Remember making your first dinner reservation? Maybe it was for a date, a business meetings, or a family get together. Whatever it was, chances are it felt good. When you make dinner reservations you feel important, almost like a VIP. Then you get to walk into the restaurant past the line of people waiting to get in because you have a table reserved! Sounds pretty sweet right? Well now you can get the feeling where ever you go on the go, using the OpenTable app.

OpenTable is an app that allows users to make reservations anytime anywhere using their iPhone. Powered by the popular website OpenTable.com, the app boasts over 8,500 participating restaurants in the US, UK, and Canada.

To start out, enter a location into the app. Then enter the date of the reservation and the size of your party. Then tap the “find a table” button to view a list of local restaurants that have available tables. You can then choose from three different available reservation times. You can also read a description of the restaurant, view the address, check pricing, and view the style of food served.

However, I had a few problems with this app. For starters, 8500 restaurants may seem like a lot, but in reality it’s not. I tried this app out in my area, and found only a few participating restaurants. Begging the question, is the app really worth it? I mean, I’m familiar enough with my area that I know where most of the nice restaurants are, and if I want to check for a table I’ll just call and ask. Chances are I’ll be able to schedule a reservation for any time I want, and won’t be limited to just three pre-selected times.

I can see the app being useful if you’re traveling and looking for a nice place to eat. Then you could open up the app and search through nearby restaurants that participate in the program. But considering this app doesn’t even have the feature of choosing what type of food you want, you’re stuck with what they offer.

All in all I wouldn’t waste space on my iPhone for this app. To me it seems like it could be quickly replaced by Google, and probably with better results. Perhaps OpenTable will improve on it and make it more practical. But for now I don’t plan on using it at all. But if you think this app would be a good addition, it is free, so at the very least you won’t be wasting any money!

Verdict: 2/5 Stars