Restaurant reservations platform OpenTable announced this week it has partnered with restaurant management platform Upserve for a “two-way data flow” between systems that will share data about guests and help restaurants create a more personalized experience for customers.
OpenTable’s GuestCenter operating system will integrate with Upserve’s POS system to give restaurant servers real-time information about guests’ needs and preferences. For example, if someone with a gluten allergy books via OpenTable, they can note their dietary restriction during the booking process. OpenTable’s system will then “talk” to Upserve to make sure the server has that information when they take the guest’s order at the restaurant. Servers can also see things like past orders from that particular guest, and any information the customer chooses to hand over when they book a table (e.g., “I’m from out of town”; “No parsley ever”)
The integration also makes it easier for front and back of house to coordinate and communicate on orders, so the kitchen can prep ahead of time. A press release also touts “automatic check creation” and “real-time table status” as benefits of this integration.
“Personalization” is a buzzword restaurants soon won’t be able to escape. Some large restaurants, McDonald’s and its Dynamic Yield acquisition being the poster child here, are setting a high bar in terms of how restaurants can leverage tech to better meet guest needs and preferences.
As Restaurant Dive pointed out yesterday, POS integration is particularly effective, since it “provides a high-level view of the customer journey from the time they make their reservation through OpenTable to the time they cash out.” And as personalization gets more accurate to the individual guest, the hope is that restaurants will find more loyalty among customers and in that way drive better customer retention.
Upserve is one of several POS integrations OpenTable currently has in restaurants. Others include Toast, Aloha, and Heartland Dinerware.