A little info about opentable.com
 

I love www.opentable.com and use it as frequently as possible. On a recent trip to NYC, the restaurant where we'd made reservations near Times Square had been closed for several weeks. Open table is usually pretty good about updates and letting people know, but this one got by them. I wasn't happy trying to find a dinner spot close to the theatre at the last minute and wrote them. They sent me a nice note back, credited my points and then sent me 500 bonus points. Every time you get 20,000 you get a $20 gift certificate for a meal in a participating restaurant. So...my first check arrived last week. Good to know they have good customer service! Anyone else have an experience with them?

I'm getting addicted to Open Table. Even here at home, many of my favorite restaurants use it, so I book online even a half hour before going when I know I don't even need a reservation. I get lots of points.

And in New York, I've often started looking at the places with 1000 bonus points at off times -- particularly after theatre -- when we prefer to eat. I book a lot of 1000 point restaurants. I just received a $50 check and two $20 checks and I have over 3000 points already for the next one -- plus about 6000 points worth of reservations already coming up on our next trip.

I'm also convinced that we get better treatment by booking on open table rather than calling the restaurant direct. We've often noted getting the better table than the people being seated right before us for example, and more than once we've complimentary somethings with our meal -- presumably because of open table.

Good to know. I just joined.
Thanks!

OpenTable is fantastic! (I probably should cash in my points.)

For starters, it's a terrific resource for shopping restaurants, with links to menus and websites. Appreciate the detailed information, including "dress code".

It's so convenient being able to book online any time of the day or night and not have to spell your name several times.

LLindaC, which restaurant had closed? (or has it now been removed from opentable?)

Love this service for all the reasons stated above!

Margo, that was La Prima Donna in New York. Rick and I ate there a year before and liked it, I had planned on a return visit, but oh well!
Funny note- once I was in Chicago trying to get a reservation to Bistro 110's Jazz brunch. I couldn't get through, so I called my hubby back in Louisville and had him go online and book it, lol!

Linda: How was Bistro 110's Jazz Brunch? We're trying to decide between that and House of Blues Gospel Brunch.

Hi,
I heard a funny story not long ago about OpenTable and restaurant owners..from a restaurant owner. Seems along with all the diners that restaurants love, there are those unpleasant sorts of diners, who call and reserve "just the best table one can have" , and then they go for all the freebies and comps known to man- this particular restaurant ( out on the Oregon Coast)...was talking about this demanding and yet cheap customer that they have to deal with..so they decided to let the staff know that when the difficult customer calls, they are full, no tables available.
The laugh the restaurant owner and his wife had ,was that this person from California, would use OpenTable and get a reservation..lol...and expect the owner to come to the table and chat while they took photos of the food lol...

We had a similar "restaurant closed" experience--my SIL (a chef) booked Father's Day at an Atlanta area resto he had wanted to try--got there--they weren't open for the brunch he'd reserved. Scrambled to find another spot (thank goodness it wasn't Mother's Day!). I enjoy the dress code and parking info, too.

I loved Bistro 110! The jazz is pretty subtle, great musicians (and I am a pro musician) The food was really great. Don't reserve till after 12 or you can't have a drink!

Linda - Thank You!

We had planned on Bistro 110 for Sunday brunch last time, but it was pouring down rain so we wound up dashing into Mike Ditka's (very good brunch).

Another feature of opentable is that
you can add people to your own membership so I use it for both business meals & personal & I get the
points. And with all features listed of said restaurant, one can refer to the telephone # & call to say when you are running late so your reserv. is not cancelled.

Scarlett,

Just who could that *****be****? Certainly not a fakeamom? =D>

I also love open table. It makes it so easy to see what times are available, and I've also found the restaurants seem to give excellent tables when we book through OT.

Only two problems though:
1) very few options in Honolulu
2) when I'm planning to dine on the mainland with my daughter or friends, everyone wants to make the reservation and get the points!

I lurve opentable.com. I wish more restaurants would get on there, but it really is a wonderful service.

The only way we were able to dine at the French Laundry in Napa was to use opentable and with FL has 30 days to the date to make reservations and its impossible to get through on the busy phone..we waited till midnight and had everything all filled out and they only accept 2 reservations from opentable and we got in!

shhhh that's supposed to be a secret! ;-)

i've been using opentable for the past 3 years. had my first 50 dollar check this past dec.!
i was emailed that i was listed as a VIP member since i used it over 12 times in one year. does anyone know how this works?

Last year I tried to use an Opentable Gift Certificate at a restaurant in Dallas (it had recently opened and got lots of hype), and the manager at the restaurant refused to accept the GC, even though the restaurant is bookable via Opentable.

I wrote to Opentable to complain about that particular restaurant, and quickly received an apology (really wasn't Opentable's fault but rather the restaurant) and 500 points for the inconvenience.

I just wish there are more restaurants in Dallas that are in the Opentable network.

Note that some restaurants do not release the most popular times to Open Table (7PM - 9PM), so that time comes up as unavailable - pick up the phone and call.

Once, I phoned a restaurant in Baltimore to see if they would let us know if there was a cancellation at 8:30. He said, "We can take you at that time." and proceeded to explain that they do not release times on Open Table they know they will be booked anyway with locals.

Another time, I phoned the restaurant March in NYC to cancel a 5PM reservation (the only time available when I booked on Open Table). They asked why? Explained that we did not wish to dine that early. She said she could book us at any time that evening (this was two weeks ahead). Same thing - they do not release prime dinner hours to Open Table.

That is all very true, but to my knowledge, aren't those always clearly marked "restricted by restaurant" when they may have open times but won't allow Open Table to book then? I know there are a number of them that come up that way -- Boulevard in San Francisco is one that always says "restricted by restaurant" between something like 6 and 9 PM. When you see that you should know that you need to call direct for those times.