Consolidated "Open Table" thread
 

I have never used it. I came across it for some NY restaurants last night.

Anyone used it? Any advantage/disadvantage?

I put in one restaurant and all their reservation slots were 5:30 pm. I wondered if you have better/worse luck calling the restaurant directly?

Thanks http://www.flyertalk.com/dining/ftdi...orum/smile.gif

I haven't used it in quite some time, but the times I have used it, it worked great. I used to swear by it as I hate calling around for reservations.

My understanding is that it ties directly into the restaurants reservation system (which is what OpenTable is really selling) so that in theory there shouldn't be any difference between calling the restaurant and using the OpenTable website. That said, it can't hurt to talk directly the restaurant as they may be willing find a way to fit you in.

I love it. It's really convenient to see a whole swathe of possibilities come up at once. I've never had a problem.

I'd only echo that it can be worth calling a place that doesn't show availability -- if you're set on a particular place or time -- because sometimes they'll still seat you.

Use it all the time. Just used it to make reservations for Restaurant Week in NYC.

We used it this weekend for Cafe Esin in San Ramon. We were a little busy and wanted to go out to eat, but I didn't have time to go to the city, so we went to Open Table and got in right away and since it was earlier, they gave us 1,000 points instead of 100, so it saved us $10! Worth a try if you're going to the place anyhow. Cafe Esin is noted for desserts, but the chocolate decadence was a bit dry, so they brought us extra raspberry, chocolate, and caramel sauces. The salmon was excellent.

I like OpenTable because I frequently get to the "make reservations" task on my list in the morning and I don't have to worry about waiting until the restaurant is open to call. It is also great for seeing what availability looks like at several places rather than calling around to each and then having to decide.

I've used it for places that were "full" when I called... Got to the restaurant no problem and they saw we had a reservation. So far so good.

I have used it three or four times in DC with excellent results. Strangely enough, it never occurs to me to use it anyshere else, but this thread may remind me to use it.

i use it all the time and love it.

since this is flyertalk, I should add that they do give you "VIP" status after 12 reservations in one year. from my experience, this status means absolutely nothing.

I love OpenTable -- probably use it about once a week. But strangely, I had the opposite experience than Nick a couple weeks ago. A restaurant that I wanted to go to in the Bay Area was showing as booked on OpenTable, but when I called them they had no problem making the reservation.

The moral of the story? If it's booked on the phone, check OpenTable. If it's booked on OpenTable, give 'em a call. And if you're still hungry, c'mon down to Las Vegas, and I'll take you out for a 99 cent breakfast. http://www.flyertalk.com/dining/ftdi...orum/smile.gif

Is this calendar year or rolling 12 months?

I am an Open Table regular and swear by it. Not only for booking reservations in NYC where I live, but also out of town when I travel. Often times I make a reservation only an hour or two before I wish to dine in the hottest spots, where if you were to call there is nothing available. My wife tells me that I have forgotten to use Zagat's guide because of Open Table. In fact most of the OT restaurants have received great write-ups in the Zagat guide. "Restaurant Week" is another great perk of using OT, and often times I will meet fellow FT'ers for lunch during that time.

Calendar year.

Here's the Open Table blurb:

Welcome to the OpenTable VIP Program!

You reserved online, you dined, and now you've earned VIP status. VIP status is earned by seating 12 or more online reservations made via OpenTable.com in the current or previous calendar year. You are currently a VIP member in 2004 because you seated 12 or more online reservations in 2003 or to date in 2004.

Thank you for being one of OpenTable’s most valued members. Please enjoy the exclusive rewards created just for you!

VIP MEMBER BENEFITS
Restaurants know you are an OpenTable VIP. Your reservation is flagged with a special note
Periodic perks such as VIP invitations, premium offers, and more
Exclusive recognition on OpenTable.com for VIP Members
We greatly appreciate your loyalty and thank you for "opentabling" when you need restaurant reservations. We are 100% committed to providing you with an outstanding reservation experience.

Sincerely,
OpenTable VIP Member Services



[This message has been edited by snorkmaster (edited Feb 06, 2004).]

I use OpenTable from time to time. Very handy. And I've redeemed a couple of the $10 dining checks at participating restaurants with no problem.

Don't forgot about the 1,000-point bonuses offered (SF and NYC offer this -- don't know about other cities). Some OpenTable restaurants give you 1,000 points instead of only 100 for booking and dining at off-peak times. Check the website for details.

We should compile a list of restaurants that participate in BOTH OpenTable and idine. I know of one in San Francisco, and it even has the 1,000-point off-peak deal on some days! On second thought, if this information is shared too widely, the "deal" may disappear.... http://www.flyertalk.com/dining/ftdining_forum/wink.gif


Kathy

i love opentable and use it frequently. i am a VIP member and have never really noticed any difference between opentable pre-VIP and post-VIP in terms of announcemetns (i.e., spam) and/or how i am treated at the restaurants.

In other words nothing (kinda like Orbitz VIP status).

I haven't seen any difference either as a VIP member. Has anyone?

opentable is terrific - I use it wherever I travel.... they often have links right to the restaurants so you can look at menus, plus they'll give you great ideas for various holiday meals (New Years, etc)

I have been VIP for quite a while, and I am pretty convinced that it means nothing. Still, they offer a great service!

Darn! The deal DID disappear!!! http://www.flyertalk.com/dining/ftdi...orum/frown.gif

The unnamed restaurant has apparently stopped participating in OpenTable. So no more 1,000-point, or even 100-point, reservations there. Luckily, they DO still participate in idine.

I wonder if just by mentioning the "deal," even without actually naming the restaurant, I somehow jinxed things. http://www.flyertalk.com/dining/ftdining_forum/wink.gif


Kathy

Kathy:

Check out 2223 -- it participates in both programs. http://www.flyertalk.com/dining/ftdi...orum/smile.gif

Bruno's is back on opentable.com (and still on idine)!
 

The "unnamed restaurant" mentioned in my posts above is Bruno's (Mission/20th Streets, San Francisco).

And I am happy to report that, after a short hiatus, Bruno's is back on opentable.com AND they award idine points. :)

Unfortunately, they aren't participating in the 1,000-point opentable.com specials at the moment. :(

I just had a meal there last night and double-dipped -- 100 opentable.com points PLUS 10 times the bill idine points!

Note: Bruno's does NOT award idine points on Saturdays; all other days of the week it awards 10x points.

I always try to use OpenTable, but not expecting any special treatment. It's just like MyPoints.com, might as well get something out of it. Very handy though.

Great!
 

I just Googled for a restaurant I wanted to call for reservations. MTV's VMA happen here (Miami) Sunday, so I thought the restaurants on the beach might be a little packed. I found OpenTable and booked the restaurant no problem. It was so easy, I added a place for Saturday that I had wanted to try.

The v card for Outlook is a great feature for me. I drag and drop it into Outlook from my desktop. When I sync my Palm Treo phone, I have the reservation there in case the restaurant gives me grief (haven't been yet).

The entire process, including putting the reminder in my calendar, takes one minute.

I love this!

Only thing better would be Kathy's suggestion that there be a list of IDine places that were on OpenTable. In fact, I found myself crossing between the two in hopes that I could find dual entries. I will say this, the OpenTable search criteria is MUCH better $-$$$$, etc.

Sam

Restaurants seem to leave idine pretty frequently. Bruno's is no longer listed on idine, though it IS still on OpenTable. Bruno's doesn't seem to be offering any 1,000-point OpenTable deals at the moment. (And their cuisine has changed from Italian to Southern, according to the OpenTable website; why fix what ain't broke??? :mad: )

One time, OpenTable was able to get me a table at a preferred time (Friday 7:00), instead of the dreaded before 6 or after 9:30 when calling the restaurant. Otherwise, I see no difference between phone & OpenTable reservations.

uuummm....free money? The convenience of not having to deal with the attitude of some 20 year old snotty girl who thinks the world owes her something cause she's pretty?

Phone reservations don't earn you points towards dining. Or did you happen to miss that detail?

I used opentable.com in SF once (Plumpjack) and Oakland (Oliveto) and wouldn't hesitate to use it again. I like the flexiblity of being able to change reservation times, if available, without the hassle of calling up the restaurant and hoping someone answers or is available.

My girlfriend used opentable to make us a reservation for my birthday this year. Only problem--the restaurant was not open that day and opentable didn't know it until about 10 days beforehand, when we suddenly got an e-mail cancelling the reservation without explanation. Had to call the restaurant to find out why. Seems that if they have a direct tie-in to the restaurant's system, they should have know this sooner. Thankfully we managed to get a reservation somewhere else (this was actually a bit of an issue since we were leaving for Mexico for the week prior to my birthday).

Other times we have not had a problem, but this experience caused us to raise our eyebrows a bit.

I've used it to make several NYC restaurant reservations and haven't had any difficulties. I can't say there are any advantages, other than not having to pick up the phone and call the restaurant. I guess the disadvantage is pretty much the same - you don't get to talk to anyone, so there's no chance of "sweet talking" your way into a table.

No advantages??? :confused:

How about the advantage of earning points for each reservation completed, which can later be redeemed for dollars-off of meals at ANY OpenTable restaurant?

How about the advantage of having a printed confirmation to show, just in case?

Consolidated "Open Table" thread
 

Anybody have any experiences with redeeming through OpenTable.com ?

I made an online reservation for dinner at a restaurants website, and it automatically linked to Opentable and required use of this system...

Interested to hear any experiences... particularly Canadian if there are any...

OpenTable
 

I've used OpenTable.com a bunch of times, but I'm still 200 points (2 dines) short of redemming for a gift certificate.

I've only had one problem with them. That was when I changed a reservation time and I wasn't credited. OpenTable.com emailed me with a warning that I missed my reservation without telling them. They have a whole system built in to dispute that. I did the dispute, as I called the restaurant beforehand and told them I had to change the reservation to 45 min later. OpenTable.com reviewed my dispute, said it was okay and gave me the points for that dine.

Other than that one misunderstanding, I'm quite happy with them. ^
OpenTable.com seems to be in place at a bunch of the higher dollar restaurants in my area.

Steve :)

I have never redeemed anything at Opentable.com but I find it's a very useful service for making reservations. Here in DC almost all of the mid and upper scale restaurants are on it, so it makes it very easy to select where you want to go and book it.

I've used Open Table for reservations many times and find it really convenient. I also have a bunch of points but I really don't keep track of them.

I use it extensively. Very reliable, but I haven't redeemed anything yet.

I am not seeing it on opentable.com but if it is an option someone wants a referal send me your link and I'll be happy conga with ya.

I use opentable a lot. I've redeemed two $10 checks so far. You receive them pretty quickly.

dinnerbroker.com works pretty much the same way, and has a different set of participating restaurants.

Beware - I just checked dinnerbroker for a random restaurant tonight in DC.

The restaurant had availability at 8:30, 9 and 9:30 per OpenTable; per Dinnerbroker, the earliest available was 10 PM.