The platform is sharing data such as customers’ food preferences or even their delay or cancellation habits with restaurants. The practice is raising privacy concerns.
Restaurant reservation platform OpenTable is coming under fire following revelations that it has been collect and share personal data details of customers with restaurants, from their favorite drinks to how long they wait at the table, and even notes about delays and cancellations.
According to , the platform now uses notes with the help of artificial intelligence to mark user profiles with information such as “frequent customer”, “spend a lot“, “takes longer than average” or “cancel at the last minute“.These notes are visible to restaurant hosts and managers whenever a user reserves a table through OpenTable.
Restaurant managers say that the feature, which began to appear in recent weeks, is already influencing the way customers are treated. Shawn Hunter, managing director of Sojourn Social in New York, said the system helps personalize dining experiences or even decide who gets a reservation. “If we know that someone usually orders red winewe can accommodate you in the wine cellar,” Hunter told The Post. Conversely, guests flagged as latecomers or chronic cancelers may have their reservations declined.
Food blogger Kat Menter of EatingOutAustin discovered that her own profile included a note saying “orders juice often.” She criticized OpenTable for acting as a “data broker” without making it clear to users how much information was being tracked. “I don’t think most of us realized that what we ordered, how much we paid, or how long we sat was being registered next to our name“, these.
OpenTable defended its practices, saying the technology benefits both restaurants and customers by allowing for a more personalized service. The company emphasized that customers agree to data collection by accepting its privacy policy and that they can opt out of certain data sharing features in their account settings.
Some restaurant owners welcome transparency, saying it helps reduce the number of no-show customers and better manage tables. “We are more aware of who is likely to cancel or stay longer,” said one source, noting that this allows small businesses to protect your profits.
OpenTable’s decision is part of the growing trend for companies and services to also be able to evaluate customers, such as Uber and Airbnb. Industry experts warn that the system could unfairly penalize customers based on limited or misleading data. “If data is not used responsibly, customers can be labeled based on a bad night or a misunderstanding”, warned an expert.
