The
OpenTable reservation system has become a standard online tool for diners who want to check availability and restaurants that want to streamline their reservation efforts.
But a London-based contender,
EVEVE, is now using Minneapolis as a launching point for a U.S. competitive play—and finding great success as a result.
"It's been really exciting for us in the past few months," says Timothy Ryan, director and president of the U.S. operations for EVEVE. "We feel that we're going to be a major challenger to OpenTable in the year ahead."
The company has provided reservation systems in Europe since 2007, and has relationships with over a thousand restaurants worldwide. When the time came to look at the U.S. market, executives considered restaurant-laden cities like New York and San Francisco and chose Minneapolis/St. Paul instead.
"We thought the Twin Cities would be a perfect test market, because there's a lively culture of dining here, and it's very representative of a top North American city," says Ryan. "If we can prove ourselves here, we can take the model anywhere."
EVEVE started its efforts here in July, and the first to switch from OpenTable was
Hell's Kitchen, followed by
Bar La Grassa,
Meritage, and the three
Barrio restaurants. Recently, another wave of local restaurants signed on, including
Joe's Garage,
Fuji Ya, and
Jax Cafe.
Although Ryan believes that OpenTable is an excellent reservation system, he thinks that EVEVE is more compelling for restaurants, because the service charges a flat rate for use of its system, instead of a per-booking amount like OpenTable.
Also, OpenTable tends to market certain restaurants to its users, which can frustrate those restaurants that aren't promoted, Ryan notes. Also, restaurants use EVEVE "invisibly," which means that diners believe they're booking through the eatery itself, instead of an outside site like OpenTable.
For the future, EVEVE is confident that the momentum will keep going. The company has eight employees in the Twin Cities area, and anticipates more hiring in the year ahead.
"We've been very happy with this test run," says Ryan. "We think we're going to continue to be a major presence here."
Source: Timothy Ryan, EVEVE
Writer: Elizabeth Millard