Opentable Com

I guess I’m just a loser — most of the restaurants where I dine don’t require reservations — and sometimes I use Opentable but in the last 10 years, I haven’t used it enough for the points to amount to much. I find it easier to just call a place and make a reservation. I know folks who swear by it — but I just don’t have time to play games with points and all that. YMMV.

I heart Open Table. Not only is it easy to use, but who doesn’t love getting rewarded for doing something you were going to do anyways? Reservations are easy to make, change, delete, and who am I kidding, I’m really just in it for the points. 2000 points get you $ 20!
The secret to earning those rewards is to hit up the 1000 pt reservations. I’ve found many a cool but somewhat unknown place checking those out (see K’ya Street Fair review).
And every time something has messed up where I haven’t gotten the correct points, I’ve opened a case and they quickly resolved it (in my favor). So between making reservations easy, rewarding normal activities and quick resolution to disputes: Woohoo, that’s as good as it gets!

I hate hate hate hate hate calling up a restaurant to make a reservation. Most of the time, the hostess is snotty and will cop an attitude if you ask if there are any tables for a party of 4 at 7:00. They will dramatically sigh and tell you no… and only after much prompting will they be willing to tell you that there will be a table ready at 7:15. Usually by that point I’m on the verge of shoving my shoe down her throat.
keeps me from jail-​time for assault with adorable shoes. Easy to use and the whole «points» thing for free GC is super awesome. And now that the
function is linked to Unilocal?SUPER AWESOME!
My only two sad little complaints are: 1) that there needs to be more restaurants on OpenTable. I’m even willing to not get points for some reservations, if only I don’t have to talk to surly hostesses and 2) I wish that our Unilocal reviews for the restaurants will automatically go into OpenTable (or at least have a link to the Unilocal page) to make it easier to make decisions.

So much easier to schedule your dining reservations here for the following reasons:
1. No annoying busy signal when the phone is busy
2. Not having to talk to a snotty hostess
3. Your name is spelled correctly (unless you can’t spell your own name)
4. You get dining points (I am a points whore so it’s all about getting as many as possible regardless of what I am supposed to use them for in the future!)
I love this site and use it constantly! Give it a try if you haven’t yet!

Here we go again! More FREE internet tools!
Today is Mother’s Day. I’m a Mommy and my Mom lives in town, too. Well, uhhh, ummmm … I haven’t done my due diligence in planning our special day, yet.
to the rescue! Let’s see in San Diego, where are there reservation spots around 1 pm for a party of four? 46 restaurants came up within a 2 hour slot. Want reviews? They’ve got ‘em. Even a category that says fit for foodies! *Don’t live in Sunny Diego? Just enter the city you wanna wine and dine in!
To make a reservation, you just click. Then put in your credit card to secure the rez. VOILA! No more stressin’!
Last but not least, if you continue to us
, you’ll accumulate points that will earn you ‘something.’ Not sure what, yet, though!
Bön Appetit!

makes reservations super easy. Just enter a city, a type of food, date and time, and you’re all set. Don’t know what you’re in the mood for? Select your location and it will pull up an entire list of restaurants in your area, and reviews to help you make your decision. If your date/​time is not available, they conveniently provide you with alternates. You can even add special requests to the Maitre D’ (e.g. a booth).
By joining Opentable, you also sign up for their Dining Rewards Program, which is another great feature. You earn points for each reservation, and once you accumulate 2,000 points, you are eligible for a $ 20 Dining Cheque. Standard reservations are 100 points each, but certain restaurants have bonus points depending on the date and time. They have a whole list of 1000-​point reservations so you can get points faster. I am currently 800 points shy of my first Dining Cheque.
This site is really convenient and user-​friendly, and most of all it’s FREE. I highly recommend it.

I’ve been a loyal
user for the past year and finally earned the Dining Rewards gift check of $ 20 for accumulating 2,000 points (approximately 20 reservations).
is so convenient and each special request I submitted (e.g., the private corner booth at Oola) online has been fulfilled. I also love Open table’s Dine About Town time!

I absolutely adore Open Table!
You make reservations through them at many different restaurants, including some very known ones (i.e. French Laundry) to chain restaurants (i.e. Melting Pot).
Although it’s a pretty convenient way to reserve a table, the variety of restaurants isn’t all that great. For example, there are hardly any Asian restaurants, let alone a lot of sushi places.
Each reservation you make is 100 points. Some restaurants at certain times (mostly at times that are really early or late or on weekdays), if you make a reservation and honor it, you’ll get 1000 points!
What’s with all the points, you say?
2,000 OpenTable Points = $ 20 OpenTable Dining Cheque
5,000 OpenTable Points = $ 50 OpenTable Dining Cheque
10,000 OpenTable Points = $ 100 OpenTable Dining Cheque
These coupons can be used at any restaurant on Open Table :)
Another bad thing is your points will expire after 1 year if you don’t use them :’(

I love the convenience of Open Table.
Sadly, there are a myriad of restaurants I frequent on a fairly regular basis that don’t participate with them. I don’t know which side to point the finger at (I never asked, maybe I will one of these days!) so I’ll do some further investigating.
Other than the absent restaurants, it is really quite a great service. They offer you points for making reservations through them (some nights you can get reservations that will give you 1,000 points instead of 100) and after you accumulate a certain target amount, you can redeem them for a certificate for $ off your meal. It’s a great incentive to use them, and I’m not sure why people wouldn’t!
One other mild pet peeve I have is if you click on their link from a restaurant’s web page and try to make a reservation by signing in, that particular time you want may not be available anymore after signing in. I don’t know what happens with their computer juju, but it’s happened to me three times now. The only remedy to that is to close the window completely and sign in a few minutes later to retry. For those those mild inconveniences I will knock it down to 4 stars.
Open Table, here’s a suggestion– yo should hold parties for your patrons like Unilocal does for Elites. I’ll be your customer base will go way up!

I’m a bit surprised that this is a 1^st review of Open Table. Maybe people don’t realize it’s a local company, or maybe I’m of the older Unilocal crowd that is less spontaneous and book my rezzies in advance.
Anyway, Open Table rocks my restaurant reservation world. I don’t wanna talk to anybody. I just pick my fave, plop in the time and date, and Boom — reservation is made.
I even get credits that I can redeem later for dinner coupons, and the service is free.
Maybe Open Table competes with Unilocal,but it seems like a good cross-​promotion or mashup would be a really neat idea.

The OpenTable app for iPhone launched earlier this month. Works with most of the functionality of the full site, plus you can search restaurants nearby your current location.

I’ve used this service since 2001, so I can vouch for it. It’s a great free service for both personal users or people who need to organize many business lunch/​dinner meetings at restaurants. It’s a good tool for administrative assistants too, because you can make reservations under several names. Choices are limited when dealing with large groups. They also have a mobile version for cellphones:
— You earn dining points (100 points) for every reservation you make.
— When you arrive at the restaurant, inform the maitre’d or waiter that you have an online reservation, so they’ll mark you on their system (to make sure that u earn those points).
— When you reach 2,000 points you can redeem them for a $ 20 check.
— Checks available in denominations of $ 20, $ 50 & $ 100.
— You can apply the check to your bill when you dine at any of the restaurants listed in the service.
— Points expire if you don’t use the service for more than 12 months.
— More than 8,500 restaurants nationwide (SF, Vegas, Hawaii, NY, etc.)
— Good resource for restaurant details, hours, website, menu, etc. (only listed restaurants)
— Many restaurants block some tables from the service to allow for walk-​in diners, so if you can’t find a specific time slot you really NEED, try calling perhaps you might get the table that way.
— You only earn points for online reservations.
— You achieve VIP status after u complete more than 12 reservations in each calendar year (what’s that? — at most places it means nothing, but some restaurants supposedly try to keep your reservation if you’re late, up to 15 minutes. In my opinion, it just lets restaurants know that you might be a good source of revenue, and hopefully treat you better).
If you cannot honor a reservation you made, make sure you cancel it, either online or by calling the restaurant. You don’t want to be blacklisted as a person who doesn’t honor reservations. Don’t be afraid to challenge no-​show notices.
In addition to helping manage reservations, the system also lets restaurants record the preferences of their preferred frequent diners (not all places use this feature). If you find that a fancy restaurant remembers your particular preferences since the last time you dined at that location, that is how. The restaurant you reserved can also see your reservation history, but no personal information.
Enjoy!

I use Open Table occasionally and it has always worked well. I have used it for setting up many a fine dinner with Gayle, a nosh with friends, or when a work collegue has come to town. I used it recently when I was trying to set up a dinner in Minneapolis and I went in to see what was available in that area. I’ll probably do it again on upcoming business trips to other cities served by Open Table. And as others have mentioned, I have gone back and forth between Open Table (and the provided restaurant link) and Unilocal to compare other’s experiences.
The Site itself is easy to navigate and not a single reservation of mine has been lost. There is even an invite function and an opportunity to order flowers for the upcoming table.

This website compliments Unilocal really well. After finding the place (s) you want to try on Unilocal,you can make your reservations on
.
I know there’s other ways to make reservations, but as v.b. wrote
will give you a gift cert after using them so many times.
Besides, it’s also free.
There are a couple of down points:
First, not all the restaurants on Unilocal are on
Second, it feels like some restaurants have unduly influenced the recommended restaurant list.
Then again that’s why people use Unilocal in the first place right?
Real People. Real Reviews.

I am hearting
. I registered and made my reservation through their website and I am on the way to earning points towards my Dining Rewards. You usually receive 100 points for each reservation, there are some reservations worth more, 1000 pts. When you accumulated at least 2000 points, you can apply those $ 20 cheque to a OpenTable restaurant.
Note: you don’t get points for changing your reservation, cancellations and no shows.
Reserving online was simple. Usually has 30 minute increments of reservation times.
Some Unilocal talks/​helpful hints regarding OpenTable
-

OpenTable is an online restaurant reservation service with the motto «Instant, Reliable & Free.» It costs nothing to join, and the service works great. Darlene D. gave an excellent first review. I will expand on a few points and add a little accuracy.
OpenTable gives Dining Rewards points for every kept reservation. You do not get points for booking a reservation; you have to make the reservation, keep the reservation, and pay for at least two entrees.
Dining Rewards points can be redeemed for an OpenTable Dining Cheque. A Dining Cheque is a real check drawn on Wells Fargo Bank of San Francisco. The restaurant processes the Dining Cheque as a traveler’s check. A Dining Cheque is a bearer instrument. Anyone who possesses one can use it at any OpenTable restaurant. The Dining Cheque goes stale and cannot be used 180 days after it is issued.
The normal reward for a kept reservation is 100 Dining Rewards points. Some restaurants offer special 1,000 Dining Rewards seatings, and these are highlighted on the OpenTable website. Dining Rewards points only expire if your account is inactive for 12 months.
In the United States, a minimum of 2,000 Dining Reward points are needed to redeem for a $ 20 Dining Cheque. Other denominations of Dining Cheques are $ 50 for 5,000 points and $ 100 for 10,000 points. When redeeming points, you must specify if you want a Dining Cheque denominated in US dollars, Canadian dollars or British pounds.
So with a little planning, you can eat out five times and get a $ 50 check. The website says that most requests for redemptions are processed in three weeks, but allow up to six weeks for delivery. They need to change that. I got my Dining Cheque in 10 days.

I used to work for Kingfish, and since it was a pretty popular restaurant, I would LOVE it when people made reservations online. There is absolutely nothing worse than a family of 5 walking in with a fucking stroller expecting that, because their shoving that cute little baby face in mine, that they’re going to get a table on a SUPER BUSY NIGHT. Plus, you had two little kids that had more energy than a crackhead with a fix. Then you get mad because we bring out the kids food early to appease them, then demand we give you a free meal AND subsequent free meals after that.
But I digress…
If ya’ll had done that shit ONLINE, on OpenTable and made it EASIER, then we wouldn’t have had to put up with your SHIT.
I love all of you that use OpenTable.
I also love the fact that if you accrue enough points (10 000 I think?), you can get a $ 100 GC to any restaurant you’d like. This means for all you serial daters, make sure YOU make the reservation, have THEM pay for it, and then once you go out on enough dates you can take your best friend out to dinner.
Not like I’d do that or anything…

Love the search features, LOVE the «export to Outlook» option, so useful when you’re managing someone else’s calendar.
Beware that there are some restaurants that don’t do Open Table-​Hayes Street Grill, Quince, Nopa and Gary Danko come to mind.
I didn’t know about the «Administrative Professionals» account possibility-​where in theory I can accrue points on reservations I make for the boss-​until reading about it in a Unilocal review. No matter, the boss lady loves a coupon more than most anything, but I think they could do a better job of describing the features that they offer.

if you haven’t used it you’re missing out.
Most useful website out there… yes it’s up there with craigslist, google, and Unilocal!
Love how it can be used almost all over the US and in other parts of the world too!
GENIUS!

I fricken love opentable. I also love thinking, «let’s go to XXX restaurant… wait, let me opentable that first» and bam, I have a reservation and points. I think I have like a billion points but I just cannot spend them, they are too precious.
Extra stars for being easy to use, GREAT for booking client dinners (since it will send invitiations) and love their Dine About Town program.