Swipe Up on Snapchat’s New Context Cards and Make a Reservation with OpenTable

OpenTable October 10, 2017 2 Comments

Snapchat has introduced Context Cards, an exciting new way to learn more and take actions on many of the Snaps you see in the app, including Snaps taken at restaurants with the help of OpenTable! By simply swiping up on yummy looking Snaps that say “more,” diners can discover and book a restaurant reservation at any one of the tens of thousands of restaurants on OpenTable in the United States and Canada.

Snapchat’s Context Cards display information about the Snap you’re viewing and provide a way to take simple actions — like reserving a table through OpenTable. Snapchat has also integrated Stories into Context Cards, making it easy to see more Snaps from eateries that interest you.

“In partnership with Snapchat for their new Context Cards feature, we’re excited to be offering a new way for Snapchatters to book any of our restaurants that they see in Snaps,” said Catherine Porter, Senior Vice President of Strategy and Business Development at OpenTable. “We know the simple act of swiping up on a Snap to reserve a table will provide an experience that our diners and restaurants will love.”Continue Reading

OpenTable Unveils New Features Optimized for iOS 11 to Make Sharing + Keeping Track of Reservations Even Easier

OpenTable September 27, 2017 2 Comments

At OpenTable, we strive to make finding and booking the perfect table as easy as possible. So, we’re very pleased to announce new features optimized for iOS 11, giving diners across the globe new ways to discover and share restaurants using the latest OpenTable apps for iPhone and iPad.

The new Invite Guests feature lets OpenTable’s iPhone and iPad app users send dining invitations and share restaurant reservation details directly within an iMessage conversation. By simply tapping the “Add Guests” button on the reservation confirmation screen, diners can invite friends, colleagues, or loved ones to join their reservation.

With the new Drag and Drop feature on iPad, diners can now seamlessly drag and drop restaurants from anywhere in the OpenTable app into iMessage conversations. They can also drag and drop upcoming reservations into iCal Apple Maps, and other apps on iPad.Continue Reading

In Honour of Mother’s Day: The 50 Best Restaurants for Brunch in Canada 2017

OpenTable May 10, 2017 5 Comments

Just in time to help Canadians decide where to dine out this Mother’s Day, we’re pleased to announce the 50 Best Restaurants for Brunch in Canada 2017. These awards reflect the combined opinions of more than 480,000 restaurant reviews submitted by verified OpenTable diners for more than 2,000 restaurants in Canada.

This year’s list highlights outstanding eateries across Canada from The Merchant Tavern in St.John’s, buzzing with east coast charm, to the locally grown tastes of Forage in Vancouver. Ontario leads all provinces with 20 Best for Brunch restaurants in the top 50, followed by Alberta with 12 and British Columbia and Québec, each with eight. Manitoba and Newfoundland and Labrador are also represented.

Canadians love to dine out on Mother’s Day. According to OpenTable diner data from Mother’s Day 2016, this is one of the busiest Sundays of the year to dine out, with a 226 per cent increase in reservations booked as compared to an average Sunday. Additionally, on average Canadians make their Mother’s Day reservations only eight days before the holiday.

The 50 Best Restaurants for Brunch in Canada list is generated solely from more than 480,000 restaurant reviews collected from verified OpenTable diners between March 1, 2016 and February 28, 2017. All restaurants with a minimum “overall” score and number of qualifying reviews were included for consideration. Qualifying restaurants were then scored and sorted according to the percentage of reviews for which “great for brunch” was selected as a special feature.

Based on this methodology, the 50 Best Restaurants for Brunch in Canada according to OpenTable diners are as follows (in alphabetical order):Continue Reading

You Can Now Book Reservations Through OpenTable’s Bot for Messenger

OpenTable April 18, 2017 3 Comments

We’re thrilled to introduce a new way for you to search and make restaurant reservations directly through Facebook Messenger. With OpenTable’s bot for Messenger, you can make reservations at any of our more than 40,000 restaurants worldwide right in Messenger.

Wish planning a meal with friends was easier? OpenTable’s bot for Messenger allows you to search and suggest available restaurants to friends as well as make reservations through the bot without leaving the app. It’s an easy, collaborative way to pick the perfect spot for a friend’s birthday dinner, a reunion lunch, or an upcoming trip.

“We’re delighted that now our millions of diners will have the ability to plan and book restaurant reservations with their Facebook friends at home and around the world all within Messenger,” noted Catherine Porter, Senior Vice President of Strategy and Business Development at OpenTable. “We hope this service helps diners more easily collaborate on dining plans by sharing restaurant suggestions and coordinating a reservation all in one place.”

Here’s how it works:

From any Messenger conversation, select the OpenTable bot by tapping the + icon on the bottom left of the Messenger app.
Pick an available restaurant to recommend and share with friends.
Once you and your friends have picked where you want to go, book a table.
Share the restaurant reservation confirmation with friends.