Technology

ChatGPT can now recommend restaurants on OpenTable

Who has the best deep-dish in Chicago? ChatGPT has some ideas, thanks to a new integration with the reservations website.
ChatGPT interface
The feature is available now for ChatGPT Plus subscribers. / Photo: Shutterstock

ChatGPT, the AI chat bot that is the talk of the tech world, now gives restaurant recommendations.

Parent company OpenAI has partnered with reservations site OpenTable to give the bot access to OpenTable data, allowing it to generate responses to questions like: “Where’s a highly reviewed brunch spot I can take my mom this Mother’s Day in Charleston?”

Recommendations will include a link to book a table.

Right now, the feature is available only to subscribers of ChatGPT Plus, a $20 monthly membership that offers faster response times and access to new features. But it will be gradually rolled out to more users, and OpenTable did not rule out making the bot a feature of its actual website someday.

“Currently, this feature is only available through ChatGPT, but it’s exciting to imagine future use cases,” OpenTable Chief Growth Officer Susan Lee wrote in an email.

Learn more about how restaurants are using ChatGPT.

The integration is part of a major step forward for ChatGPT, which until this week did not have access to the internet. Instead, it drew responses from a massive body of training material that taught it to understand human speech patterns. But that data was only current through September 2021. 

On Thursday, OpenAI unveiled about a dozen plugins that will allow ChatGPT to interact with other sites, including OpenTable, Expedia and Instacart. 

So how can restaurants that use OpenTable get on ChatGPT’s recommendation radar? Lee said they can boost their visibility by adding more information to their profiles. “The more details like menus, tags, photos, and reviews, the better,” she wrote.

Members help make our journalism possible. Become a Restaurant Business member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.

Multimedia

Exclusive Content

Financing

Struggling Topgolf reconsiders its value position

The Bottom Line: The food-and-golf concept’s sales have struggled over the past 18 months. Its parent company is now trying more value offers. But that move comes with big risks.

Emerging Brands

Forget being the next Chipotle. Koushik Koganti wants dosas to be the next pizza

The co-founder and CEO of Madras Dosa Co. sees the crepe-like pancakes as the vehicle that could capture the fast-casual flag for Indian cuisine.

Technology

4 things you might have missed in a wild week for restaurant tech

Tech Check: Sales rumors, acquisitions and a nine-digit fundraise dominated the headlines, allowing some other developments to fly under the radar.

Trending

More from our partners