OpenTable and Uber partner
Reading between the lines of a deal involving the company that runs restaurant reservations and the ride-hailing app that wants to take you there
This week started with a big announcement from OpenTable: It’s launching a strategic partnership with Uber in the US and abroad. The announcement is light on details but heavy on buzzwords. Restaurants will be “easier than ever” to find and book, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said in a statement. And together, the companies are “redefining” dining out, per OpenTable CEO Debby Soo.
The partnership will roll out in phases this year. Both companies say they’re committed to expanding features and deepening the integration over time, pointing to a long-term tie-up. But… what features? And what integration?
I asked OpenTable CEO Debby Soo for some — any! — insight to help contextualize a Very Corporate Announcement, and got a predictably benign response:
“We’re constantly thinking of ways to make the experience of dining easier and better for both our restaurant partners and the diners who sit at their tables. And this partnership is really a win-win for both groups. It has a ton of potential -- a tighter tech ecosystem for restaurants, app integrations for bookings, benefits and rewards for OpenTable VIPs and Uber One subscribers and so much more,” Soo wrote me in an email.
In online posts, Khosrowshahi and other Uber execs have hinted at a few options, too.
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