OpenTable is an online restaurant-reservation service company founded by Chuck Templeton on 2 July 1998 and is based in San Francisco, California.
In 1999, the website began operations serving a limited selection of restaurants in San Francisco. It has since expanded to cover more than 30,000 restaurants in most U.S. states as well as in several major international cities. Reservations can be made online through its website. On June 13, 2014 the company announced it had agreed to terms with The Priceline Group to be acquired in an all-cash deal for $2.6 billion.
The company's home market consists of the United States. However, this has expanded in recent years to include Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Mexico, and the United Kingdom. Reservations are free to end users; the company charges restaurants flat monthly and per-reservation fees for their use of the system. According to the company, it provides online reservations for about 40,000 restaurants around the world and seats about 23 million diners per month.
History
OpenTable was founded by Chuck Templeton on 2 July 1998.
On 21 May 2009, the company held its initial public offering (IPO), on the NASDAQ stock exchange under the ticker symbol NASDAQ:Â OPEN. The underwriters of the IPO were Merrill Lynch, Allen & Company, Stifel Nicolaus, and ThinkEquity.
On 1 October 2010, the company acquired Toptable, a restaurant reservation site in the UK.
On 29 January 2013, the company announced that it had entered a definitive agreement to acquire Foodspotting.
On 13 June 2014 the company agreed to a takeover offer by 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.
Information
For users
The service allows users to 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. Users can also receive 100 or 1,000 OpenTable rewards points after dining; these points can be redeemed for discounts at member restaurants.
The company also has a mobile application available in Apple's App Store, Blackberry App World, Palm App Catalog, and Windows Phone Store that allows users to find and book dinner reservations.
For restaurants
The service provides restaurant owners with comprehensive reservation management. Subscribing restaurants use an Electronic Reservation Book (ERB) to replace existing paper reservation systems; ERB is an integrated software and hardware solution that computerizes restaurant host-stand operations. The ERB handles reservation management, table management, guest recognition, and email marketing.
Controversy
Incanto criticism
In 2010, San Francisco restaurateur Mark Pastore explained on the website of his then restaurant, Incanto, why it was not listed with Open Table, citing high fees and the control it gave to Open Table of the customer information. The explanation was cited in several publications, including The New York Times.
See also
- List of companies based in San Francisco
- List of websites about food and drink
References
External links
- Official website (Mobile)
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