How to get and use OpenTable API
What is the OpenTable API?
OpenTable API is a programming interface that allows its users to access restaurant info (like, for example, address, postal code, aggregated rating, reviews, food types) and place it along with reservation links on a website or app.
How to get OpenTable API key
- Step 1 – Visit developer’s website
Go to the OpenTable dev portal and scroll down to the Become a partner section. Press Apply now.
- Step 2 – Fill in an application form
The form contains three information blocks. The first part has the fields asking for applicant’s information, such as full name, position, e-mail, and phone number.
The second section is intended to collect the data about your company. Here you have to enter the name and operating website of the company, its address, the primary country you are focusing on and also the number countries it is operating in, and a number of years in business.
The last section asks for your project or product details. You need to note if your product is Live or not yet, choode its type and industry. You also have to know your average number of users of various categories: monthly users, restaurant users, and active app users.
- Step 3 – Wait for approval
After you’ve read the terms and conditions of using OpenTable API, prove you’re a human by clicking on reCaptcha and press the Submit Application button. After that you’ll see a thank you message telling that your application will be reviewed for 3-4 weeks. If you’re approved. you’ll be sent an e-mail message with further instructions.
OpenTable API integration
In order to be able to use OpenTable API for developers you need to become their affiliate. If you get approved as a partner, you’ll get access to restaurant info via their API and an option to place reservation links in your app or website. Below are some of the most often used cases.
- connecting to the Opentable API – this is probably the longest way, as you have to wait 3-4 weeks to be approved for using OpenTable Affiliate API. And after that you have to invest in developing and launching the integration.
On early stages you may only run it in a test environment, and when everything is ready – submit your app or website for the OpenTable team approval, before you can go live.
- using the unofficial public Opentable API – this kind of API was developed by the independent programmers and is distributed under MIT license. It operates without any authentication or access token. For example, an official API requires an access token to be generated and submitted for every request. This might be an option for those who have an option to invest in some development.
- or searching a third party solution – this can be done at a reasonable rate with no need to pay actual programming agencies for developing an individualised integration for you. There are companies providing ready-to-use solutions for any cases.
OpenTable API examples
OpenTable Reviews API
Getting access to the platform reviews to display them on your restaurant website or application might be useful in terms of your business growth and promotion, raising credibility and social trust. It can be done by connecting to any kind of APIs described above or search for an external coding-free solution.
Try creating a custom OpenTable Reviews section for your website using an online editor with no coding skills!
OpenTable Reservations API
There is a solution in the OpenTable API to make reservations. It enables developers to place reservation links on their application or website to easily connect to restaurants accepting online reservations via the platform. Presently, the service doesn’t allow running its partners a complete reservation process via the API on their side. The users of your product will have to complete their reservations using the OpenTable interface.
OpenTable API pricing and limits
The OpenTable developers website gives no clear figures about the pricing or limits they apply to using their API solutions. Nevertheless, it says about the possibility of setting and enforcing certain limits on your use of the API. These limits may touch upon the number of API calls you can make or the number of users you serve. It obviously depends on the type of your product and the load it gives on the given API.
If you need to use any kind of OpenTable API beyond these limits, you have to contact the service representatives to receive their written consent. The platform has a right to decline such requests or charge you additional OpenTable API costs for that.
OpenTable API documentation
The documentation section found in the open access provides a general user with a major description of the API, its privacy policy, very condensed guides on how to acquire authorization, use the API, get OpenTable API keys and refresh expired access tokens. More exact information and documentation on each API is available to a user after he becomes an OpenTable approved affiliate.
FAQ
Does OpenTable have an Open API?
The platform itself doesn’t provide an open API solution, you have to become an approved affiliate to gain access to it. But you can find information about an unofficial OpenTable API developed by independent programmers in the article above.
Is OpenTable API free?
On the initial stages of your development you may be granted free access to the Opentable affiliate API but you’ll face some limits. When your project is live and running, you may need to raise the limits imposed. In this case, you’ll have to pay.
How do I use OpenTable API?
First, you have to fill in the OpenTable affiliate application form and submit it for review. Once the service approves your partnership, you’ll be sent credentials to build your own reservation links. You’ll need to integrate them within the OpenTable pre-production environment, run some internal tests, and then send your project to OpenTable to test and approve its quality-assurance. Only then you can deploy the links in production.
Also, keep in mind that we’ve got other awesome guides, for example, you can find out how to embed google business reviews on website!
