What is "Open Table"?
 

On the front page: Fodor's and Open Table announce alliance, so I'm asking: what's that?

It's an online service that allows you to make reservations at restaurants. I use it all the time in New York. You accrure dining points for honoring your reservation at the restaurant which you can redeem for gift certificates, etc. It's really a great service.

Could that be the online website for making dinner reservations?

Good question, Faina. I seldom go to the front page, so glad you brought this up. :)

Like what lizziea said.

Whether OpenTable is useful to you depends on you and where you live. I joined OpenTable years ago and found it very useful for Philadelphia area. Many restaurants listed are the ones I normally go anyway. Now living in Dallas, I rarely use OpenTable because of the participating restaurants here.

One in a while I'll use it to book restaurants in cities which I'm visiting.

I've never used it in another city, but the NYC site has a lot of great restaurants.

Aw, nice! Now I am being accused of reading the front page instead of bookmarking this forum like all respectable long-time posters! :))

Lizzie, I looked at the website.. please correct me if I'm wrong, it's 100 points per reservations, doesn't matter how much your bill was? meaning if I have lunch alone or dinner with the family it's the same 100 points?

The minimum to redeem is 2,000 points - so I need to make 20 reservations to earn it? It may work for people who eat out often, who do business lunches.

LMAO, Faina. Now dear, I was doing no such thing! ;-)

Sometimes restaurants will give double points for dining at less popular times (6:00 PM,10:30 PM). Really, the benefit of the site is getting to make reservations over the web. It's much more convenient than picking up the phone and calling (quelle horror!).

For example - we needed to book a dinner for family in town. I was able to specify 7 people on a Friday night at 8:00 PM, and the site will generate a list of restaurants that can take us. It also tells you what alternate times are available (7:45, 8:15).

Obviously I'm very passionate about open table:-)

Faina-

OpenTable used to give out $10 GC by redeeming 1000 points. They changed their policy recently (less than 1 month ago) and increased the minimum redemption to 2000 points.

So, yes, you'll need to eat at restaurants 20 times in order to get a $20 GC.

Once in a while, some restaurants have "promotions" where you can bonus points.

A few months ago, I wrote to OpenTable to complain about a restaurant in Dallas. The restaurant participates in OpenTable, but refused to accept my $10 GC. OpenTable ended up giving me a 500 point credit.

Anyway, like I said before, it's useful if the restaurants that you normally dine at are part of the program.

OTOH, the points only expire if you don't have any activity for 1 year, so there's really no downside to joining it.

I use Open Table for its convenience, not the points.

On another forum, I read that one particular **poster** uses them all the time..so I asked about it. I was wondering if people make the reservations in their own towns or is it just a convenient service for trips..one person answered that you get points whenever you use the service, which add up and get you meal discounts..so in our case, eating out very often, we could probably end up with some cheaper meals..But then, I walk past these places everyday and find it easier to just stop and say, can I have a table tonight at 8 :)
lizziea, I was just going to ask you about the online vs on the phone :D
When we are planning our NY trip, I might use it..

Oh, Lizzie, you don't have to tell ME about phone calls! My accent, the non-american name spelling... sure it's easier through the Open Table!

A big event is coming up, and the kids want to go to a particular restaurant that is on the list. I think this would be a good time to open an account with OT.

Thank you, Fodor's, this is a good example of non-annoying non-popping-up advertising.

yk~
A question for you. If a restaurant (a very, very tough place to get a rezzie) at open Table only takes reservations 2 months in advance (and not a second before!)should I log on at 12:01 in my time zone, the time zone the restaurant is in, or the time zone Open Table is in ???

R5

razzle-

Oooh. I don't think I know the answer to your Q. An educated guess would be the time zone the restaurant is in. good luck!

Also, it has happened to me that when I called the restaurant, I was told it was all full (or didn't have my preferred time). But when I got on OpenTable, the time slot was open.

yk, I wish we had known about this when we stayed in Las Vegas one year. I was sitting at home in NY, waiting to make my phone calls to the restaurants..I agree about points vs just plain convenience!
We don't worry that much about the price of meals but I would love it if I could get FF miles for eating lol

Hmm...if I was hell-bent on getting into a certain restaurant, I would probably call, just to be sure. I'm usually cruising opentable on Friday afternoons at work, plotting where I can get my boyfriend to take me for dinner that evening;-) Usually it involves an opening at Red Cat, Five Points, Blue Smoke, or Cookshop.

Oh, lizzie, The Red Cat...we used to love eating there..sigh :)

Another "pro" - I can make reservations from work discreetly, without everyone eavesdropping on my phone conversation!!(I am in a cubicle within an earshort of at least 3 others)

Red Cat is honestly one of my most favorite restaurants. It's my #1 recommendation when people are looking for a good place for dinner. You would probably like Cookshop too. It's right across the street...

lizzie, we moved from NY 3 years ago..while I love my new town, I do get homesick..mention of Red Cat did it this time :)

All the more reason to come back and visit!

We use Open Table for the convenience -- beats making a phone call.

However, if you need to, don't forget to cancel a reservation or they'll send you an email telling you that they can revoke your priviledge. :)

You don't have to join to use it. We don't go to reservation-type restaurants that often, so we probably wouldn't gather enough points anyway. I just like the convienience of reserving online. I've used it 3-4 times.

~Liz

I use OpenTable all the time everywhere we go, not for the points, but for the web links, convenience, and being able to find what IS available for a specific date/time without having to phone. Great if you want a 5:00 reservation, as your search eliminates places that don't open for dinner until 6:00. Also handy for finding late dining times.

I have learned over the years, however, that many top restaurants never make prime time (7-9, for example) available via OpenTable when they may very well have a table at that time if you phone. One such establishment told me they participate with OpenTable only to fill non-prime times, as prime times are always filled by phone well in advance.

OpenTable has also become more sophisticated. Holidays are more fine tuned than every, so you can determine which places are open on Christmas Day, for example, and whether there is a "special" menu is indicated.

I'm a big fan of Open Table and use it at home as well as when traveling. I currently have a $100 certificate to use at any of their restaurants, and can now redeen another for $50. I have used it enough that now I am listed as a VIP member and that shows to any restaurant where I book. What that means is that I seem to get great tables and sometimes a complimentary drink or dessert. This morning in San Francisco, I was thinking maybe we'd go to Alioto's for lunch, so went ahead and booked it on Open Table. When we got there at 12:30, the place was full, but they were holding a window view table for us. Nice benefit in my opinion.

Mostly you get 100 points per reservations, but they do a lot of bonus points of 1000 usually for very early or late seatings. Since we eat after theatre we do a lot of those 1000 late bonuses. It takes 2,500 points for a $25 certificate -- so just two and a half bonus dines gets you that.

The few timse I went on to opentable to make a reservation (NYC dining), nothing was available at the restaurant. I'd call the restaurant and get a reservation without any problem.

I use it frequently. It is invaluable in Naples in season. I always use it for New York as well.

Yesterday, about the time I was posting my message above, I also booked a reservation for last night here in SF at the delightful "neighborhood" Antica Trattoria. When we arrived there was a bit of a seating problem with another couple also with reservations checked in just ahead of us, but "no on is leaving" problem -- 8:30 reservation. While the nice hostess asked us to wait, and poured us wine while we were waiting (maybe 15 minutes), she quietly told us not to be upset that she was seating the other couple first -- as she was putting them at the little table near the kitchen door, and was holding a larger, much nicer table which was about to be vacated for us -- clearly when I peaked at the reservation list, we were marked "Open Table VIP". Sure worked for us again last night.

The answer to my question:
<i> If a restaurant (a very, very tough place to get a rezzie) at Open Table only takes reservations 2 months in advance (and not a second before!)should I log on at 12:01 in my time zone, the time zone the restaurant is in, or the time zone Open Table is in ???
</i>
Well, I tried at 9,10, &amp;11:01 PM (PDT)
last night and it wasn't until 12:01
PM (PDT) That the reservations opened up and YIPEE !! WOO-HOO !! WE GOT A REZZIE !!!! Anyhoo, the answer is
the time zone the restaurant is in
(Yountville)and in this case the time zone that Open Table is in (San Francisco).

R5

French Laundry R5? Hate to bring it up, but how did things with the dog workout. Poor mr R.

I can vouch for how great Open Table is for holiday dining in New York. We have been in NYC for the last several Christmas holidays, and we have used OT extensively for various holiday meals. It has been great for us; we didn't have to hunt through phone books and websites to find holiday openings.

I use open table all the time--a great launching point for finding restaurants in a new city and so much easier than trying to call the restaurant. I've gotten excellent times (most between 7 and 9 pm) in Charleston, NYC, Seattle, Vancouver, SF Bay Area, Las Vegas, Chicago, LA. And, it seems like the service is always kicked up a notch when our reservations are through OT.