OpenTable

In short

OpenTable pairs host-stand reservation, table and waitlist management with a large consumer-facing diner network and marketing tools that surface a listed restaurant to people actively searching for a table nearby. It fits a full-service restaurant that wants both smoother shift operations and new-guest discovery, more than a quick-service spot with no table reservations or a restaurant that already fills its room through repeat guests alone.

Key features for service businesses

Who it's for

OpenTable fits a full-service restaurant that wants both a reliable host-stand reservation and waitlist tool and exposure to new diners through a large consumer-facing network. It suits restaurants where walk-in discovery from people searching nearby tables matters, not only guests who already know the restaurant's name, and where a host or manager benefits from managing bookings from a phone or tablet rather than being tied to a single front-desk terminal.

Who should skip it

A quick-service restaurant with no table reservations, or a restaurant that already fills its dining room through repeat guests and its own website, gets less value from OpenTable's consumer network than a restaurant actively trying to grow new-guest traffic. A restaurant already committed to TouchBistro for its point-of-sale system may prefer that vendor's bundled reservations feature instead of adding a separate platform.

How it handles operations and table management

OpenTable lets a restaurant build a custom floor plan with flexible table types, then recommends table assignments to help a host fit in an extra walk-in without overbooking. Its POS integration automatically updates table status as guests are seated and checks close out, which speeds up turn times, and an in-house and online waitlist gives guests a wait-time quote and texts them when their table opens up, turning walk-ins and cancellations into filled seats instead of lost revenue.

How it handles marketing and the diner network

OpenTable's diner network lists a restaurant across its own site and hundreds of partner sites, and boost or targeted campaigns can be aimed at specific groups, such as first-time diners or same-day bookers, to fill slow shifts or last-minute cancellations. A restaurant can connect its Google and Meta ad accounts directly to its OpenTable booking widget to see which ad spend is actually converting into seated reservations rather than just clicks, which matters for an owner deciding where to put a limited marketing budget.

Integrations and support

OpenTable connects with more than 200 restaurant tools spanning point-of-sale, menu management and other categories, and the platform can be managed from a phone, tablet or computer, including offline operation when the internet drops mid-shift. Support includes hands-on onboarding to help a new restaurant choose the right plan and ongoing account management once it's live on the platform.

Alternatives

• TouchBistro if you want reservations bundled with the same vendor as your point-of-sale system, rather than a separate reservations platform.
• Resy if your target diners are more concentrated on that network, or you prefer its host-stand tools; OpenTable and Resy compete directly on the same core reservations and waitlist task.
• See the restaurant software kit for how reservations fits alongside point of sale, online ordering and staff scheduling.

How we reviewed it

We checked OpenTable's table-management product page for floor plan, POS and waitlist features, its restaurant marketing page for diner-network and ad-tracking claims, and its restaurant solutions overview page for integrations and support claims. We did not rely on any third-party review site for feature claims in this review.