G2

Jackie S.

Owner

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

10/1/2026

"A Valuable Tool for Managing a Reservation-Driven Restaurant"

5/5

What do you like best about OpenTable for Restaurants?

What I like best about OpenTable is the convenience and organization it brings to managing reservations. It gives us a clear picture of the evening before service begins, helps us manage table availability and pacing, and allows guests to make or modify reservations without having to call the restaurant.

The guest database and reservation history are also extremely helpful. Being able to see previous visits, guest notes, preferences, and reservation patterns allows us to provide more personalized service and recognize our regular guests.

The automated confirmations and reminders are another major benefit, particularly for a small, reservation-driven restaurant where a no-show can have a significant impact. Overall, OpenTable helps streamline the reservation process, reduces the amount of time our staff spends on the phone, and gives us useful information to help manage service more efficiently. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about OpenTable for Restaurants?

The biggest downside of OpenTable is the cost. Between subscription fees and other charges, it can be expensive, particularly for a small independent restaurant.

I also think the platform sometimes gives guests the impression that every aspect of a reservation can simply be changed online, regardless of the restaurant’s size or availability. We have a limited number of tables, so seemingly small changes in party size or reservation time can have a significant impact on the entire evening.

No-shows, last-minute cancellations and guests making multiple reservations are still frustrating issues. While OpenTable provides tools to help manage them, I would like restaurants to have stronger protections and more control over repeat offenders.

Customer support and restaurant-side functionality could also be more responsive and intuitive. When there is an issue during service, we need a solution quickly—not another layer of technology to manage.

Overall, OpenTable is extremely useful, but I would like to see more emphasis placed on the needs of the restaurants that are actually providing the tables being reserved. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is OpenTable for Restaurants solving and how is that benefiting you?

OpenTable solves several important business problems for us. The biggest is reservation management. As a small, reservation-driven restaurant with limited seating, we need to know exactly what our evening looks like and how to maximize our available tables without overbooking or negatively affecting service.

It reduces the amount of time our staff spends answering phones and manually taking reservations by allowing guests to book, cancel and modify reservations online. Automated confirmations and reminders also help reduce no-shows and missed reservations.

OpenTable helps us manage pacing and turn times, track guest history and preferences, recognize repeat customers, and better prepare for each service. The guest database is particularly valuable because it allows us to provide a more personalized experience.

It also provides additional exposure to potential guests who may not have found us otherwise.

Ultimately, the biggest business benefit is efficiency. It centralizes reservations, guest information and table management in one system, allowing us to spend less time managing reservations and more time actually running the restaurant and taking care of our guests. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.