Imagine you have a big night coming up. You have an important date or business dinner you've been eagerly anticipating for a while. The day arrives, and you suddenly realize that you forgot to make reservations. You don't have time to call around to see which restaurants have available seating. You just want a reservation at a great restaurant at a reasonable time for dinner.
OpenTable can solve your situation easily. OpenTable is a website, complete with accompanying apps, that will find available seats for you at your favorite restaurants or suggest new restaurants. OpenTable has more than 20,000 participating restaurants to make sure you have a wide variety of choices, whether you need last-minute dinner reservations or are planning ahead.
You can search for available reservations by going to opentable.com. You can search by location or by restaurant name. The location can be general, such as Philadelphia, or more specific, such as Penn's Landing. Enter the date and time and the number of people in your party.
OpenTable then searches its restaurant reservation database for availability. You are given a chart with the names of restaurants, neighborhoods, types of food, ratings, price ranges and available times. OpenTable shows you availability within the hour before and after your desired reservation time, in case you can be flexible with your dining time. You can also see where the restaurant is located on Google Maps, view menus and specials deals and read reviews for each restaurant. After you've made your reservation, a confirmation email can be sent to you and anyone else you choose.
You don't need to register for OpenTable, but by doing so you can receive notices of special OpenTable offers from participating restaurants. OpenTable also tries to learn your dining preferences and will suggest other restaurants you may enjoy.
If you're traveling, OpenTable can suggest restaurants and give you reviews of eateries at your destination. In addition to the U.S., OpenTable's database includes scores of other countries, including the U.K., France, Canada, Mexico, Japan, Dubai and the Caribbean.
Using OpenTable can also save you money. OpenTable often has special deals, such as 30% off your bill at some of Philadelphia's best restaurants. When you register with OpenTable, you begin to earn points in the Dining Rewards Program, which you can redeem for gift certificates at participating restaurants. You earn 100 points each time you use OpenTable to make a reservation for you and at least one other guest. With certain restaurants, you can earn 1,000 points. Earning 20,000 points is enough for $20 off at an OpenTable restaurant.
An Open Table restaurant
How useful is OpenTable? My husband and I first used this while on our way to a Philadelphia Orchestra concert. We hadn't made dinner reservations beforehand. As he drove, I checked the OpenTable app on my phone and found an Italian restaurant near the Kimmel Center called Bella Cena with the following description:
"Our food is as pure, sincere & genuine as mountain spring water. No fusion, no gimmicks, no shenanigans. We remain true to the artisan way of cooking, brought to America by my mother, Clelia, featured in many newspapers & magazines for her award-winning recipes. In the 1950s & ‘60s, in Rome, she cooked for many famous people in the film industry. Her favorite pupil for 15 years, Ugo, is still in the kitchen cooking her delicious recipes for you to enjoy."
I saw from the app that the restaurant had a table for two available within the hour. I made my reservation, immediately received an email confirmation and was greeted warmly at the restaurant when we arrived. The meal was splendid, making us fans of both Bella Cena and OpenTable.
You can download the OpenTable app for free for your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch at the iTunes App Store or for your Android phone or tablet at the Android Market.
Carolyn Nicander Mohr is a Chester County resident and the creator of a website, the Wonder of Tech. Contact her at wonderoftech@gmail.com.