Online Restaurant Reservations Surge

OpenTable is the leading purveyor of online reservations.   While it might seem an obvious application for online technology, it has taken patience and persistence to succeed.   From the French Laundry in Napa Valley to Per Se in the Time Warner Center in New York, you can book some of the best restaurants in the world on OpenTable.

Over 7,000 restaurants use OpenTable at $1 a reservation.  While many restaurants have embraced OpenTable, some, particularly in New York, resist.  “It adds up,” said Steven Pipes, vice president of hospitality at the Jack Parker Corporation, owners of Le Parker Meridien, home to Norma’s, a popular brunch spot in Midtown Manhattan. “We spend thousands of dollars.” (More OpenTable stories.)