7 ms·

So there are four different start-ups that focus on making restaurant reservations... I had no idea it was so difficult to call a restaurant and make a reservat

So there are four different start-ups that focus on making restaurant reservations... I had no idea it was so difficult to call a restaurant and make a reservation, I guess the person would need access to a phone in order to make the call.

Benjamin_Dobell 9y ago
... and have to: - Repeat my incredibly common, single syllable, three letter name for the umpteenth time just for them to still get it wrong. - Ask for a high-chair and ask them to please write that down somewhere, only to arrive and find they didn't do so and there's no longer any available. - Have staff mess up the time and/or number of people I've booked for, all because they can't hear over the kitchen noise? Yeah, I'll just fill out a few fields and hit submit, thanks.
- ghaff 9y ago
  I tend to be pretty far in into the "Seriously, you need an app for that?" camp. But using OpenTable is so easy compared to poorly designed restaurant web sites, busy signals/no answer, language barriers especially when traveling, etc. To say nothing of the fact that, you can immediately see if your desired slot is available and maybe check a couple other places before making a decision.
eganist 9y ago
It's pretty awful. Hold times, the potential for multitasking staff to forget to log a RSVP, determining how to best allocate tables... Not only is online reservation a necessary component, it's just one piece of a multi-component automation solution to the many problems that arise from a desire to efficiently and effectively seat and serve as many people at once as possible. I recognize your comment is in jest, but I appreciate you making it. This challenge is rarely understood.
- GCA10 9y ago
  In our household, we make a fair number of restaurant reservations at 11:30 p.m. . . . and some more at 9 a.m. (Two-career couple; hard to align schedules, etc.) Online services like Open Table don't mind this at all. By contrast, restaurants are not eager to keep staff by the phone at those hours, just in case we call.
- itronitron 9y ago
  thanks, now I understand the value
- joezydeco 9y ago
  Kokonas' Tock system is built to correct these problems. It's also why Tock is not exactly the same as systems like OpenTable and Reserve (although the parent article implies so). Kokonas believes the other sites are taking millions of dollars of revenue away from restaurants when other options work better. https://alinearestaurant.com/site/2014/06/tickets-for-restaurants/ https://alinearestaurant.com/site/2014/06/tickets-for-restau...
- astura 9y ago
  Not only that, but you have the ability to make a reservation during non-business hours, which is huge. If you're making a reservation last minute, its a god-send to not have to call 10 places just to ask if they have tables available. You can just look for yourself online in the time it takes you to dial a phone number and have someone answer. Think about the difference between calling up and asking a business a question vs just reading the answer on their website. Since almost zero restaurants pay a staff member to sit by the phone doing nothing but taking reservations (it wouldn't be practical), by definition, your phone call is interrupting the restaurant staff - which leads to a poor experience on both ends. I imagine the staff certainly appreciate reservations being made without phonecalls. Plus it is a huge benefit to the deaf and hard of hearing.
voltagex_ 9y ago
I'll just add to the list that making a reservation is even more difficult if you're in a wheelchair or otherwise mobility-impaired - for some reason a lot of places have difficultly answering "are you wheelchair accessible?" with yes or no.
ggg9990 9y ago
OpenTable is not just reservation software for diners... it is also the software that the restaurant uses in-house to manage their seating.
Finnucane 9y ago
The answer to 'who needs an app for that' is not so much the diner but the restaurant. Sure, you can call, but the restaurant doesn't really want to take that call. They want to deal with the people who are in the restaurant. For these services, the restaurants are the customer, not you. For myself, one of the features I like is being able to search by area or type of food; you can check availability at a bunch of places at once.

Benjamin_Dobell 9y ago

... and have to: - Repeat my incredibly common, single syllable, three letter name for the umpteenth time just for them to still get it wrong. - Ask for a high-chair and ask them to please write that down somewhere, only to arrive and find they didn't do so and there's no longer any available. - Have staff mess up the time and/or number of people I've booked for, all because they can't hear over the kitchen noise? Yeah, I'll just fill out a few fields and hit submit, thanks.

ghaff 9y ago
I tend to be pretty far in into the "Seriously, you need an app for that?" camp. But using OpenTable is so easy compared to poorly designed restaurant web sites, busy signals/no answer, language barriers especially when traveling, etc. To say nothing of the fact that, you can immediately see if your desired slot is available and maybe check a couple other places before making a decision.

eganist 9y ago

It's pretty awful. Hold times, the potential for multitasking staff to forget to log a RSVP, determining how to best allocate tables... Not only is online reservation a necessary component, it's just one piece of a multi-component automation solution to the many problems that arise from a desire to efficiently and effectively seat and serve as many people at once as possible. I recognize your comment is in jest, but I appreciate you making it. This challenge is rarely understood.

GCA10 9y ago
In our household, we make a fair number of restaurant reservations at 11:30 p.m. . . . and some more at 9 a.m. (Two-career couple; hard to align schedules, etc.) Online services like Open Table don't mind this at all. By contrast, restaurants are not eager to keep staff by the phone at those hours, just in case we call.
itronitron 9y ago
thanks, now I understand the value
joezydeco 9y ago
Kokonas' Tock system is built to correct these problems. It's also why Tock is not exactly the same as systems like OpenTable and Reserve (although the parent article implies so). Kokonas believes the other sites are taking millions of dollars of revenue away from restaurants when other options work better. https://alinearestaurant.com/site/2014/06/tickets-for-restaurants/ https://alinearestaurant.com/site/2014/06/tickets-for-restau...
astura 9y ago
Not only that, but you have the ability to make a reservation during non-business hours, which is huge. If you're making a reservation last minute, its a god-send to not have to call 10 places just to ask if they have tables available. You can just look for yourself online in the time it takes you to dial a phone number and have someone answer. Think about the difference between calling up and asking a business a question vs just reading the answer on their website. Since almost zero restaurants pay a staff member to sit by the phone doing nothing but taking reservations (it wouldn't be practical), by definition, your phone call is interrupting the restaurant staff - which leads to a poor experience on both ends. I imagine the staff certainly appreciate reservations being made without phonecalls. Plus it is a huge benefit to the deaf and hard of hearing.

voltagex_ 9y ago

I'll just add to the list that making a reservation is even more difficult if you're in a wheelchair or otherwise mobility-impaired - for some reason a lot of places have difficultly answering "are you wheelchair accessible?" with yes or no.

ggg9990 9y ago

OpenTable is not just reservation software for diners... it is also the software that the restaurant uses in-house to manage their seating.

Finnucane 9y ago

The answer to 'who needs an app for that' is not so much the diner but the restaurant. Sure, you can call, but the restaurant doesn't really want to take that call. They want to deal with the people who are in the restaurant. For these services, the restaurants are the customer, not you. For myself, one of the features I like is being able to search by area or type of food; you can check availability at a bunch of places at once.