OpenTable Reports Diners Reached Through AI Tools Spend 20% More

OpenTable revealed that its AI-driven tools have led to a 17-fold increase in seated diners compared to the previous year for restaurant operators, with these diners spending an average of 20% more than those acquired through alternative methods, according to a statement released on August 26. The company's integrations with various AI models, including Google's Search, Maps, and Gemini, OpenAI's ChatGPT, Microsoft's Copilot, Perplexity, and Amazon's Alexa+ AI assistant, have played a significant role in achieving these results.

OpenTable's AI Concierge has reached over 500,000 monthly active global users, while its Table Automations tool saves operators four and a half hours per month on average by automatically adjusting table minimums based on live demand. The company's Turn Time and Availability Insights enable operators to gain 39 minutes of reservable time per shift, allowing them to avoid losing bookable hours and inventory.

OpenTable's technology, according to Chief Technology Officer Sagar Mehta, addresses real problems faced by restaurants and helps them achieve more with less. Mehta added that the company has developed these tools based on direct feedback from its restaurant partners and aimed to implement AI and automation where they can have the most significant impact—driving demand, unlocking revenue, and enhancing personalized hospitality without adding complexity.

OpenTable and Square recently expanded their partnership to allow restaurant operators to manage reservations, payments, and guest data on Square software and hardware, providing a more comprehensive understanding of their patrons. This integration builds upon an earlier point-of-sale collaboration that began in 2022 and enables the sharing of more comprehensive insights between the two platforms.

A Deloitte report from March indicated that approximately 70% of restaurant operators are actively using or piloting AI to improve loyalty programs and employee workflows. Large restaurant brands are also leveraging AI across various aspects, such as ordering, marketing, supply chain management, and labor planning. The PYMNTS Intelligence report "Why More Restaurants Need to Bite Into Digital Transformation," published in July 2024, found that restaurant operators are increasingly adopting digital wallets, mobile apps, QR codes, and other technologies to succeed in a digital-first environment.

Another PYMNTS Intelligence report, "From First Prompt to Daily Habit: The Data Behind Rising Gen AI Reliance," released in July 2026, revealed that among personal users who frequently use generative AI for specific tasks, 40% utilize it for everyday planning, 34% employ it to discover what to purchase, and 27% leverage it for planning travel and activities.