Thing #6

OpenTable

I have a BIG family and I love LARGE gatherings but trying to get a table for 10 or more can be tricky and time consuming.  OpenTable.com is an online reservation service where you can search local restaurants and make your reservations without having to call or go to the restaurant.  It also provides users a place to comment and list information about the restaurants at which they've dined.  

I Like It!

I tried out the site by searching a place to eat in Nashville on my birthday in November.  I liked that a variety of restaurants resulted in the general search and when you hover over the name of a restaurant an info bubble pops up that shows: 

• address
• neighborhood         
• parking lot situation 
• cuisine type
• price
• picture (only for some)

Room for Improvement

Unfortunately not all restaurants for an area are listed, including my favorite The Melting Pot.  :( The site explains the restaurants that do show up have chosen to replace "pen-and-paper' reservations with the OpenTable computerized system (its the black terminal on the host stand). They ask that if you don't see a restaurant you like to let them know by clicking on their information link. And yes I have already let them know about The Melting Pot.  

Neat Feature

A pretty cool feature of this site is you can earn frequent dining points and rewards.  Every time you make a reservation and actually show up you receive about 100 points.  Select reservations and times can be worth up to 1000pts! Now if you cancel or are a no show you won't receive any points for that reservation.  Once you get at least 2,000 pts you can begin redeeming them for OpenTable Dining Cheques that can be used at any OpenTable restaurant.   

School Lunch

This site would be extremely useful on school inservice and professional development days! It seems like every school gets out for lunch at the same time and if you're not dashing to your car or have designated someone to slip out early and save a table for your group... you're destined to be waiting in a long line of teachers.  OpenTable would allow you to make your reservation before the inservice even begins. So make sure to check the site out and start recommending restaurants you'd like to see available.