Is OpenTable Worth it?
incanto.biz
Is OpenTable Worth it?
1–10 of 87 posts
Re: Is OpenTable Worth it?
#2My sense is the point of sale aspect of OpenTable is what makes them so entrenched... it's not easy to replace the hardware, retrain staff, etc, and the article doesn't touch on this.
Is there a startup competing in this space directly against OpenTable? Is Yelp the biggest potential contender (though i can't see them getting into the POS business)? Or Google?I could see google offering android-powered POS devices...
Re: Is OpenTable Worth it?
#3 "[R]estaurants find that they themselves no longer own the customer relationship."
If you want to know my email address to inform me of special events, or to give me a gift certificate for my birthday, then just ask me! It's not that hard.
Additionally, if I need a reservation to eat at your establishment, and you're not on Urbanspoon's Rez system or on OpenTable, you may as well not even exist. I'm not going to call you and a dozen other places looking for a last minute table. It's simply not worth my time.
Re: Is OpenTable Worth it?
#4Not long ago I placed a reservation through OpenTable, and a couple minutes after we had been seated, I got an email from OpenTable telling me the reservation had been canceled from the restaurant's end.
Now I wonder if this was an honest mistake, or a strategic cancelation to try to stiff OpenTable on the per-reservation fees. Obviously they couldn't do that with every diner who walked in the door, but maybe they could sneak a cancelation in here and there to save a few bucks.
According to this, OpenTable charges (not counting equipment and fixed monthly costs) $1 per diner.
http://online.barrons.com/article/SB500014240529702048786045...
Re: Is OpenTable Worth it?
#5I want to call shenanigans on the profit margin in the restaurant business being 5%... OK, shenanigans.
Re: Is OpenTable Worth it?
#6"[R]estaurants find that they themselves no longer own the customer relationship." This is the dumbest thing I've read today. I am sitting in your restaurant! I am voting with my dollars by choosing to show up at your establishment! If I like what you have to offer, odds are I'll be happy to give up some personal information. If you want to know my email address to inform me of special events, or to give me a gift ce…
Something tells me Incanto isn't having too much trouble filling tables, even without Urbanspoon. You can't book Alinea in Chicago on OpenTable either.
Re: Is OpenTable Worth it?
#7I want to call shenanigans on the profit margin in the restaurant business being 5%... OK, shenanigans.
Based on the 2004 Restaurant Industry Operations Report published by Deloitte & Touche LLP, average pre-tax profit margins range from 4-7% (4% for Full...
Literally in the article summary right there on the first result of the SERP [restaurant profit margin].
Re: Is OpenTable Worth it?
#8My sense is the point of sale aspect of OpenTable is what makes them so entrenched... it's not easy to replace the hardware, retrain staff, etc, and the article doesn't touch on this. Is there a startup competing in this space directly against OpenTable? Is Yelp the biggest potential contender (though i can't see them getting into the POS business)? Or Google?I could see google offering android-powered POS devices...
A fellow AlphaLab alumni is doing some interesting stuff in this space: http://nowaitapp.com/
Re: Is OpenTable Worth it?
#9My sense is the point of sale aspect of OpenTable is what makes them so entrenched... it's not easy to replace the hardware, retrain staff, etc, and the article doesn't touch on this. Is there a startup competing in this space directly against OpenTable? Is Yelp the biggest potential contender (though i can't see them getting into the POS business)? Or Google?I could see google offering android-powered POS devices...
OpenTable doesn't actually sell the POS terminal (or software), they provide a standalone terminal that integrates with the restaurant's existing POS system.
Urbanspoon Rez is the only direct competitor to OpenTable that I've heard of, but I have no idea how much traction they've gotten so far. Their pricing structures seems to significantly undercut OpenTable.
Re: Is OpenTable Worth it?
#10"[R]estaurants find that they themselves no longer own the customer relationship." This is the dumbest thing I've read today. I am sitting in your restaurant! I am voting with my dollars by choosing to show up at your establishment! If I like what you have to offer, odds are I'll be happy to give up some personal information. If you want to know my email address to inform me of special events, or to give me a gift ce…
Something tells me Incanto isn't having too much trouble filling tables, even without Urbanspoon. You can't book Alinea in Chicago on OpenTable either.
I don't doubt that for a second. In fact, I would've guessed that most top tier restaurants would shy away from using such systems.
But, as it works out, though, there are a bunch of Michelin-starred restaurants in the Bay Area that are on OpenTable: http://www.michelinguide.com/us/sf_stars_2011.html