OpenTable

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.

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.

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.

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!

The OpenTable app rewards you for making reservations - something you would likely do anyway! Not only that, but it makes the reservation process that much easier. You simply look up the restaurant, instantly see what days/times are available, and in a few clicks, you have your reservation. As soon as your reservation is completed, you earn points for dining. Once your point balance gets high enough (which doesn't take that long if you dine often), you can exchange those points for dining credits, or use them for discounts on hotels, or on flights booked through Kayak! You can supercharge your point earnings by selecting restaurants that have need dates/times that they would like to fill, often earning you 10x the points you would normally earn on a regular reservation.

The only negative is that not every restaurant is on it. It does have a dominant presence in the industry, so while you may not always find a cafe or coffee shop, a reputable restaurant is usually on the platform.

The best thing about making reservations on OpenTable is the vast array of dining locations available to you. We are able to easily find niche restaurants that offer the often-scarce African-ish menus we love to explore on trips and compare to what we are used to back home. Profiles of locations are also detailed enough to assist me in my elimination process so then I am very confident of my decision on where to eat when I eventually make it.

What I dislike about using OpenTable as a diner is the same thing that makes it good. The huge number of choices available can make deciding on where to book a bit of a headache