OpenTable Launches New Safety Tools for Diners and Restaurants
In this next chapter of the pandemic, restaurants and diners are facing new hurdles as they look to navigate changing restrictions, masking and vaccination requirements and more. While in NYC the rules are clear – as of August 16 you must show proof of vaccination to dine indoors – in other cities the rules vary. To help, OpenTable rolled out updated safety precautions, which now include details on COVID-19 vaccine requirements, and Direct Messaging to streamline communication between restaurants and diners.
“Dining demand in the U.S. is down 13% compared to just one month earlier with cities like Minneapolis, Seattle and New York showing significant declines. Just as restaurants were starting to rebound from a devastating 2020 – the Delta variant and ever-changing mandates come as another hurdle,” said Debby Soo, CEO of OpenTable. “Our hope is that these new tools make it easier for restaurants to continue to welcome people in and help diners feel safe and informed about dining out.”
As safety restrictions quickly evolve for both diners and restaurateurs, OpenTable is streamlining communication with Direct Messaging, a new feature that lets diners and restaurants communicate directly once a reservation is made – without ever having to make a phone call. Whether it’s diners asking questions about “proof of vaccination” requirements or the safety measures a restaurant is taking or restaurants informing diners of a new policy, Direct Messaging ensures both parties are ready once it’s time for the reservation. Over 1,500 restaurants on OpenTable are currently using the feature.
Proof of vaccination is becoming a new safety standard that people will need to navigate. To simplify that process, OpenTable now allows restaurants to display COVID-19 vaccine requirements to diners, allowing up-front communication about what people can expect before dining in. As a part of OpenTable’s existing “Safety Precautions” feature, this new vaccine requirement option continues to allow restaurants to clearly communicate what health and safety steps they are taking in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Soon, OpenTable will also launch a national list, updated in real-time, of restaurants that are currently requiring proof of vaccination – for more information visit the OpenTable blog here.
