As indoor dining restrictions continue to be in flux, OpenTable is making it easier for diners and restaurants to come together on what’s needed to dine using a new tool launching late August that tags a diner as “verified for entry” once they’ve met entry requirements.
Restaurants will be able to verify a diner as meeting their individual requirements, including, but not limited to, demonstrating proof of vaccination — seamlessly clearing people for entry moving forward at the restaurant or any restaurants within the same group. Diners can also see all the Safety Precautions that individual restaurants are taking on their OpenTable restaurant profile, including sanitizer or wipes provided for customers, contactless payment available, and more.
How it works
At the time of dining, restaurants will check that a diner has met entry requirements (including proof of vaccination) and can then tag a diner as “verified for entry,” confirming they have met the current requirements for that restaurant. While the verified status is not a storage of vaccination card data (OpenTable will not store vaccination card data), it allows restaurants to verify a diner has met entry requirements set by the restaurant.
Once a diner is verified, they will be cleared for entry moving forward at that restaurant or any restaurant within the same group — making it easier for diners to return time and again to their favorites, as they will not need to be re-verified each time. It also means restaurant staff won’t have to repeatedly check requirements of their regulars — especially ideal as repeat diner visits are up 28 percent compared to last year.
FAQs
Is only the person that made the reservation able to get verified or can others in your party be added too?
It only applies to the diner that made the reservation for now. However, restaurants have the option to add notes and clarify if others in the party also met entry requirements.
What other health and safety requirements besides vaccination does this feature cover?
Helping restaurants verify for proof of vaccines is the reason we added this feature — but this could also be used for restaurants verifying age, or other health and safety features.
Are there plans to extend verification beyond the restaurant/restaurant group that someone dines at?
No. As of now, the “verified for entry” tag is only viewable by the restaurant or related restaurants in a group. In the interest of privacy and security, OpenTable will not store vaccination card data or other personal health information through this feature.
How will a restaurant be verifying proof of vaccination?
Restaurants will determine what they’re accepting as proof of vaccination in accordance with local ordinances and mandates.
How many restaurants are using this tool?
The tool will be available later this month to all restaurants using OpenTable.
