View source for OpenTable

{{short description|American internet company}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}{{For|the Christian eucharistic practice|Open communion}}
{{Infobox website
| name = OpenTable, Inc.
| logo = OpenTable logo.svg
| collapsible = yes
| collapsetext = Screenshot
| screenshot = OpenTable screenshot.jpg
| type = [[Subsidiary]]
| foundation = {{start date and age|1998|7|2}}
| founder = {{unbulleted list|[[Chuck Templeton]] |Sid Gorham |Eric Moe}}
| location_city = [[San Francisco, California]]
| location_country = United States
| area_served = Worldwide
| key_people = {{unbulleted list|Debby Soo ([[Chief executive officer|CEO]])}}
| industry = [[Internet]]
| services = [[Table reservation]]
| revenue = {{increase}} [[United States Dollar|US$]]190.05M (2013)<ref name=2013-10K>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1125914/000112591414000006/open201310-kdoc.htm |title=OpenTable, Inc., Annual Report on Form 10-K|date= February 21, 2014|website=SEC}}</ref>
| operating_income = {{increase}} US$46.429M (2013)<ref name=2013-10K />
| net_income = {{increase}} US$33.385M (2013)<ref name=2013-10K />
| assets = {{increase}} US$310.971M (2013)<ref name=2013-10K />
| equity = {{increase}} US$230.262M (2013)<ref name=2013-10K />
| num_employees = 1450 (2019)<ref name=2013-10K />
| parent = [[Booking Holdings]]
| intl = yes
| url = {{URL|opentable.com}}
| current_status = Active
| locations = 10 (2016)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.opentable.com/about/|title=About Us|publisher=OpenTable|access-date=6 October 2016}}</ref>
| language = 
}}

'''OpenTable''' is an [[Internet|online]] [[Table reservation|restaurant-reservation]] [[Social networking service|service]] company founded by Sid Gorham, Eric Moe and [[Chuck Templeton]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Meal reservations online better than holding phone|website=OpenTable.com|url=https://press.opentable.com/news-releases/news-release-details/meal-reservations-online-better-holding-phone/ | date = August 25, 1999}}</ref> on July 2, 1998, and based in [[San Francisco, California]].

In 1998, operations began with a limited selection of restaurants in San Francisco. Restaurants used the company's back-end software to process the reservations made on the website, resulting in a real-time reservation system for both diners and restaurants.<ref>{{cite news| last = Davis | first = Robin | title = What's New: Snag a Table From Cyberspace | work = [[San Francisco Chronicle]] | date = August 18, 1999 | url = http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/1999/08/18/FD97228.DTL&hw=opentable&sn=043&sc=581}}</ref> The service has since expanded to cover more than 55,000<ref>{{cite web|title=OpenTable|website=OpenTable.com|url=http://www.opentable.com/ | access-date = January 13, 2014}}</ref> restaurants in more than 80 countries as of 2024.<ref>[https://www.eater.com/24183263/reservations-systems-explained-tock-resy-opentable-yelp As American Express Acquires Tock, Who’s Winning the Reservation Wars?]</ref> In June 2014, the company was acquired by [[Booking Holdings|Priceline Group]] for $2.6 billion. 

Reservations are free to end users; the company charges restaurants flat monthly and per-reservation fees for their use of the system.<ref>{{Cite news | last = Leson  | first = Nancy | title = Risks and Rewards of Booking Your Table Online  | work = [[The Seattle Times]] | date = August 17, 2005 | url = http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/foodwine/2002442487_taste17.html | access-date = July 22, 2012}}</ref> According to the company, it provides online reservations for more than 50,000 restaurants around the world and seats over 1 billion diners per year.<ref name="OpenTable">{{cite web|title=OpenTable|website=OpenTable.com|url=http://www.opentable.com/ | access-date = February 16, 2022}}</ref>

== History ==
OpenTable was founded by [[Chuck Templeton]] on July 2, 1998, and initially incorporated in California as easyeats.com, Inc.<ref>{{cite news
|url= https://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/18/business/18opentable.html
|title= Restaurant Reservations Go Online
|date= June 18, 2007
|first= Katie
|last= Hafner
|work= [[The New York Times]]
}}</ref>

On May 21, 2009, the company held its [[initial public offering]] (IPO), on the [[NASDAQ]] stock exchange under the ticker symbol OPEN. The underwriters of the IPO were [[Merrill Lynch]], [[Allen & Company]], [[Stifel Nicolaus]], and ThinkEquity.<ref name="investor-faq">{{cite web |access-date=2014-06-13 |url=http://investors.opentable.com/faq.cfm |title=Investor FAQs |website=OpenTable }}</ref>

On October 1, 2010, the company acquired [[Toptable]], a restaurant reservation site in the UK.<ref>{{Cite web| title = OpenTable Acquires European Competitor TopTable for $55 Million| website= [[Mashable]] | date = September 16, 2010 | url = http://mashable.com/2010/09/16/opentable-toptable/ | first=Ben | last=Parr | access-date= July 7, 2015}}</ref>

On January 29, 2013, the company announced that it had entered a definitive agreement to acquire Foodspotting.<ref>{{cite web|website=OpenTable|url=http://press.opentable.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=736295 |title=OpenTable Press Release|date=29 January 2013}}</ref>

On June 13, 2014, the company agreed to a takeover offer by [[Booking Holdings|the Priceline Group]] of $103 a share, a 46% premium on the previous day's closing stock price. The offer valued the company at $2.6 billion. Both companies said OpenTable would continue to operate as a separate business under the same management.<ref>{{cite news|title=Priceline books OpenTable for $2.6bn|url=http://www.newyorktelegraph.com/index.php/sid/222889441/scat/3a8a80d6f705f8cc/ht/Priceline-books-OpenTable-for-26bn|access-date=13 June 2014|publisher=New York Telegraph|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714194325/http://www.newyorktelegraph.com/index.php/sid/222889441/scat/3a8a80d6f705f8cc/ht/Priceline-books-OpenTable-for-26bn|archive-date=July 14, 2014}}</ref>

In August 2020, OpenTable named Debby Soo as its new CEO.<ref>{{Cite web|date=August 13, 2020|first=Joe|last=Guszkowski|title=OpenTable names new CEO|url=https://www.restaurantbusinessonline.com/leadership/opentable-names-new-ceo|access-date=2020-08-14|website=Restaurant Business|language=en}}</ref>

In 2024, OpenTable signed a partnership deal with Visa that gives certain cardholders access to reservation slots at popular restaurants.<ref>
[https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/14/dining/opentable-restaurants.html The Five-Figure Reason Hot Restaurants Are Moving to OpenTable] Priya Krishna, New York Times, May 14, 2025</ref>

== Information ==

=== For users ===
Users search for restaurants and reservations based on such parameters as dates, times, cuisine, and price range. Users who have registered their email address with the system will then receive a confirmation email.<ref>{{Cite news | last = Joseph | first = Scott | title = Table for 2 Is a Click Away | work = [[Orlando Sentinel]] | date = September 8, 2006 | page = E3 | url = http://www.opentable.com/info/newspage.aspx?id=212 | access-date = April 12, 2007 | archive-date = October 9, 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161009145804/http://www.opentable.com/info/newspage.aspx?id=212 | url-status = dead }}</ref>  Users can also receive 100 or 1,000 points after dining that can be redeemed for discounts at member restaurants.<ref>{{Cite news | last = Lubinger | first = Bill | title = Need a Corner Table? Reservation at 7? Opentable Online Gets It for You Fast | work = [[The Plain Dealer]] | location = Cleveland | date = February 21, 2007 | url = http://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/plaindealer/restaurantrow/index.ssf?/base/entertainment/1171966953286780.xml&coll=2 | access-date = April 25, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071212035948/http://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/plaindealer/restaurantrow/index.ssf?%2Fbase%2Fentertainment%2F1171966953286780.xml&coll=2 | archive-date = December 12, 2007 | url-status = dead }}</ref>

The company also has a [[mobile application]] that allows users to find and book dinner reservations.<ref>{{Cite news | title = Open Table's Free iPhone App Finds Nearby Dining Reservations| work = [[Silicon Valley Business Journal]] | date = November 17, 2008 | url = http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/othercities/sanjose/stories/2008/11/17/daily2.html?s=smc:3}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | title = OpenTable Launches on Android| newspaper = [[The Washington Post]] | date = September 14, 2009 | url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/14/AR2009091402417.html | first=Greg | last=Kumparak | access-date= May 20, 2010}}</ref>

In April 2024, the company announced a policy change under which anonymous reviews will no longer be allowed beginning May 22. All reviews will display the user's display photo and first name at a minimum, and all existing reviews will be retroactively [[Data re-identification|deanonymized]] to meet this standard.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-04-12 |title=Your anonymous OpenTable reviews will soon display your first name |url=https://www.engadget.com/your-anonymous-opentable-reviews-will-soon-display-your-first-name-120006774.html |access-date=2024-04-12 |website=Engadget |language=en-US}}</ref> After receiving significant pushback, OpenTable quickly announced that it would not apply the new policy retroactively, leaving previous reviews anonymous. The start of the new policy was also pushed back to later in the year.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hindy |first=Joe |date=April 14, 2024 |title=OpenTable Backtracks, Won't Add Real Names to Old Reviews |url=https://www.pcmag.com/news/opentable-to-swap-usernames-for-first-names-on-previously-anonymous-reviews |access-date=2024-04-14 |website=PCMAG |language=en}}</ref>

=== For restaurants ===
Restaurant owners use an Electronic Reservation Book which computerizes restaurant host-stand operations and replaces existing paper reservation systems. The system handles reservation management, table management, guest recognition, and [[email marketing]].<ref>{{cite news|url= http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=32474|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090301214920/http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=32474|url-status= dead|archive-date= March 1, 2009|title=Open Table Company Profile |access-date= March 17, 2009| work = [[Businessweek]] }}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[List of companies based in San Francisco]]
* [[List of websites about food and drink]]
* [[Eveve]], restaurant reservation system company

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{Booking Holdings}}
{{Online food ordering}}
{{Travel ticket search engines}}

{{portal bar|Companies|Internet}}

[[Category:1998 establishments in California]]
[[Category:Companies based in San Francisco]]
[[Category:Internet properties established in 1998]]
[[Category:Companies formerly listed on the Nasdaq]]
[[Category:Online retailers of the United States]]
[[Category:Restaurant guides]]
[[Category:WatchOS software]]
[[Category:Android (operating system) software]]
[[Category:Booking Holdings]]
[[Category:2009 initial public offerings]]
[[Category:2014 mergers and acquisitions]]
[[Category:American corporate subsidiaries]]