OpenTable Wish List

[rnasser]

I would like to informally survey from the food experts at eG which restaurants 'must-be' on OpenTable in Spain should OpenTable decide to implement in Spain. No decision has been made, I am just asking! Thanks.

Post your replies as: Restaurant Name, City

Rich Nasser, Account Executive for OpenTable and likable guy!

[docsconz]

Only those restaurants for which it would be possible to secure a reservation via Open Table should be there, so obviously El Bulli shouldn't.

I would love to see in Catalunya, as a start, restaurants like El Celler de Can Roca, Sant Pau, Can Jubany, El Raco de Can Fabes, Aligue, Abac, Hisop, Alkimia, Cinc Sentits, Can Gaig, Hispania, Comerc 24, Moo and many others I can't think of off the top of my head. The list is equally large in other regions. Sorry for not following your format

I love Open Table in the US and think it would make a fine export.

[Rogelio]

I've used Open Table in my trips to USA and have found it quite convenient. But frankly, I don't see the point to use it in Spain as it is not that difficult to get a table on any spanish restaurant but El Bulli.

And from my experience spanish restaurants doesn't look much to on-line reservations.

[butterfly]

Frankly, I wouldn't use OpenTable in Spain. I wouldn't trust it to work and would feel the need to call to confirm it directly with the restaurant, so what would be the point?

I suppose it might be good for places that gear mostly toward tourists who want to arrange things well in advance without having to talk to anyone on the phone--but you would have to really control the restaurants' participation. It wouldn't be easy, as things work differently here...

[vserna]

It's like using Expedia to book hotels in France - do it at your own risk (big risk, I dare say).

[Culinista]

I have to say I'm skeptical about online reservations in Spain. Plus, why would I want my favorite restaurants flooded with non-Spanish speaking tourists?

[podolski]

I have to say I'm skeptical about online reservations in Spain. Plus, why would I want my favorite restaurants flooded with non-Spanish speaking tourists?

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Good point.... I agree with you but Opentable is not only a reservation supplier... It's a guest management software and it could help restaurants to improve its relationships with clients. I agree the online booking is not part of our culture but things change a lot and very quickly. So why not?. As restaurant owner I will consider to become a prospective client & user of Opentable.

It works great in the US.

[estufarian]

Interestingly, the UK Operation Top Table has attempted a push into Spain.

Not that I want to compare necessarily, but my attempted reservation through their system failed because 'the spanish restaurant failed to respond'.

I hope you take due notice of the cultural differences in Spain.

[nhconner]

I used Top Table to get a reservation at Hisop and Abac, for Saturday and Friday nights. It worked well for us and I saved a few bucks on my phone bill.

Nate

[estufarian]

I used Top Table to get a reservation at Hisop and Abac, for Saturday and Friday nights.  It worked well for us and I saved a few bucks on my phone bill. 

Nate

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It was Abac that 'failed to respond'. But they did respond immediately to my email.

[lizard]

I'll be up-front and say I work for OpenTable, too (hi, Rich!).

On our last trip to Spain we reserved at Cinq Sentits in Barcelona, and booked our table online using their own web email form. Being so used to instant confirmations, I was annoyed it took three days for them to return my request. Nevertheless, I received a very polite confirmation in passable English welcoming us to the restaurant. So, it looks like Spanish restaurateurs have already embraced the concept of online transactions.

For your list, I would also add Santceloni in Madrid - Elegant dining room, amazing multi-course meals with fresh, local ingredients and a cheese table that's out of control. Of course the dinner-only restaurants in Spain don't open until very late, and Santceloni was abandoned for most of the day. This made changing our time and party size very difficult to do in advance of our reservation. I also think the local concierges would love to be able to book places like this online (The Hotel Hesperia is right upstairs).

I used Top Table to get a reservation at Hisop and Abac, for Saturday and Friday nights.  It worked well for us and I saved a few bucks on my phone bill.  

Nate

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It was Abac that 'failed to respond'. But they did respond immediately to my email.

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Edited October 24, 2006 by lizard (log)

[butterfly]

Nevertheless, I received a very polite confirmation in passable English welcoming us to the restaurant. So, it looks like Spanish restaurateurs have already embraced the concept of online transactions.

I don't think that it would be wise to extrapolate this based on a handful of experiences...

[Lenski]

Nevertheless, I received a very polite confirmation in passable English welcoming us to the restaurant. So, it looks like Spanish restaurateurs have already embraced the concept of online transactions.

I don't think that it would be wise to extrapolate this based on a handful of experiences...

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I have just made reservations for this coming December at "Abac,' "Hisop" and "Sant Pau" via their websites/email and I just got a response (and the reservation) right back. Earlier in the year, the same with "Cinc sentits" although they only book two weeks in advance. So, I think the concept of online transactions has been totally embraced.

L.

[butterfly]

So, I think the concept of online transactions has been totally embraced.

L.

Not to beat a dead horse, but you've just listed four very popular restaurants in Barcelona. That hardly proves universal acceptance of online transactions in Spain. I could easily list a dozen personal experiences that prove the contrary to be true, but suffice it to say that if you make a reservation via the web for a hotel or restaurant (or bus ticket or tour or theater ticket or car rental, etc.), it pays to confirm it over the phone beforehand. As it is, I just skip the middleman and call, because I find it much more reliable.

[Saborosa]

Plus Cinc Sentits can't be held as totally representative of Spanish restaurateurs as owner/chef Jordi is Canadian-Catalan and worked for many years in IT marketing in San Fran, so perhaps it's not surprising they're on the Internet ball (but the passable English is surprising!?) I expect the delay in reply is because they're a small and very busy team, and hey, possibly part of the reason the family moved out here was to escape the 24-hour on-call mentality of the American rat race?? Just a guess.

[lizard]

expect the delay in reply is because they're a small and very busy team, and hey, possibly part of the reason the family moved out here was to escape the 24-hour on-call mentality of the American rat race?? Just a guess.

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Oh - I completely realize with the time change and the nature of email that this was a minmal delay. I just have to say that I tend to be a spoiled brat when it comes to wanting immediate gratification from the web. Besides, a couple of weeks in Spain definitely helped me with that affliction - if only briefly.

[rnasser]

Thanks to all who have replied to this forum...all your comments have helped...Regards, Rich