The rise of Open Table 20 Jun 2007

The New York Times has a nice little article on the rise of Open Table. While restaurant owners are usually persuaded to fork out (if you'll excuse the pun) for the system on the basis of its ability to allow customers to make reservations online, it's OT's ability to track customers' preferences and habits that is most interesting from a design perspective. As Jason Kottke says, it used to be a big deal that Four Seasons Hotels tracked the preferences of all their customers but now any restaurant with the OT system can easily do the same. "Doug Washington, a co-owner of Town Hall, said the notes were not just helpful, they are occasionally indispensable. Next to the name of one regular, who has a habit of bringing in women he is not married to, is an instruction to make sure the man's wife has not booked a separate table for the same day."