OpenTable could beef up its mobile app with a way for users to check the locations of the other members of their party for a restaurant reservation — and then move a reservation back if everyone is running late.
It’s one of the improvements OpenTable could be making to its mobile app, Scott Jampol, senior vice president of marketing at OpenTable, told my colleague Mark Sullivan today at VentureBeat’s MobileBeat conference in San Francisco.
“If I’m running late, the device could tell the restaurant I’m running late,” Jampol said. “They could manage the table differently.”
In addition to providing a better experience for app users and potentially boosting engagement for OpenTable, the feature could also help restaurants by getting a more accurate sense of lateness.
That information “helps with the optimization of their inventory, so it is really critical differentiation between fuller restaurants and empty seats,” Jampol said.
In recent months OpenTable has introduced the ability to pay for a meal through its mobile app.
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