,4,6,8. The software only allows those numbers. Maybe a 5 or a 7, usually never a 1.

I know that I've also made reservations for 3.