OpenTable.com Expands to Chicago and Seattle - Largest Provider of Real-Time Reservations Expands Network to Eight U.S. Cities and Announces 130+ Partner Restaurants
SAN FRANCISCO / Dec. 1, 1999--
OpenTable.com is building a network of the world's finest restaurants and their patrons, and currently links diners to open tables at fine dining establishments in major cities around the country at www.opentable.com.
The Seattle network is currently made up of thirteen OpenTable.com charter member restaurants: Adriatica, Avenue One, Axis, Blowfish Asian Cafe, Buca di Beppo, Dahlia Lounge, Dulces Latin Bistro, Ponti Seafood Grill, Ray's Boathouse, Reiner's, Sazerac, The Painted Table, and Union Bay Cafe.
OpenTable.com charter restaurants in Chicago include Atwood Cafe, Cafe Absinthe, Green Dolphin Street, Hudson Club, Mity Nice Grill, Nacional 27, Salpicon, Santorini, Shaw's, Vong and Wildfire. OpenTable.com expects continued rapid growth of their restaurant network and predicts that the number of restaurants online in Chicago and Seattle will quickly make the cities among their largest markets.
OpenTable.com's breakthrough service enables diners to search for reservation availability by cuisine type or neighborhood, get instant confirmation, relay special instructions to the restaurant, invite guests via the Internet, and view maps online. The service is free to diners, and reservations made online are instantly confirmed.
At the restaurant, both phone and Internet reservations are booked directly into OpenTable.com's proprietary electronic reservation book (ERB). Through the Internet, the ERB provides real-time, guaranteed reservations for diners – and new reservation management capabilities and unique marketing solutions for restaurants.
"The OpenTable.com system has enabled us to not only increase our level of efficiency but spend more time catering to the needs of our customers," said Jim Malevitsis of Axis, Adriatica and Ponti in Seattle. "The electronic reservation book has enabled us to remember all of our repeat customers and to easily recognize our VIPs and regulars, even if our host has the night off," he said.
"The OpenTable.com system harnesses the power of the Internet for restaurants," said Michael Waugh of Vong, which was one of the first restaurants in Chicago to join the OpenTable.com network. "We are especially pleased with the capability to cater to our customers' individual preferences," he said. "We're in the business of hospitality, and OpenTable.com offers us a way to truly enhance the diner experience."
"We are excited about the enthusiastic response from Seattle and Chicago residents to online reservations, " said Chuck Templeton, OpenTable.com founder and CEO. "Diners in both cities are used to top-notch service, and are quick adapters of cutting-edge technologies. We are proud to bring real-time reservations to these great dining cities, and we expect Chicago and Seattle areas to quickly become among the largest on our reservation network."
About OpenTable.com
OpenTable.com, Inc. is building a network of the world's finest restaurants and their patrons. The company's real-time dining reservation system harnesses the power of the Internet for restaurants, while giving diners online access to available reservations twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. OpenTable.com simplifies the reservation process for consumers, while integrating reservation and table management systems and providing powerful new marketing and operational tools to restaurants.
Founded in 1998 by Chuck Templeton, OpenTable.com has partnered with restaurants from Ark Restaurants Corp., the Lark Creek Group, Kimpton Group, Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises, Inc. and the Real Restaurant Group.
OpenTable.com is based in San Francisco, California, and has offices in New York, Chicago, Washington D.C. and Seattle. For more information about OpenTable.com or its online restaurant reservation network visit www.opentable.com or call 877.327.9328.
