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Welcome to Your OpenTable Year of Dining 2018: Restaurant Trends Revealed

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OpenTable Year of Dining 2018

Did you discover a new favorite cuisine this year? Become a regular at a local restaurant? Crush hard on a particular dish? Check your inbox to find out how your OpenTable Year of Dining 2018 looked — we’re sending out wrap-ups to diners who subscribe to our emails! We’ve rounded up a few fun stats to whet your appetite. Read on and start booking for 2019 to make your choices count in next year’s review.

SO MANY reservations.

OpenTable diners made a whopping five reservations EVERY second. That’s more than 400,000 bookings in a single day. To put that into perspective, imagine if every single person who passed through New York City’s famed Times Square on a busy day made a reservation on OpenTable.¹

OpenTable Year of Dining 2018

Pasta, FTW!

In a nod to carb lovers and fans of fromage everywhere, Italian fare proved the most popular among OpenTable diners. And with so many top Italian restaurants on OpenTable, such as Casa Lever in New York, RPM Italian in Chicago, and Vetri Cucina, all of which made our 100 Best Restaurants in America 2018 list, we can’t say we’re surprised. Mangiamo!

Dishing on a dish…

OpenTable diners write more than 1 million verified reviews a month. So what are they talking about? This year, it was prime rib. The formerly old school classic has enjoyed a resurgence over the last three years, and more and more restaurants have placed this meaty staple back on the menu. And speaking of reviews, 3,197 diners called their dining experience the “best ever.”

OpenTable Year of Dining 2018

You like to celebrate!

When it comes to cheersing on the last day of the year and treating your loved ones right, you nailed it. The hottest days for dining out in 2018 were New Year’s Eve, Valentine’s Day, and Mothers Day. And, the biggest booking days for all these occasions were often the day before — OpenTable isn’t just great for planners; we’ve got all you procrastinators out there covered with the right restaurant whenever you need it, even if it is at the last minute!

The gang’s all here.

The more, the merrier when it comes to gathering around the table for family-centric holidays. Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and Easter were the moments when the average party size increased more than 15%. Way to show up for the folks that matter most to you!Continue Reading

OpenTable Diners Have Spoken: The 100 Best Restaurants in America 2018 #OpenTable100

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Best Restaurants in America 2018

Millions of dining experiences and reviews later, we’re pleased to share our list of the 100 Best Restaurants in America 2018, according to OpenTable diners. The list is a comprehensive look at the year’s most beloved dining spots culled from more than 12 million verified diner reviews of more than 28,000 restaurants in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.

From foodie-favorites with world-renowned chefs to breakthrough hidden gems, the list showcases the platform’s comprehensive network of dining options for every occasion across the country. New York holds the most honorees with 24 winning restaurants followed by California with 15, Illinois with nine and Texas with eight, including Uchi in Dallas (pictured above). Pennsylvania boasts seven winners followed by Washington D.C. with six winners while Florida and Georgia each claim four. New to the list are Colorado, Michigan, Oregon, and Rhode Island, with standout restaurants including Matsuhisa Denver, Phoenicia, AgriVino, and The Dining Room at Castle Hill Inn, respectively. Additional states represented include Alabama, Arizona, Hawaii, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Virginia, and Washington.

While American and Italian proved to be the most popular cuisines, they were closely followed by French, Indian, Japanese, Korean, Mediterranean, and Middle Eastern. Hyperlocal cuisines including Californian, Hawaiian, and Tex-Mex are also represented in the list. The diversity of the honorees points to an increase in appetite, from coast to coast, for adventurous eats and more exotic flavors, as well as travel-inspired dishes.

So how exactly does a restaurant land on this list? The list is generated solely from diner reviews collected between November 1, 2017, and October 31, 2018. All restaurants with a minimum “overall” score and number of qualifying reviews were included for consideration. Qualifying restaurants were then sorted according to a score calculated from each restaurant’s average rating in the “overall” category. That overall category score is made up of unique data points (read: our secret sauce), such as overall diner rating, user klout, total number of reviews, and regional overall rating to arrive at…ta-da, the final list! It’s a mouthful, we know, but would you expect anything less from a list that’s all about the best restaurants in the country?

Based on this methodology, the following restaurants, listed in alphabetical order, comprise the 100 Best Restaurants in America 2018, according to OpenTable diners:Continue Reading

OpenTable Diner Reviews Reveal the 100 Best Restaurants in Canada 2018 #OpenTable100

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Best Restaurants in Canada 2018

Celebrating Canada’s rich culinary offerings, we’re thrilled to reveal the 100 Best Restaurants in Canada 2018, according to OpenTable diners. The list is a comprehensive look at the year’s most beloved dining spots culled from more than 500,000 verified diner reviews of over 2,500 restaurants across Canada over the course of 12 delicious months.

From the locavore specialties of the restaurant at Pearl Morissette in Niagara, the notable contemporary French cuisine of La Banane in Toronto, and the eclectic seafood stop Oddfish in Vancouver, this year’s list showcases OpenTable’s comprehensive network of dining options for every occasion across the country. Featured restaurants have been recognized for consistently putting out delicious dishes, providing impeccable service, and paying attention to every detail to orchestrate one-of-a-kind dining experiences time and again. Ontario has the greatest number of restaurants included on the list with 57, followed by Alberta with 21, British Columbia with 13, and Québec with seven restaurants. Newfoundland and Saskatchewan are also represented on the list.

So how exactly does a restaurant land on this list? The list is generated solely from diner reviews collected between November 1, 2017, and October 31, 2018. All restaurants with a minimum “overall” score and number of qualifying reviews were included for consideration. Qualifying restaurants were then sorted according to a score calculated from each restaurant’s average rating in the “overall” category. That overall category score is made up of unique data points (read: our secret sauce), such as overall diner rating, user klout, total number of reviews, and regional overall rating to arrive at…ta-da, the final list! It’s a mouthful, we know, but would you expect anything less from a list that’s all about the best restaurants in the country?

Based on this methodology, the following restaurants, listed in alphabetical order, comprise the 100 Best Restaurants in Canada 2018, according to OpenTable diners:Continue Reading

Your New Year’s Eve 2018 Dining Decider + Planning Tips for the Perfect Celebration

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New Year's Eve 2018 dining

It’s coming – New Year’s Eve 2018 is almost upon us. And, fittingly, it’s one of the most popular dining days of the year. Whether you want a night out on the town worthy of an LBD and your best threads or a low-key evening where food is the highlight of the night, OpenTable has you covered with thousands of restaurants – and the right one for you awaits.

The majority of diners book their New Year’s Eve plans 10 days¹ in advance, so be sure you don’t let holiday shopping and the hustle and bustle of the season distract you from securing the perfect reservation to ring in 2019. Although  22% of diners booked their table same-day for New Year’s Eve  2017, diners were 2x more likely to book in advance compared to the rest of 2017. But even if you don’t book on or before December 21, we’ve still got you covered — even up until the 31st.

To help you get started, we’ve got some tips for planning for the perfect New Year’s Eve dining experience – and a trusty decider as well.

Look and book early. Because this is one of the most popular days for dining out, reservations are snapped up early, particularly for prime times and hot spots. Start making your plans today so you don’t miss out on your top pick, keeping in mind that demand may increase after  December 21.

Count it out before the countdown. Be sure to get an accurate headcount of the revelers joining you on the big night as demand for prime reservations is high and availability dwindles the closer you get to the 31 and you don’t want a friend or loved one to get shut out. If you’re dining in a group, secure your plans sooner rather than later as we saw an increase of 5% in party sizes of 4 or more compared to the rest of the year.

Dollars and sense. Do some math before booking to set your budget so you don’t wind up starting the new year in the red. You can peruse special menus on OpenTable.com. Be sure to account for alcohol, tax, and gratuity (if not included in prices). Deals are plentiful, also. And, while a lot of diners opt to go all out on New Year’s Eve, [as compared to the rest of the year] we’ve seen a 5% increase in diners choosing restaurants where the average meal price is $30 and under.

Think about drink. All-inclusives can be incredible deals for those of us who like to bend our elbows often that night, but if you or members of your party are teetotalers, look for dining options that allow you to order drinks a la carte.

When the clock strikes midnight. Think about where you want to be exactly at midnight. Some of us like being in the thick of things, while others like to welcome the new year from the comfort of our sofas after a delicious meal out. Look for reservation times that will put you where you want to be when the new year arrives. Keep in mind, too, that people tend to dine later on New Year’s Eve. For New Year’s Eve 2017, we saw a 67% increase in the percentage of reservations from 8-10PM compared to the same time slot for the rest of the year. So book early to secure prime time tables.

Don’t forget your diet(ary needs). If you’ve got food allergies or sensitivities or you’re a picky eater, carefully study menus for any items that are your nemeses. If you’re in doubt as to whether a restaurant can accommodate your needs, call the restaurant before booking and ask to speak to a manager or a chef.

Be flexible. If your favorite restaurant lacks availability for a particular time, but your heart is set on that spot, dine earlier or later and plan something fun before or after, like a movie or seeing live music. If you live in Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, or Washington, D.C., you may need to be even more flexible on times as those are the cities with the greatest number of reservations on December 31, according to New Year’s Eve 2017 data.

Need more help picking the perfect type of restaurant for your New Year’s Eve? Use our New Year’s Eve 2018 Dining Decider for an assist from the experts at OpenTable.

New Year's Eve 2018 dining

Wherever you landed, we’ve got inspiration aplenty below.Continue Reading