Hello Sohee,
I just wanted to respond to your post about OpenTable. I worked with Open Table briefly and we were using it mainly for seating organization and we received some online reservations but that is also in part because not very many people know what Open Table is. I was at the restaurant for about a year and was just starting to delve into the marketing aspects of Open Table which at that time I did not know it had so many capabilities and realized we were not using it to its full potential, but I was offered a job in Memphis with my previous company and never got into the depths of what it had to offer. I would still highly reccomend it and when initiating it get as much training as possible. Not only can it be a great patron tracking tool but can be organized as such that you can send upcoming events, specials, etc via email on a daily/weekly/monthly basis though the patron can choose how often they get information. You can track visits and learn your customer dining patterns, you can use it to garner repeat business with attention to retention, you can use it to develop a customer database and follow up with those who may have visited once, you can use it for surveys to track patron's needs and expectations as well as following customer satisfaction. It can also be used as a tool for FOH/BOH training and team building so that your staff is always aware of what customers might be wanting, thinking or expecting when they visit and you can best meet their needs for repeat business. There are also endless reporting capabilities and an extensive Excel program that can be utilized in many ways including not only email marketing but direct mail marketing as well. One thing a restaurant cannot rely on is only using Open Table via internet. The internet is the easy way to track because a guest has to sign up via email to make reservations but when a guest calls for reservation or walks in you need to train your staff to always ask for their information to log in manually. Basically you must build your database from the inside and not rely only on the internet alone. There are many ways to do that without imposing on the customer for all of their " contact information".
Anyhow, I think it is a wonderful marketing tool. When I was in Memphis one restaurant who I noticed utilized Open Table to its maximum potential also built an incredible amount of business in a short time within an up and coming district in Downtown Memphis. I did not know the owner personally but it would be good to try and contact them to see how Open Table has worked for them and in what ways they utilized the tools to positively benefit their business. The name of the restaurant is Spindini which was launched by Chef Judd Grisanti. Here is their website.
http://www.spindinimemphis.com/home.htmlThis is just my opinion about Open Table but I hope this helps! Good luck!
I've noticed that OpenTable isn't that popular here in Louisville but I have friends in other states that only use it because so many restaurants offer it (i.e. san francisco).
