“Aside from the per-diner reservation fees, OpenTable charges restaurants a monthly service fee (typically about $200) as well as licensing fees for any personal computers that access its software system.
The fees add up quickly, as the partners at Graffiato can attest. James Horn, [Mike] Isabella’s general manager and business partner, shared copies of Graffiato’s OpenTable bill for September, which totaled more than $3,600 in various fees. Horn says other months have topped $4,000.
‘It’ll probably be about 40 percent cheaper to go through CityEats,’ Isabella says, ‘which is a lot of money.'”
—From “An Upstart Grabs a Seat at the Table,” by Tim Carman of the Washington Post. The article, which appeared in Sunday’s business section, examines the viability of OpenTable competitor CityEats. Graffiato and Restaurant Eve’s Tasting Room were among the restaurants to sign up with the new reservation system.
