OpenTable Reviews

Pros

I have been using open table on both sides. I use it to make my personal restaurant reservations and I use it at the restaurant I work for as a server.
I love that when I view restaurants and want to make a reservation about 70% of total restaurants have open table. Its quick and painless way to make a reservation without being put on hold by a hostess..sometimes for very very long time. It give you chose of time and you can read all about the place you looking at. It shows you :hours, Entertainment, menu, you see photos that costumers posted, you see map of location, even who the chef is. Making reservation takes less then 10 seconds!!!! Fast and confident. As a worker it's very easy to operate system. Brainless I would say. I like that I can make notes for each reservation. Such a sever request or allergy.

Cons

For my personal use I never had an issue. As me working with open table every here and then reservations are not showing on my side as hostess/server. I had few angry guest. Will never know if that was a costumer fult or open table system fult for not processing reservation.

Pros

OT is a reasonably priced reservation system that is reliable and straightforward to use. It offers more extensive services for a large operation, but in its minimal form is easy for a small (35-45 seat) restaurant to use without dedicating a person to managing it.

Cons

The mobile app could be great, but isn't. There are three ways to interact: PC Web, Mobile Web, and Mobile App (Android in my case). They all have slightly different functionality, for no good reason.
- Example 1: The mobile app lets you see previous times a patron came in; mobile Web and PC Web only tell you the number, not the dates. But the mobile app doesn't give you control over scheduling and such. So you find yourself flipping among multiple devices to get your job done.
- Example 2: Mobile Web and mobile app require constant re-login. PC does not.
- Example 3: PC works reliably to see reservations, but after a period of inactivity, stops allowing interaction (such as setting a guest to "Seated"). A browser refresh is required.
Exasperating!

Pros

-You can collect points to get $ off your next dining experience-It's straightforward to book a reservation

Cons

-They partner with some less than great restaurants which you probably don't need a reservation for.

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

We live in a small area and not a lot of restaurants use Open Table (assume due to the cost), so right off the bat this system is a win for us because it’s a tourist town. People come from other areas and are used to using this platform, so to be one of the few restaurants that’s available to make reservations is an incredible opportunity for us. It’s organization and marketing in one. We covered our monthly subscription in 1 night of use.

Cons

No complaints so far! We are new to using this system, but so far the training has been great, as has the business we’ve received using the system.

Pros

Can easily plan ahead on reserving a table or just last minute checking to see if they have availability at the restaurant.

Cons

Can only reserve tables for a set amount of guests otherwise it requires you to call the restaurant. Not all restaurants utilize OpenTable

Pros

Click a button and you have reservations, different time slots available, options to change days, change number of guests, all without needing to speak to anyone on the phone

Cons

I like least the fact that only certain amount of tables/reservations are available on the website, once those are gone, there is no flexibiltiy

Pros

Very easy to use tool with a simple interface. Making reservations at your favourite restaurants are just a click away.

Cons

The app itself is amazing, would like to see more restaurants enlist their services

Pros

Open Table provides a variety of options for restaurant reservations. I love the recommendations it sends and links directly to the menu and restaurant for easy decision making.

Cons

I have not encountered any negative aspects.

Pros

An excellent way to make reservations at restaurants!

Cons

Nothing, I have nothing but positive things to say.

Pros

Easy for our guests to make reservations, tracks guests visits, you can enter guest notes and historical data to make their next visit more meaningful. They often have "Top Ten" lists for the categories that guests vote you in that you can use for marketing purposes. Reviews on Open Table are considered 'legit' as only real diners can write reviews.

Cons

If you have more money to spend, a program like SevenRooms has more guest tracking data capabilities for tagging and targeted emails/marketing. Can get expensive if your guests often use Open Table to make reservations.

Alternatives Considered

SevenRooms

Reasons for Switching to OpenTable

If we had more money to spend, we would move to SevenRooms, but it is vastly more expensive so we won't be making the switch anytime soon.

Pros

User friendly and easy to navigate. Also a very established business for online reservations, which mean that most of our staff has worked with it in the past and is familiar with the layout and set-up of it. Very good customer support and is very knowledgeable about the software and can easily talk you through whatever process you are looking at completing.

Cons

Little clunky and cluttered to navigate around it via the app. Also a lot of steps to add guest into the system for simple just seating a walk-in.

Alternatives Considered

Resy OS

Reasons for Switching to OpenTable

Customer service and the fact that they have been at this game longer than most

Pros

It is user-friendly, the calendar option is great, and the ability to invite guests is fantastic. I use OpenTable almost every day. I travel for work and use OpenTable to book all of my lunch and dinner meetings for my clients when possible. I love the rewards program, receiving Amazon gift cards every so often is always fun. I also really enjoy learning about new restaurants in the area I live in and in the towns, I am visiting for work or on vacation. The "experience" option is also fun and tells you a little bit more about each restaurant as you make your reservation.

Cons

The only two complaints that I have is that some restaurants pull open seating on certain days and that all restaurants so not participate in Open table.

Pros

The ease of access of this app is too good for words. If everyone is sufficiently trained, and staff members are on their A game, this is app is quite helpful and useful. It allows all members of staff to update the POS system in order to communicate quickly what status a table is at. It is also helpful with assigning tables to certain parties and deciding upon wait times. For the Hostess, this system is great all all hosts should learn this program at some point in their career. I would only say that it is harder to expect a server to stay on top of updating the system for the hosts throughout their steps of service.

Cons

While the overall application is easy to use and very informative, it does tend to send some mixed signals between servers and hosts if not used properly. The app shows table layout on the screen that allows the user to see which tables have guests, which tables are empty but need to be bussed, and which tables are ready for new guests to be seated. The problem here is that unless a server has time between taking care of her other guests to run to a POS station to inform a hostess that a table is dirty and then find time 5-10 minutes later to see if her buster has cleaned the table and then update the table through the system, clean tables are forgotten and wait times are lengthened due to miscommunications. The structure itself is easy to use, however it seems to add

Pros

I use OpenTable almost on a daily basis to make reservations for both business and personal lunches or dinners. It is very easy to use and you can book a table at a restaurant within minutes. I like that you can search restaurants by neighborhood but also by cuisine and price range. It is also very easy to cancel or modify a reservation. The app is also very convenient for any on the go need.

Cons

Their reward program is not appealing. The VIP status doesn't grant you anything. I wish they would design a program where VIP members get preferred seating, timing etc. Moreover, after you collect a certain amount of points, you get a voucher towards a future reservation; however I noticed that the selection of restaurants that accept the voucher is extremely limited. Additionally, not all restaurants are listed on OpenTable, which sometimes is not ideal

Pros

Very easy platform to use to find and book restaurants. You can search for restaurants by cuisines, location and availability and once you have made a booking you can also easily modify the booking by following the link in the email.

If you make a booking and don’t turn up they also send you an email to ask you to cancel if you cannot make it so that small businesses are not impacted by people not Turing up for their reservations. All in all a very easy to use product and this is the only software I use to book restaurants in my city. Shame it is not available more widely across other countries!

Cons

I can’t think of any cons except sometimes, it’s possible that some slots that are cancelled are not always available on open table but I suspect that is got more to do with restaurant updating their availability rather than open table

Pros

As a website agency, OpenTable has been great to embed on our clients' websites to allow customers to make online reservations.

Cons

There aren't a ton of options in terms of styling the different widgets and browser testing for online reservations.

Alternatives Considered

Yelp Guest Manager

Reasons for Switching to OpenTable

The reviews were better

Pros

Easy to Use
Painless Monthly Billing
Inexpensive, Low Cost
Helpful Dashboard

Cons

Easy to miss notifications, tends to get lost in my emails etc.
Not sure how charges work for cancelled reservations, but I regularly have out of area numbers make reservations then cancel within minutes. Hopefully not padding their numbers.
Guests have complained about not receiving confirmation of their reservations from OpenTable
I wish there was some sort of reason response with the cancellations - even if its pre-formed answers selected from a box, something that doenst require a lot of effort on customers ends

Pros

Ability to text those on the waitlist at the click of a button, how customizable table setup can be to make it look exactly like our multi-floor restaurant layout, ease of customizing server profiles/keeping track of who's next in rotation automatically. Keeps record of heads per each table sat so keeps servers satisfied they aren't being jipped

Cons

Only allows 3 texts per guest-- not ideal for busy brunch spots. Does not send alerts to us when cancellations are made so often having to constantly check and re-check to make sure we aren't saving tables for nothing

Pros

OpenTable is a phenomenal software that allows users to book and change reservations at various restaurants across the United States. It is, simply put, the go to reservation platform. The best part is that users accrue points and can redeem those points for rewards.

Cons

While redeeming points is a great idea in theory, in practice it is overly cumbersome and somewhat challenging to do, particularly for elderly users of the app. If there is one adjustment OpenTable could make, it would be to increase the ease with which users can convert points into cash.

Pros

OpenTable has a relatively intuitive interface and is easy to pick up. Plus, using Open Table give you access to their huge pool of users - so more potential reservations.

Cons

I don't like that OpenTable is only loyal to OpenTable, and doesn't help our restaurant create brand loyalty. If an OT user has a good experience dining with us, OT wins double because they're paid by us for the reservation, and also promote using additional OT restaurants in the future.

Pros

The software itself is very easy to use and intuitively designed. The integration directly into the restaurant POS is extremely helpful, and the compatibility appears to be nearly universal with any system you might be using. They clearly have invested in the product and the user experience, both for the proprietor and the end user.

Cons

It doesn't come cheap. The initial start up fees are reasonable in my opinion, but the ongoing fees (per head, per seated customer) add up quickly. This can be tough when your repeat/regulars are using the platform, where you know you are essentially overpaying for their business, but regardless this truly is a necessary tool for any restaurant that wants to compete for business, and customers expect that you have it. There are also not too many other competitors with the same level of integration into POS systems, at least not ones that are able to drive this much volume to the restaurant.

Pros

When a restaurant is shown on Connect platform from OpenTable their customers increase so well when they book a reservation from this tool. I think OpenTable helps tourism to go further allowing low fees from the enterprises, can it be better?

Cons

The only thing I may be worried about is the fact that a reservation gets as faster as is needed. Besides that, I think OpenTable is a great company to look at.

Pros

It was very easy to train on using this software, and I am now able to easily show new hostess the program and how to use it daily. There are constantly updates and suggestions coming out for the software, it's wonderful.

Cons

If it could prompt some type of reminder if a time slot that you've been looking at, comes available. example: if Ms. Smith calls and wants Wednesday at 10:00, and I look and we have nothing - if I could be triggered with an alert if that date/time comes open at a later date with the ability to put in some notes on who was previously looking at that time.

Pros

There are so many features with OpenTable that are productive to us using it from letting us know how many people are in the party if they have any allergies we can text them and let them know there are tables ready

Cons

There are so many features with OpenTable that are productive to us using it from letting us know how many people are in the party if they have any allergies we can text them and let them know there are tables ready