OpenTable, which provides real-time online restaurant reservations for diners and operates a reservation management solutions for restaurants, has introduced a free service intended to encourage more businesses to go mobile.
Paying OpenTable customers in the US, UK and Canada can receive an upgrade to their mobile site, adding a mobile-friendly booking system. The development service is powered by DudaMobile, the Palo Alto-based mobile web solutions company for SMEs.
“More than ever before, diners are seeking information about restaurants and booking reservations on the go, yet the vast majority of restaurant websites are not designed for mobile use,” said Matt Roberts, CEO of OpenTable. “Our goal is to make it easier for restaurants to reap the benefits from the shift toward mobile by removing the friction associated with creating and hosting mobile-friendly sites.”
Since OpenTable went mobile in November 2008, more than 30m diners have made reservations on mobile devices, representing around $1bn in revenue for restaurants. In Q2, 2012, tables booked via OpenTable on mobile devices accounted for 28 per cent of diners seated. According to ComScore, only around 10 per cent of reservation-taking restaurants have mobile-friendly sites.
